MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Monti begins round of contacts with major parties; confirms 2013 elections

Italian PM designate described his first round of contacts ‘constructive’

Italy's Prime Minister-designate Mario Monti said on Monday his first day of talks for a new government were constructive and he hoped to form an administration that could take the country through to the next scheduled elections in 2013.

“It's obvious that parliament can decide at any time that a government does not have its confidence,” he told a news conference, but added that he would not accept setting other time limits on the lifetime of the government.

“If a date was set beyond that time horizon, this predetermination would remove credibility from the government,” he said.

The next election is not due until 2013 but there have been widespread predictions Monti will make way for polls once he passes the economic reforms promised to Europe.

The former European Commissioner met representatives of smaller parties on his first day of consultations to form a government replacing Silvio Berlusconi that will try to reverse a disastrous collapse of market confidence in Italy.

He concludes the talks on Tuesday with meetings with leaders of the two largest parties of the centre-right and the centre-left, unions, and representatives of women and youth groups.

Monti said he would be willing to have politicians in his government instead of just technocrats but that it would be up to the political parties to decide.

He went to work after a frenetic weekend of political activity, in which Italy's parliament approved a package of economic reforms agreed with European leaders, Berlusconi resigned and President Giorgio Napolitano appointed the respected international figure as head of a new government.

The speaker of the lower house, Gianfranco Fini, said he expected Monti to seek a confidence vote in parliament to confirm support for his new government by Friday.

Napolitano called for an extraordinary national effort to support Monti and win back the confidence of international markets, noting that Italy had to refinance some 200 billion Euros of bonds by the end of April.