Italian President Giorgio Napolitano held crisis talks with political leaders Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Romano Prodi abruptly resigned following a parliamentary defeat.

Prodi stepped down Wednesday evening after a Senate defeat of his government's proposed foreign policy program, including its plan to keep Italian troops in Afghanistan.

Romano Prodi came to power last April in a narrow victory over the previous centre-right coalition government.
(Associated Press)

Napolitano met Thursday at Rome's presidential palace with Senate Speaker Franco Marini, who is considered a possible leader for a caretaker government.

Under Italy's constitution, Prodi must remain in a caretaker role while Napolitano chooses from three main possible courses of action.

He could ask Prodi to form a new government if he feels the 67-year-old has enough support among members of his left-of-centre coalition.

The president could also ask another leader from his coalition to form a new government or dissolve parliament and call an early election.

Aides to the prime minister wouldn't rule out the possibility that Napolitano could ask Prodi to form another government.

"Prodi is willing to stay if, and only if, he will receive guarantees of full support from all coalition parties," said Prodi's spokesperson, Silvio Sircana.

Prodi's resignation after only nine months and following the closest election in Italy's postwar history raised fears that the years of "revolving-doors" governments were back.

Italy, which has had 61 governments since 1945, has had relative political stability in the past decade, with former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi remaining in power five years.

With files from the Associated Press