Scalfaro, who is seeking to break the stalemate which began when Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigned on Dec. 22, was forced to suspend the consultations last week because he had influenza.
Berlusconi and his allies want Scalfaro either to reappoint him or set a date for a snap election.
The Northern League and centrist and leftist forces favor the appointment of a new prime minister and the formation of a broad-based government which would carry out a series of institutional reforms before fresh elections are held.
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