Rebels vote to force TV sell-off by Berlusconi

Supporters of Silvio Berlusconi's coalition government gave their leader a slap in the face yesterday when 17 of them voted with the opposition to force through an amendment in the lower house, banning any individual from owning more than two television channels.

Mr Berlusconi, Italy's richest citizen, owns Channel 5, Italia 1, and Network 4. If the amended bill, which has yet to be passed by the Senate, became law he could be obliged to put Network 4 on the block.

It was another big upset for the man they call "the Great Seducer" after Italy's highest court of appeal in February rejected his attempt to get a criminal trial in which he is a defendant shifted to a friendly bench.

Opposition leaders were cock-a-hoop. Francesco Rutelli, leader of the centre-left Olive coalition, described the vote as "the most important success the opposition has had in this parliament". Giuseppe Giuletti, leader of the democratic left, said: "It's a victory for a free parliament, for freedom of the press and of the market. Now the Prime Minister will sell a network. The right of Italians to inform and be informed has been defended."

However, Mr Berlusconi is a long way from divesting himself of Network 4, which broadcasts a mix of quiz shows, soaps, old films and news.

"The original Article 15 of the bill, which the opposition's amendment replaced, can be reintroduced in the Senate, where the government has a stronger grip," an opposition source said. "They will do everything they can to achieve that, because Article 15 was the core of the law, confirming Berlusconi's grip on all three of his channels despite a ruling by the Constitutional Court that no individual can own more than two."

He predicted that Mr Berlusconi would be "very angry" at the result. The Il Riformista newspaper yesterday leaked a letter from the government chief whip, ordering government MPs to attend parliament and vote for the bill.

According to the opposition, the government tried to ram the controversial bill through parliament at top speed, believing that wall-to-wall Iraq coverage would ensure minimum scrutiny by the media. But the tactic has backfired.

Mr Berlusconi offered no comment. A spokesman for the Prime Minister's office said, "This is the business of parliament, so he won't say anything about it."

While the break-up of Mr Berlusconi's empire is certainly not imminent, the defeat is another rumble from what an opposition source calls "the hidden earthquake" inside the ruling coalition. It is split on Iraq, with centrists close to the Vatican opposing the war. There is also a struggle over whether Italy should accept refugees, and an ongoing fight over which party's candidates should stand in local elections due in a couple of months.