Italy's Berlusconi faces confidence vote

ROME, June 16 (UPI) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Thursday he will unveil his national budget after he faces a vote of confidence in Parliament.

"I am not afraid of anyone, the majority will be maintained for sure," the embattled prime minister told reporters outside his residence in Rome Thursday, the ANSA news agency said. "I am completely convinced that there is no alternative for Italy and this majority and this government."

Berlusconi narrowly survived a confidence vote in December, and another Parliament vote is expected to be scheduled for next week, the news agency said.

A poll released Wednesday by left-leaning daily La Repubblica indicated Berlusconi's popularly has hit a low of 29 percent.

Italian voters this week rejected a referendum that would have allowed Berlusconi to avoid court trials.