Silvio Berlusconi forms new government

Premier Silvio Berlusconi's conservative government is set to be sworn in.

After the ceremony Thursday, the government must then win confidence votes in parliament, which is safely controlled by Berlusconi's forces.

The confidence votes are scheduled to be held next Wednesday in the lower house and by the end of next week at the Senate.

It is Berlusconi's third stint in power and Italy's 62nd government since World War II.

The 21 ministers in Berlusconi's Cabinet include some longtime allies, such as Franco Frattini and Giulio Tremonti, returning respectively to the foreign affairs and finance ministries.