Posted on 04/11/2006 7:03:45 AM PDT by an italian
ROME - Center-left challenger Romano Prodi claimed an outright electoral victory Tuesday over Premier Silvio Berlusconi before official results were in, but the slim margin could return Italy to political paralysis and instability.
Berlusconi has not conceded and called for a recount in the lower Chamber of Deputies, where final results gave Prodi's coalition a razor-thin margin.
While the Interior Ministry had not declared a winner, near-final returns indicated Prodi's coalition had captured the Senate, parliament's upper chamber, giving him a victory in both houses.
The tally depended on the six Senate seats being decided by Italians living overseas. Near complete returns indicated Prodi's allies had captured four of them, giving him the margin he needed.
Earlier, Prodi told a news conference his government would have "constructive relations" with the United States and predicted that financial markets would "welcome with favor" his leadership.
He said he was not concerned about Berlusconi's recount call and conceded his margin was thin. But he denied that the country was "split in half," saying previous governments have been weaker and declared his coalition "politically and technically strong."
Prodi told reporters at his headquarters that his would be a government for all Italians "even those who didn't vote for us."
"Today we turn a page," he said. "We leave behind the sourness of long and difficult electoral campaign. We need to start immediately to repair the tears that were produced in the country."
He said his coalition could govern for a full five-year term.
Berlusconi's camp remained quiet, with the premier convening top allies at a meeting at his Forza Italia party's Rome headquarters.
Final returns showed Prodi winning the lower Chamber of Deputies by one-tenth of a percentage point: 49.8 to 49.7 percent. Under Italian electoral law, 55 percent of seats are awarded to the overall winner regardless of the scale of victory, giving Prodi's forces at least 340 seats in the 630-member lower house.
According to official returns, Berlusconi's conservative allies held a one-seat advantage in the Senate, with 155 seats to Prodi's 154. But with some 852 overseas precincts out of 896 reporting, returns indicated Prodi's forces would capture another four seats, while one seat would go to Berlusconi's allies and one to an independent party, giving Prodi the majority.
While the count of the overseas vote was still under way, Prodi's coordinator for Italians living abroad, Franco Danieli, said the coalition had won at least four of the six seats.
Prodi claimed victory well before the Senate figures were in, saying in the early hours: "Until the very end we were left in suspense, but in the end victory has arrived."
"We have won, and now we have to start working to implement our program and unify the country," he told supporters.
Berlusconi's spokesman, Paolo Bonaiuti, contested the victory claim and called for a recount in the lower house, saying the difference in the Chamber amounted to less than 25,000 votes.
"Such a narrow difference demands that there be a careful verification of the vote count," he said.
For hours after the vote ended Monday, projections and returns swung dramatically back and forth between the two coalitions, and without the vote from Italians living abroad, the election's outcome remained unclear. Voter turnout was about 84 percent.
"These results mean the country is divided in two. There needs to be a provisional government for a few months then new elections," said Marco Piva, a banker from Padova, as he took the train into work. "This is the worst result that we could have had."
The Senate and lower chamber of parliament have equal powers, and any coalition would have to control both to form a government. Some center-left and center-right leaders have said that if neither side controls both houses, new elections should be called.
Even if one coalition controls both chambers, it would find it extremely difficult to pass legislation with such a slim majority, returning Italy to instability after Berlusconi's five years in power.
If parliament is split between the two coalitions, the president could try to name a government of technocrats at least until another election can be held. He could also seek to fashion a coalition of left and right, but that seemed unlikely, considering the bitter divisions among Italy's political parties.
Berlusconi, a 69-year-old media mogul who is Italy's longest-serving premier since World War II, was battling to capture his third premiership with an often squabbling coalition of his Forza Italia party, the former neo-fascist National Alliance, pro- Vatican forces and the anti-immigrant Northern League.
The 66-year-old Prodi, a former premier and EU chief, was making his comeback bid with a potentially unwieldy coalition of moderate Christian Democrats, Greens, liberals, Communists and former Communists.
Italians were mainly preoccupied with finances. Berlusconi, a billionaire businessman whose empire includes TV networks, insurance and real estate, failed to jump start a flat economy during his tenure, but promised to abolish a homeowner's property tax. Prodi said he would revive an inheritance tax abolished by Berlusconi, but only for the richest; he also promised to cut payroll taxes to try to spur hiring.
During his tenure, Berlusconi had strongly supported President Bush over Iraq despite fierce Italian opposition to the war. Prodi said he would bring troops home as soon as possible, security conditions permitting. But the issue was largely deflated before the campaign began when Berlusconi announced that Italy's troops there would be withdrawn by year's end.
The Country is in such a mess! I do not think the "Cavial-Left" can lead Italy... The Prodi's Governemnt will last so few.
This election is like a joke. They win for few votes, it's a sins of A LOT OF ITALIANS STILL BELIEVE IN BERLUSCONI AND IN WHAT HE DID STANDING WITH AMERICA!
I voted for Silvio Berlusconi, and I'm proud of it.
Communists will not have Italy, this election goes to this way! It gives us hope!
We have just to wait... AND WE'LL BE BACK. I'm sure of it!!
Prodi has shown in the past that he cannot keep an unstable coalition together - he has little or no charisma, absolutely zero management skills (which is presumably why he found work at the European Commission) - I give this government, should it last, 6 months on the outside.
Regards, Ivan
Hang in there! We in the US made it through 8 years of Clinton...Italy can survive this!
whats the chance of a smaller party switching over and tipping the balance
If you don't like the government, give it a week. ;)
I loath Prodi and his Europeanism. What the hell does that even mean that Europe will be the main issue of the next government? That he will sell more and more of his countries independence to the EU...propably yes.
But Berlusconi is the fault hugely. He had the chance, as the first prime minister to be in control for such a long time, to reduce government spending, lower taxes and liberalize the economy. As he failed to do this it seems, he can only blame himself in not providing the people with the economic miracle he promised.
Maybe he did not even want to free an economy, as he is on the top of the current economy, and a free economy can meen challenges to him...
Best wishes from Iceland, I wish Italy would leave the EU and join us outside this evil to be empire,
Leifur
Oh, I know. They are already saying that! But don't worry...
You know what? Yesterday at 3 pm the extit-poll said Prodi was gonna win with a +6% and the "leader" of the Communist Party of Italy asked him to get out of Iraq. He joined him.... Then they win with a +0,5% at 3am of today... AND OUR TROOPS ARE STILL THERE!!!! :-)
Good luck!
What do they mean, 'could return'? What do they have now that's any different?
A few years of choas and somebody will sweep into office by promising to make the trains run on time.
You say Chaos, the Left says Mandate...
"Prodi Claims Victory In Tight Race Before All Results Are In"
I don't envy you the next few years.
I think it would be a success if Prodi will last 5 days...
One can hope!
This election wasn't Prodi winning, it was Berlusconi losing. As much as I hate to say it, Berlusconi is a very loose cannon. He has several corruption charges against him. He called his opponents "morons" and accused them of eating babies. I can't be too upset that Berlusconi lost, especially when a new, better, candidate should win handily in 6 months.
Prodi said he wanna wait the election of the new President of the Republic to lead the Country... He's taking time... Sign that something is not going well... Hum...
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