Silvio Berlusconi flexes his muscles in Senate walkout "We have to understand if it was an abstention on a single vote or a broader political abstention," said Pierluigi Bersani, the cigar-smoking former Communist who leads the Democratic Party. "These are decisive hours for the country," said Pier Ferdinando Casini, the leader of the UDC, a centre-Right Catholic party. The refusal to take part in the vote was, in part, an angry reaction to comments made earlier in the day by Corrado Passera, the industry minister, who said a return of Mr Berlusconi would be a step backwards for Italy and would damage its image in the world. "Anything which can make the rest of the world or our partners imagine that we are turning back is not a good thing for Italy," he told RAI, the state broadcaster. We need to show that the country is moving forward. The abstention amplified political tensions and was the first time that Mr Berlusconi and his allies had withheld their support for Mr Monti's government since it came into power just over a year ago. It could pave the way for the 76-year-old billionaire to announce in earnest his plans to contest the spring election. In a statement released late on Wednesday after a long meeting with his party faithful, he said that he had been "besieged by requests from (his) party to announce at the soonest my re-entry into politics to guide the PDL." The situation today is much worse than it was a year ago when I left the government out of a sense of responsibility and a love for my country. I cannot let my country fall into a recessive spiral without end. It's not possible to go on like this," he continued. Today Italy is on the edge of an abyss: the economy is exhausted, a million more are unemployed, purchasing power has collapsed, tax pressure is rising to intolerable levels. Should Mr Berlusconi decide to fight the elections, his chances of becoming prime minister for a fourth time in 20 years appear slim. Opinion polls show support for his PDL party at around 15 per cent, compared with nearly 35 per cent for the Democratic Party. But senior members of Mr Berlusconi's party said that only he could save Italy from the pain being inflicted on ordinary people by the austerity measures of the Monti government. Mr Berlusconi could "relaunch the centre-Right," said Alessandra Mussolini, an MP in his party and the grand-daughter of Benito Mussolini, the Fascist dictator. On Monday a court in Milan is expected to hear testimony from "Ruby the Heart Stealer," the Moroccan-born erotic dancer whom Mr Berlusconi is accused of paying for sex during his "bunga bunga" parties when she was an alleged underage prostitute. A verdict in the trial is expected in January or February and could overshadow Mr Berlusconi's electoral campaign should he decided to run.