Italy Politics

Supporters of former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi expose a banner reading “Silvio Italy trusts you” in front of Palazzo Grazioli, the residence of Berlusconi, in Rome, Thurdsday, Dec. 6, 2012. The 76-year-old Berlusconi has been hinting at a comeback, after earlier saying he would leave the party to a younger candidate. Berlusconi claims allies are pressing him to return, hoping that Monti’s painful austerity measures will win votes for the center-right. Lawmakers belonging to Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right party abstained Thursday from a confidence vote in the government of Premier Mario Monti, raising questions over its future and the progress of its economic reform program. (AP Photo/Alberto Pellaschiar)