Silvio Berlusconi wins Italy confidence vote

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has won a vote of confidence in the lower house of parliament, reports BBC News.

He won by a margin of three votes, following a tense session of the house and amid large protests in the capital.

Mr Berlusconi also won an earlier vote in the Senate. He had urged MPs not to jeopardise the country's stability by ousting him.

His critics argue he is too mired in personal scandal and corruption allegations to remain in office.

Mr Berlusconi, 74, is halfway through a five-year term but his position has been weakened by a series of scandals largely involving his relationships with women.

He has also lost the support of his closest political ally, Gianfranco Fini, along with dozens of his supporters, depriving him of his automatic majority in the lower house.

But in the final vote, two opposition deputies switched sides and he won the vote by 314 votes to 311.

Scuffles broke out in the lower house after opposition MP Katia Polidori voted in favour of Mr Berlusconi, and voting was briefly suspended.

Speaking in parliament, former anti-corruption judge Antonio Di Pietro – who now leads the opposition Italy of Values party – told Mr Berlusconi he was finished.

"Whatever the result of the vote you have bought, one thing is clear. You do not have a political majority that would allow you to govern," he said.

"Whether you like it or not, you have reached the end of the line for your political experience."