Quotes of the Day

With national elections due next spring, Italy's opposition parties might be expected to focus on how to unseat Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. And the job shouldn't be too tough. Berlusconi's government has struggled with a stalled economy, bickering allies and a drubbing in April's regional elections, forcing the PM to resign temporarily and reshuffle his Cabinet. But it's the opposition coalition that's looking bruised and battered, and most of the injuries are self-inflicted.

Fault lines among the half a dozen or so parties in the coalition, which include communists, socialists and even the remains of the splintered Christian Democrats, are widening. Francesco Rutelli, the unsuccessful center-left challenger to Berlusconi four years ago, outraged allies in the Left Democratic party by backing the Italian bishops' call for voters to abstain from this week's referendum on assisted fertility and stem-cell research. But noisy squabbles among coalition partners over policy mask divisions that are even more bitter: over who will spearhead the election campaign.

Doubts have grown over the past month about the leadership of Romano Prodi, 67, the former President of the European Commission chosen last year to take on Berlusconi. The recent slump in the E.U.'s popularity is bad news for Prodi, who enthusiastically pushed Italy into the euro zone during his time as Prime Minister. Since public opinion has soured on the European project, opponents would be able to exploit the perception that Europe is a failure, and use Prodi's europhile track record against him. "Prodi has already shown difficulty holding the coalition together," says one opposition source. "His big selling point has always been as a champion of Europe. And now that brand has been damaged." Prodi indicated last week that he would sacrifice his own ambitions if necessary for the good of the coalition: "The project comes before the roles, and the roles we'll decide together."

Some are promoting Rome's Mayor Walter Veltroni, 49, as a fresher alternative. "Veltroni is a uniter. He's a classic big-tent candidate," says an opposition spokesman. And that's what may be needed to control the center-left circus. For the moment, Veltroni continues to express loyalty to Prodi, but if the older man steps aside, no one doubts that Veltroni would be ready to put on the ringmaster's shiny boots and start cracking the whip.

• JEFF ISRAELY
• Romano Prodi's stint as E.U. Commission President may hurt his election chances