Berlusconi Has Budget Approved amid Calls to Step Down

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (C, in car`s back) arrives at the Italian parliament in Palazzo Chigi, Rome, 08 November 2011. EPA/BGNES

Embattled Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi marked a tactical win, after the Italian Parliament voted in favor of the state budget balance for 2010 Tuesday.

The budget balance bill, seen as a confidence vote, was supported by 308 MPs in Italy's lower chamber out of 630, with the opposition abstaining.

This means that the Italian PM may no longer have a parliamentary majority for future policies or confidence votes.

Earlier Tuesday the main coalition partner of Berlusconi's Forza Italia, the Lega Nord, joined calls for the PM to step down.

Monday key Italian journalists close to the PM said he intended to resign in the near future, something that he promptly refuted.

In recent weeks, Italy has been facing stern critique from other EU members, who fear the country is likely to experience a financial crisis similar to that in Greece, which would further imperil the eurozone.

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