THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: ROME—Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Saturday rebuffed calls to resign as thousands of protesters poured into the streets criticizing his handling of Italy's economy and calling for new leadership to steer the country out of the euro-zone debt crisis.
In a defiant statement, Mr. Berlusconi labeled as "gossip" Italian newspaper reports stating he has come under pressure from key advisers to step down.
"Responsibility in the face of voters and the country requires us and our government to continue this battle for civility that we are conducting in this difficult moment of the crisis," he said.
The protest rally in Rome Saturday was organized by the main opposition party, the Democratic Party, which has repeatedly called on the prime minister to resign. Center-left opposition leader Pier Luigi Bersani said that "either he resigns or he will lose the next election round." » | Stacy Meichtry and Sabrina Cohen | Saturday, November 05, 2011
