Rome - One of Silvio Berlusconi's most loyal ministers survived a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, offering a boost to the beleaguered Italian prime minister as he battles a prostitution scandal.
Culture Minister Sandro Bondi had faced pressure to resign over the run-down state of the archaeological site at Pompeii but even if he had been forced to step down, the stability of the government would not have been affected.
His loss would however have been a symbolic blow to the government as it struggles to deal with the sex scandal that has engulfed the 74-year-old premier.
Berlusconi has been under pressure since a split in the ruling PDL party last year cost him a secure majority in parliament and his government barely scraped though a general no-confidence vote in December.
Wednesday's motion was defeated by 314 votes to 292 with two abstentions, underlining the difficulty the divided opposition has had in mustering the numbers to take advantage of the government's problems.
Berlusconi has been accused of paying underaged prostitutes for sex and of abusing his office by pressuring police to release a teenaged nightclub dancer from custody but he has come under increasing pressure over the affair.
He denies the accusations and says he has been the victim of a smear campaign by leftist magistrates. - Reuters