The BBC’s Duncan Kennedy on what the vote means
Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has won a vote of confidence in the lower house of parliament.
He won by a margin of three votes, following a tense session of the house and amid large protests in the capital.
Mr Berlusconi also won an earlier vote in the Senate. He had urged MPs not to jeopardise the country’s stability by ousting him.
His critics argue he is too mired in personal scandal and corruption allegations to remain in office.
Mr Berlusconi, 74, is halfway through a five-year term but his position has been weakened by a series of scandals largely involving his relationships with women.
Mr Berlusconi’s endless lobbying and pressure has paid off. But the margin was very thin – not enough to give him the new mandate he had wanted.
That means his immediate political future is secure, but the long-term pressure on him is unlikely to subside, and this crisis will be postponed until the new year.
He has also lost the support of his closest political ally, Gianfranco Fini, along with dozens of his supporters, depriving him of his automatic majority in the lower house.
But in the final vote, two opposition deputies switched sides and he won the vote by 314 votes to 311.
The BBC’s Duncan Kennedy in Rome says although Mr Berlusconi’s lobbying has paid off for now he will still face considerable opposition to his leadership.
Thousands of people have gathered in Rome and Italy’s other major cities to demand a change in government.
Police have fired tear gas on the protesters and several explosions – thought to be fireworks – have been heard.
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