Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi began consultations Thursday with the aim of forming a new government, following the resignations of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Consultations were due to last until Friday and were expected to lead to the creation of a new Berlusconi government, which will be charged with leading the country during the final year of the legislature. First to meet the President were the heads of the two branches of parliament, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, followed by political party delegations. Berlusconi resigned on Wednesday, formally acknowledging "serious difficulties" within his center-right House of Freedoms coalition following the alliance's defeat in regional elections held earlier this month. The move brought to an abrupt end his four-year-old government, the longest serving in Italy since World War II.
