Berlusconi resigns

Silvio Berlusconi tendered his resignation as Italian prime minister today.President Giorgio Napolitano accepted his offer and is likely to appoint technocrat Mario Monti his successor.Berlusconi lost his majority amid an acute debt crisis that threatens the eurozone. He promised to go once MPs had approved new austerity mesasures.He is Italy’s longest-serving post-WWII PM – having dominated political life for 17 years. His premiership has recently been marred by many scandals.The BBC’s Alan Johnston in Rome says Berlusconi’s journey to the presidential palace was an undignified one.He was booed along the way, with demonstrators calling him a “buffoon”.The outgoing prime minister said he felt “embittered” after hearing the insults.After losing his parliamentary majority on Tuesday, Berlusconi promised to resign after austerity measures, demanded by the EU and designed to restore markets’ confidence in the country’s economy, were passed by both houses of parliament. (BBC)