Is Berlusconi's reign in its terminal phase?

The "international plot " against Silvio Berlusconi now has a new co-conspirator. Miklos Harazsti, the OSCE(Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) representative for freedom of the press has called on the head of the Italian government to stop his libel suits against two left-wing dailies, La Repubblica and l'Unità. "Constant – even partisan – questioning is part and parcel of the media’s corrective function. The right to inform the public inevitably includes the media’s right to ask questions," Harazsti declared, referring to ten questions La Repubblica openly addresses to Silvio Berlusconi everyday about the scandals in his private life. According to Harazsti, public leaders have to accept a greater level of criticism than ordinary citizens, given the office they hold,” reports the Corriere della Sera.

According to El País, the mounting embarrassment in the international arena caused by the Italian prime minister’s affairs is actually expediting his decline. His allies are already casting about for a successor, who might well be current minister of the economy Giulio Tremonti. "We’re entering the final phase of Berlusconi-ism," the head of the Italian press agency ANSA told El País. "The problem is no-one knows how much time it will take.”