Silvio Berlusconi Confirms that He Will resign

... and the Mediterranean Spring continues apace.

Silvio Berlusconi, the longest serving leader of Italy since Benito Mussolini, has confirmed that he will resign. The prime minister said he would step down as soon as the Italian parliament passes budget measures to prevent the country from slipping further into the eurozone's debt crisis. His resignation follows a revolt among members of his PDL party that prevented a bill from getting a true majority in parliament today. The bill passed due to abstaining opposition members, but opposition leader Pier Luigi Bersani said that the mutiny in the PDL shows that Berlusconi had truly lost the confidence of his government. President Giorgio Napolitano will now lead consultations over who will form the new government.

It is with a heavy heart that we bid adieu to Berlusco ... oh wait, wrong political obituary. After 17 years of incomptence, philandering, possible corruption, economic mismanagement, and descending into the butt of jokes made in capitals from Paris to Moscow to Washington to Tokyo, Italy is finally free of the billionaire media baron. This by no means is a guarantee that the country will be able to dig itself out of its massive debt – especially because Berlusconi's ability to hold onto power was in part owing to a lack of other viable leadership candidates. But at least the country can be rid of a man who was more known for allegedly paying to have sex with a 17-year-old exotic dancer, cracking jokes and falling asleep at international summits, and hosting bunga-bunga sex parties than his political prowess. Berlusconi's resignation follows the resignation of Greek Prime Minisiter George Papandreou, who has confirmed that he will be stepping down due to similar debt crisis-related concerns.