
ROME, March 11 (UPI) -- Italy's 86-year-old prime minister, Romano Prodi, says he is calling it quits after next month's parliamentary elections.
Prodi said he decided not to stand as his coalition's main candidate shortly after the fall of his center-left allied government in January, Euronews.net reported Monday.
"I am finished with Italian politics and possibly also with politics in general. The world is full of opportunities; there is always something new to do," he said.
Prodi reportedly sees Rome's mayor, Walter Veltroni, taking over the country's leadership.
Veltroni is aiming for a smaller coalition and plans on eliminating a number of Prodi's strong-left allies, the report said.
A poll revealed that Veltroni's Democratic Party is six-and-a-half points behind former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's center-right party.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Additional Top News Stories | |
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Feb. 13 (UPI) --
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook Costa Rica Monday and could be felt as far away as Panama, officials said.
|
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 13 (UPI) --
Billy Watson, brother-in-law of Whitney Houston, said Monday the U.S. singer's death was accidental and she had no intention of committing suicide.
|
ATHENS, Greece, Feb. 13 (UPI) --
Street battles between police and protesters left Athens in flames as Parliament approved a harsh austerity bill early Monday to secure a $173 billion bailout.
|
'Piggyback Bandit' jumping on athletes ... A unique date? Wastewater treatment plant ... Romeo, Juliet make Verona a proposal venue ... Man says transvestite escort cheated him ... Watercooler stories from UPI.
|
| Stories | Photos | People | Comments |
View Caption