The curse of Italy’s fractured political system threatens to strike again, with the withdrawal of one of the smallest political parties from Romano Prodi’s centre-left coalition. It means that Mr Prodi has lost his wafer-thin majority in the Senate, the upper house of parliament, and for the umpteenth time since he came to power in 2006, he has been forced to seek a vote of confidence in a desperate bid to stay in power.

The last thing Italy needs now is another election. Quite apart from the prospect of being without a properly functioning government during a period of international economic turmoil, the country is lumbered with a half-baked electoral system that is likely to produce another kaleidoscope of quarrelling political parties. It urgently needs reform to force the proliferation of parties into broader groups that can produce a more coherent government and opposition.