Italy speaker refuses to step down

The influential speaker of Italy's lower house refused to step down yesterday after being censured by his own party, and said his supporters could vote against the government of his former ally Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
"Obviously I have no intention of resigning," Gianfranco Fini told a packed news conference a day after Berlusconi effectively booted him out of the party they jointly founded two years ago, raising the specter of early elections.
A combative Fini also attacked Berlusconi for "having not exactly a liberal concept of democracy" and of trying run a government with an autocratic business mentality, "which has nothing to do with our democratic institutions."
Standing behind the 58-year-old Fini were parliamentarians who will join him in his party rebellion and could weaken Berlusconi's majority in parliament.
Fini supporters said they had about 34 members in the lower house of parliament, thus enabling them to deprive him of a majority there. They have 10 supporters in the Senate, which could reduce Berlusconi's majority there to two votes.
Fini said his fellow rebels would "loyally support the government every time it acts within the framework of the electoral program, but will not hesitate to fight proposals that are unfair or damaging to the wider interest."