On Tuesday night, the government failed by two votes to secure approval for the 2010 outturn public accounts. Minutes later, a visibly furious Berlusconi swept out of the chamber of deputies, the lower house, to opposition cries of „resign!“.

Commentators said there was no precedent for such a defeat in the 65-year history of the Italian republic. But on both previous occasions when governments had got into parliamentary difficulties over the public accounts, it had ended with the resignation of prime ministers.