Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been expelled from parliament over his conviction for tax fraud.
Italian senators voted to expel Berlusconi, 77, with immediate effect.
He could now face arrest over other criminal cases as he has lost his immunity from prosecution.
He told supporters in Rome that it was a "day of mourning" for democracy.
Berlusconi is due to serve a one-year sentence, probably under house arrest or by doing community service, for tax fraud over deals his firm Mediaset made to purchase television rights to US films.
He is appealing convictions of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and of a breach of confidentiality over a police wiretap.
