The Italian Senate voted to expel former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from parliament, largely due to his conviction of tax fraud. The 77-year-old Berlusconi could soon face arrest over other criminal cases after he lost his immunity from prosecution, BBC News reported.
Berlusconi said it was "a bitter day, a day of mourning" for Italian democracy.
Addressing supporters, Berlusconi said that "No political leader has suffered a persecution such as I have lived through... We must stay on the field, we must not despair if the leader of the center-right is not a senator any more. There are leaders of other parties who are not parliamentarians," he said on Wednesday.
The vote marks "the end of a process which determines that Berlusconi cannot take part in any general election for six years," BBC News reported.
"The conclusions of the committee on elections have been approved, abolishing the election of senator Silvio Berlusconi," Speaker Pietro Grasso said on Wednesday at the parliament.
Berlusconi will have to serve a one-year sentence, "probably under house arrest or by doing community service because of his age," BBC News reported.
In a separate case, Berlusconi also was "convicted of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and of a breach of confidentiality over a police wiretap. He is appealing against both convictions," news reports said.
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