Italy's Enrico Letta forms new government with Berlusconi ally as deputy PM Fabrizio Saccomanni (AFP) The government, which Mr Letta said would contain a record number of women ministers, will be sworn in at 0930 GMT on Sunday and Mr Letta is expected to go before parliament to seek a vote of confidence on Monday. Mr Letta, 46, the deputy leader of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), spent more than two hours on Saturday in talks with Mr Berlusconi, who will not be a member of the government but is likely to play an important backstage role. Mr Letta is on the right of the PD and the nephew of one of Mr Berlusconi's closest aides. Agreement had been held up by wrangling over ministerial posts and policy differences, notably over Mr Berlusconi's demand to scrap the unpopular IMU housing tax, a move that would blow an 8 billion euro hole in this year's budget plans. Italy, the euro zone's third largest economy, has been without an effective government for months, with the long post-election deadlock holding up any concerted effort to end a recession set to become the longest since World War Two.