About 100,000 protesters, led by
trade unionists, have rallied in the Italian capital Rome against the policies
of the new coalition government. Wielding red flags and placards, they urged the center-left Prime Minister,
Enrico Letta, to scrap austerity measures and focus on job creation. Public trust in his fragile coalition with the center-right is dropping,
opinion polls suggest. The country is experiencing its longest recession in more than 40 years. National debt is now about 127% of annual economic output, second only to
Greece in the eurozone.
An estimated 100,000 people, including many of the young jobless, took part
in the protest march, but there were some noteworthy absentees - the leaders of
the left-wing Democratic Party, the party of Prime Minister Enrico Letta. The
head of the metal worker's union, Maurizio Landini, taunted the party
leadership, accusing them of being afraid of coming out on to the streets.
Mr Letta is faced with an almost impossible task - creating new jobs at a
moment when the Italian economy is suffering one of its most serious recessions
since the economic boom in the 1950s and 60s. Former Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi almost daily threatens to withdraw his support from the fragile
coalition.
Opinion polls suggest growing support for Mr Berlusconi, despite his dismal
economic record, and lower and lower approval ratings for Mr. Letta. Before taking office, Mr. Letta vowed to make job
creation his priority, but critics are unhappy that he has focused on property
tax reform. The issues of social justice and poverty came up when German Chancellor
Angela Merkel had talks with the new Pope at the Vatican on Saturday
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