Posted on 04/12/2006 1:27:05 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Political uncertainty clouded Italy's future as Premier Silvio Berlusconi refused to concede defeat to center-left leader Romano Prodi in one of the closest elections in the country's recent history.
Berlusconi, alleging irregularities, demanded a recount, a process that could take weeks. "Nobody now can say they have won," he said Tuesday.
Prodi emerged the winner of the election by a razor-thin margin and promised to form a strong government able to run a deeply divided country mired in economic stagnation.
He told Europe 1 radio on Wednesday that discussions would get under way in the next few days to select members of his Cabinet and parliament would soon choose a new president who will give his coalition the mandate to govern. He said a day earlier he was not worried by a recount, describing Berlusconi's complaints as "out of line."
However, even if the result is confirmed, long-term prospects of a stable government under Prodi look problematic. Many fear a return of the chaos that has characterized recent Italian history. There have been 60 governments in about as many years since the end of World War II.
The two candidates' comments capped a day of confusion since millions of Italians went to cast ballots Sunday and Monday at the end of bitter campaign.
Official results by the Interior Ministry showed Prodi had won four of the six seats in the Senate elected by Italians living abroad, giving him the margin he needed to win both houses of Italy's parliament.
In the 315-member Senate, official returns showed Prodi had won 158 seats to 156 by the center-right, with one independent.
In the lower house, Prodi's coalition won 49.8 percent of the vote to Berlusconi's 49.7 percent. However, thanks to a new, fully proportional electoral system pushed through by the conservatives against the center-left's opposition, the winning coalition in the lower house gets at least 340 deputies, or 55 percent of seats, regardless of the margin of its victory.
But with Prodi's coalition winning the lower house by about 25,000 out of the 38 million votes cast, Berlusconi called for a recount. He said there were also many irregularities in the vote abroad, making it "possible that this is not a vote we can say is valid."
"We won't hesitate to recognize the political victory for our adversaries, but only once the necessary legal verification procedures have been completed," he said, adding that he had full confidence in the checks.
After a night of swinging projections and with a dramatic vote count still under way, Prodi vowed he would form a strong government in a country mired in zero-percent economic growth and almost evenly split by the vote.
But Prodi would preside over a potentially unwieldy coalition, in addition to a weak popular mandate. The center-left, while built on two mainstream parties, includes a mixed group of smaller formations ranging from Catholics to communists.
With a high voter turnout of about 84 percent, analysts talked of a deeply split country, and expressed uncertainty over what might happen next.
"Italy is a country that has been divided since 1948," said analyst Edoardo Novelli, referring to the landmark Italian election between the U.S.- and Vatican-backed Christian Democrats and the Soviet-supported Communists.
"But it has never been so on the line," added the professor of political communications at Milan University.
Coming back from a consistent gap in the polls before the election, Berlusconi's forces gained around half of the popular vote.
The premier suggested that should the two houses be divided, Italy could follow Germany's model and create a "grand coalition" between the left and right.
"I think that we maybe need to take the example of another European country, perhaps like Germany, to see if there's not a case to unify our forces to govern in agreement," he said.
Prodi quickly dismissed the suggestion.
"We went before voters with a precise coalition and the electoral law assigned us a number of lawmakers in the Chamber and in the Senate that allows us to govern," he said.
Berlusconi became Italy's longest serving premier since World War II thanks to his five years in power. Despite a tumultuous tenure, including the loss of some ministers along the way and a Cabinet reshuffle last year, the conservative media mogul delivered a sense of stability to the country.
The Interior Ministry stressed Tuesday that the results must still be confirmed by Italy's highest court, and that parliament's election committees would have to rule on any challenges.
A new government would then have to win a vote of confidence in both houses of parliament, which under the Italian system have equal powers and largely duplicate work.
It is very clear that Prodi is going to head a very unstable government; it is weak because its majority is too thin and it's reliant on thorough idiots like the Communists.
Berlusconi should protest, to a point. Then graciously concede, and watch the Left self-destruct like they did the last time. Then he can sweep to power once more.
Regards, Ivan
Prodi, big time Commie for life and yet another lefty academic in the world is also a fan of the Muslimization of Europe.
I was hoping you would post. Thanks, Ivan.
I give Prodi 6 months on the outside. If he tries to reform, as Italy needs, the Communists will revolt and bring the government down.
If he doesn't reform, Italy will continue to sink into the mire.
If he does what he says he is going to do, economic growth in Italy will slow further, unemployment will grow, and the people of Italy will bring the government down.
The Right should not remain idle - I would gently persuade Mr. Berlusconi to not be Prime Minister again, get a fresh face in, and get someone who can persuade the Italian people of the necessity of reform - namely, privatisation, deregulation and cuts in taxation.
Regards, Ivan
My thoughts as well...The Prodi government wont last long and Berlusconi will pick up the pieces. FInished he is not.
Berlusconi = Italian for Algore.
I bet there are hundreds of votes he could get out of Palm Beach County...
Berlusconi has severe legal problems related to his businesses that have been on hold until he is no longer Premier. He may not be available to lead a center-right coalition back to power and new leadership may need to emerge.
http://ilrestodelcarlino.quotidiano.net/art/2006/04/08/5410853
Berlusconi gave a fiery denunciation of the Left as the election loomed, asking who was it who had idolized the likes of "Stalin, Lenin, Mao, Polpot?" Asking who wants to try to eliminated political adversaries using the courts? Asking who wants to increase property taxes, inheritance taxes...
Good reminder for people here in the states as well.
Funny, the MSM never mentioned it.
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