ITALY’S prime minister-designate, Silvio Berlusconi, unveiled a new centre-right government yesterday that could allow him to stay in power for another year after concluding last-ditch negotiations with his fractious allies.

President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi entrusted Berlusconi on Friday evening with forming a new government following the collapse of the tycoon-turned-politician’s last administration, which set a new post-war record for Italy by lasting 1,410 days.

The new government, sworn in last night, includes Giulio Tremonti, the former finance minister, who is close to the pro-autonomy Northern League, as a deputy prime minister alongside Gianfranco Fini, head of the post-fascist National Alliance, who is also foreign minister.

Rocco Buttiglione, rejected as a European commissioner last year after his controversial comments about homosexuality and single mothers, will become culture minister.

Berlusconi’s dream of leading the first administration to last an entire five-year term — there have been 59 Italian governments since the war — was wrecked amid recriminations over his coalition’s defeat in 12 out of 14 regional elections earlier this month.

Four ministers from the centrist Union of Christian Democrats resigned but promised continued support in parliament. Then the National Alliance, Berlusconi’s senior coalition partner, threatened to pull out its ministers, too.

Berlusconi’s commitment to the presence of 3,000 Italian troops in Iraq and the poor performance of Italy’s economy have sapped his popularity. Opinion polls last weekend showed his coalition five percentage points behind its centre-left counterpart, led by Romano Prodi, the former European commission president.

Despite the speed with which Berlusconi formed his new administration, analysts said he had emerged weakend from the crisis and continues to face a delicate balancing act to keep his allies in line.

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