Italy PM Mario Monti resigns
Mario Monti late Friday resigned as Italian prime minister, officials said, keeping a promise to step down after the passing of his budget by parliament.
MPs earlier passed the 2013 budget drawn up by his government with 309 votes in favour and 55 against.
His resignation opened the way for a tight contest in the upcoming general election dominated by a raging debate over austerity in the recession-hit country.
President Giorgio Napolitano was set to begin talks with political leaders in the key eurozone state yesterday before dissolving parliament and formally calling a general election.
Monti, appointed to head up a technocrat government last year as Italy battled the debt crisis, has been called on by his supporters to run in the February election or endorse parties which pledge to continue his reforms.
Monti's arch-rival, the flamboyant Silvio Berlusconi, has blamed Germany for Italy's woes and called for an end to austerity, while Monti has urged more budget discipline.
The unelected Monti has kept his cards close to his chest, appearing reluctant to dive into the rough-and-tumble of Italian electoral politics, but is expected to announce today whether he will enter into the fray.
His decision is likely to determine the shape of the campaign, which could become a three-way race between Berlusconi, centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani and a Monti-backed coalition.
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