Struggle ahead for MEP’s plan to derail Silvio

Date: 02/10/03

ITALIAN MEP Antonio Di Pietro's campaign for a referendum against the law granting Silvio Berlusconi immunity from prosecution is motivated by a desire to “live in a normal country”, he says.

Supporters of the Liberal deputy and former judge, now head of the Italia dei Valori (Italy of Values) party, have collected one million signatures urging a plebiscite.

They want the 18 June law, which conferred protection from prosecution for the Italian premier, to be overturned as soon as possible. As a result of that law, legal proceedings in Milan against Berlusconi over bribery allegations were suspended shortly before Italy took over the EU's rotating presidency in July.

According to Di Pietro, his campaign is necessary to tackle “a man who uses his parliamentary majority not to serve the collective interest but his own” and to heed the concerns of “normal people who wish to live in a normal country”.

But the MEP faces a formidable struggle in having a referendum carried.

Although he has gathered the number of signatures needed for a popular ballot to be held, the result of such a referendum would only stand if at least 50% of the electorate went to the polls.

Di Pietro has been unable to obtain the support of the main opposition leaders in Italy. Both ex-premier Massimo D'Alema, from the the Democrats of the Left (DS) party, and Francesco Rutelli's La Margherita party have queried the wisdom of holding such a referendum - due to concern that a failed referendum could have a knock-on effect by encouraging a low turnout in next June's European and local elections.

“There are times when one must act without ulterior motives,” Di Pietro told Le Monde. “When a million citizens request a vote we cannot say to them that tactically this is not the right moment.”

One million signatures have been collected in Italy in support of a referendum to overturn a law passed on 18 June 2003, providing immunity from prosecution for the Italian premier.