The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Rome

Embattled Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi prepared on Wednesday to face the first of two votes of confidence as his centre-left government teetered on the brink of collapse.

One vote in the Chamber of Deputies, set to begin at 5:00 pm (1600 GMT), is expected to go Prodi's way since he has a comfortable majority in the lower house.

The make-or-break test will be on Thursday in the Senate, where the defection of a key ally has left the 20-month-old government with a two-seat deficit.

Facing growing calls for early elections, Prodi, 68, defended his government's performance in a defiant speech to parliament on Tuesday. The crisis for the Prodi government, which ranges from far-left communists to centrist Catholics, was sparked by centrist Clemente Mastella's resignation as justice minister last week. On Monday his small UDEUR party said it would oppose Prodi in a vote of confidence.