BEIJING, Oct. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Italy’s Prime Minister Enrico Letta has won a confidence vote in the Italian Senate after a stunning last minute U-turn by former premier Silvio Berlusconi. In a dramatic turnaround, the centre-right leader threw his support behind Letta after defections in his party denied him the backing he needed to bring down the government. In the end, the Senate voted to back Letta 235-70 with 14 abstentions and one absence. Berlusconi acknowledged defeat on the Senate floor.

Heading into the confidence vote, the numbers were uncertain, but in a remarkable challenge to Berlusconi, twenty-five of the former prime minister’s allies said they would support Letta’s coalition. The move was enough to tip the balance in the government’s favour in the 321 member chamber.

Pietro Grasso, Italian Senate Speaker, said, "By a majority of 153, Senators for the confidence vote 235, Senators opposing 70, senators abstaining 0, the Senate approves."

The result is a major setback for Berlusconi. Last weekend, he promised to topple the government by withdrawing his party’s support. He demanded that five ministers from his centre-right People of Freedom party withdraw. But he backed down when it became clear several of his senators would back the government.

Franco Pavoncello, Political Analyst, said, "There was a growing movement within Berlusconi’s party, by Mr Alfano, who is the secretary of the party and the other ministers, not to follow the road of making the government fall. And when it became clear that they were much more willing to split the party rather than making the government fall, I think that Berlusconi in a way was sort of checkmated in a situation from which he could only come out either by accepting the spirit of the party or simply to adjust to the new trend and give his blessing to the confidence vote and to keep the Letta government alive".

In Rome, there has been mixed reaction to Berlusconi’s sudden change of heart. Some say it was merely political gamesmanship, others believe there are more strategic reasons at play.

Josefa Idem, Fmr. Sports Minister, said, "He tried to play his cards until the last minute and then he decided to vote for Letta because in this way he remains in the game...I think he’s playing. He’s just playing, you know."

Prof. James Walston, Political Analyst, said, "I think there are two reasons why he changed his mind. One was because he wanted to maintain, he wants to maintain or try to regain rather than maintain, regain control of his own party which he was losing, which arguably he has lost, he wants to regain it. And he thinks that by accepting what could be a majority of his party, he will be able to continue to be its leader. And the other point is that he thinks that by being within the government or his party being within the government, he is better able to condition what the government does than if he was out in opposition."

The result of the vote increases the possibility of Berlusconi being thrown out of the Senate. On Friday, a Senate committee is due to vote on whether to strip him of his seat following his conviction for tax fraud.

A law passed in 2012 says anyone who receives sentences of longer than two years cannot hold public office for six years.

Berlusconi has challenged the law and accused judges who handed down his sentence of trying to eliminate him from Italy’s political life.

(Source: CNTV.cn)