Post date: Nov 27, 2013 2:51:55 PM
Naples craftsmen produce a Silvio Berlusconi nativity scene figurine, as the Italian Senate prepares to vote on whether to expel the former prime minister from parliament.
NAPLES, ITALY (NOVEMBER 27, 2013) (REUTERS) - The Italian Senate may decide to expel former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi from parliament on Wednesday (November 27) but that doesn't mean he won't still turn up under people's Christmas trees.
Craftsmen in Naples have been rushing to produce Berlusconi figurines in time for the historic vote and the start of the Christmas shopping season.The nativity scene figurine-makers have decided a miniature statue of the media mogul will be this year's 'must have' item, along with Pope Francis and a variety of international soccer stars.
For those still undecided about which figurine to go for, there are two choices: the 77-year-old Berlusconi posing with his new, 28-year-old girlfriend Francesca Pascale, or holding the ball and chain of a convict.
"We just couldn't do without the figurine of Berlusconi and his girlfriend Francesca Pascale," said shop owner and craftsman Genny Divirgilio.
"Today there is the vote to expel him in parliament and I thought it made sense to make this couple, Berlusconi with his new companion, who follows him everywhere and is always close by. I put a heart next to him with a message that reads "I love you Silvio", even if most people hate him - she loves him," Divirgilio said.
Many shoppers said they were looking forward to Berlusconi leaving the political scene.
"Berlusconi has done quite a lot of damage to Italy, he has played around with taxes, in one way he removes some taxes and then he increases others. I really agree with him being kicked out of parliament," said Naples resident Alessandro Pirozzi.
And there is little sympathy for the former prime minister.
"Everything that has happened, he has asked for. It is right that Italy doesn't trust Berlusconi anymore," said Pasquale Palumbo.
Berlusconi faces one of the heaviest blows of his 20-year political career later on Wednesday when the Senate votes on stripping him of his seat in parliament over a conviction for tax fraud.
The vote will be the culmination of months of political wrangling and is almost certain to lead to Berlusconi's expulsion from the upper house, opening an uncertain new phase for one of Italy's most divisive political figures.