国际英语新闻：Berlusconi faces various possible outcomes of confidence vote

ROME, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Last-minute horse-trading and grandstanding were in full force in Italy on Monday, a day before a crucial test of the government of embattled Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Berlusconi would be forced to step down, should he fail to gain support of a majority of lawmakers in the confidence vote scheduled for Tuesday in the Italian parliament.

Both the prime minister and his challengers were claiming that they would prevail. But behind the scenes, both sides were busy with desperate attempts to seal deals that would tilt the scale in their favor.

In recent days, Italian media were filled with vague speculations about possible quid pro quos involved in the contest, such as highly paid consultancies, no-interest mortgages and government positions for family members of supportive lawmakers.

But some specific deals were mentioned as well. Marco Pannella, the august head of the neo-libertarian Radical Party, has threatened to shift six lawmakers into Berlusconi's column in return for action on prison reform, one of Pannella's pet issues.

Antonio Di Pietro, head of the Italy of Values party, has vowed to expel any member of his party voting in favor of Berlusconi.

Gianfranco Fini, leader of the National Alliance party and a former ally of Berlusconi, who heightened the crisis five weeks ago by urging Berlusconi to step down, has so far refused overtures to return to the prime minister's fold.