Italian PM Prodi quits

Italy's prime minister lost a confidence vote Thursday in the Senate and will be resigning his office.

Romano Prodi, in office for 20 months, had only a slim chance of
surviving the vote. Observers had said a Senate loss could spell a new
period of instability in Italian politics.

Addressing senators
before the vote, Prodi asked them to back him so he can continue to
implement the reforms introduced by his government. He said the Italian
economy had been improving under his mandate.

Prodi acknowledged
that he would have to make some changes in his leadership, but he told
the senators that the country needed continuity in government and that
his was legitimately elected by the people.

The prime minister
lost his razor-thin majority Monday when a centrist party in his
center-left coalition withdrew its support. The move wiped out the
government's one-vote majority in the Senate.