Posted on 04/10/2006 3:05:54 PM PDT by John Geyer
Vote projections in Italy indicate the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may defy early predictions and cling to power in both houses of Parliament.
Early TV exit polls suggested the centre-left opposition would win the Upper House or Senate.
Left wing supporters were jubilant and Opposition Leader Romano Prodi was said to be preparing for a victory speech.
But then early counting suggested Mr Berlusconi's right-wing coalition would hold on to the Lower House.
TV stations are now predicting Italy's longest serving post-war government could actually win, defying opinion polls during the campaign.
The results may be complicated by a small number of seats reserved for representatives of 3 million Italians living abroad.
They have been able to vote in a general election for the first time.
Under the terms of a highly controversial reform of the electoral system introduced by Mr Berlusconi last year, the winner in the 630-seat lower house is automatically assigned 340 seats to enable it to control the chamber.
Italy's two houses of Parliament duplicate each other's functions and a government needs the support of both to take office and then to pass laws.
The Interior Ministry says turnout at the election is a high 83.6 per cent against 81.4 per cent in 2001.
Mr Berlusconi has argued that a turnout above 82 per cent would help his coalition.
Mr Berlusconi - Italy's richest man and the creator of the country's biggest media empire - dominated the often ill-tempered campaign with a serious of fierce outbursts against his opponents.
But he upstaged Mr Prodi in the final week of electioneering with a last-minute promise to abolish unpopular property taxes.
Mr Prodi's centre-left alliance, which stretches from Roman Catholic centrists to communists, has led in opinion polls for the past two years, benefiting from widespread voter discontent over the stagnant economy and rising cost of living.
They dismissed Mr Berlusconi's tax cut pledge and said Italy needed a new government to sort out the country's economic woes.
The Italian economy has grown on average just 0.6 percent a year since Mr Berlusconi took office in 2001, its debt has risen to 106.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and its trade deficit hit a record high in 2005.
The next government is not expected to take office for at least a month, with Parliament first having to nominate a successor to President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, whose mandate expires in May.
The president must name the new prime minister and Mr Ciampi says he wants to leave the task to his successor.
The european media is a bunch of coglionis!
It was the "evangelicals that came out against the progressive Kerry" or some such nonsense..
Doesnt Harper make up for that?
I sure love it when the libs are p.o.'d by yet another electoral loss.
this isn't a done deal???
Prodi demands an OHIO/FLORIDA recount!
That said, Bravissimo Italia!
Or better, why aren't they using the Hugo Chavez ones?
The left creates phony polls right up until the final poll comes out ( the election ) and then they try to fix that poll.
That sounds familiar, the liberals pad their count and then whine when it's not true.
Juan Williams was so depressed on election night I actually heard him say that the exit polls might be right and the actually numbers from the voting machines might be wrong.
Ecco! LOL, sono felice di quello. Congratulazioni, signore Berlusconi!
Possiedo un asino fedele!!!!
You didn't mean that! LOL!!!
I tried my best! ;-)
It's OK, I laughed out loud.
La Forza Del Destino!!!
Ecco, la forza del destino appartiene ai conservatori. :-)
"Either the polls are wrong, or people are mad at Bush but not that mad."
That remains to be seen but I agree with you and I think the media overhypes things and tries to distort them.
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