Berlusconi resigns amid jeering, celebrations

ROME, (Reuters) – Prime Minister Silvio  Berlusconi formally resigned today,    ending one of the  most scandal-plagued eras in recent Italian history amid the  jeers of hundreds of protestors gathered in central Rome to  celebrate his departure.
President Giorgio Napolitano accepted Berlusconi’s  resignation after a meeting in the presidential palace, his  office said.
Berlusconi, who failed to secure a majority in a crucial  vote on Tuesday, handed in his resignation after parliament  passed a package of measures demanded by European partners to  restore market confidence in Italy’s strained public finances.
Former European Commissioner Mario Monti is expected to be  given the task of trying to form a new administration to face a  widening financial crisis which has sent Italy’s borrowing costs  to unmanageable levels.