Rome, Italy (CNN) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi faces a critical vote in parliament Wednesday, the first serious challenge to his government since one of his allies left the coalition.
Lawmakers will vote on whether they still have confidence in one of Berlusconi's junior ministers, Giacomo Caliendo. A rejection of him would undercut Berlusconi's government, but would not necessarily cause it to fall.
It's the most serious political crisis since Berlusconi took office in April 2008, coming on the heels of the defection of Gianfranco Fini, a co-founder of Berlusconi's party.
Fini formed a new faction in the Italian parliament, depriving Berlusconi's coalition of 33 deputies and a stable majority.
Fini's breakaway faction announced that his group and three other centrist parties will abstain in Wednesday's no-confidence vote.
This decision means that Berlusconi still should have a majority in the vote.
Parliament goes on holiday this week, thus postponing any other political tests until September.
But the 73-year-old prime minister still has to reckon with the fact that Fini's union with the other centrist parties - totaling 85 MPs - might turn into a third block in Parliament that could threaten his ability to govern. CNN
