Reply #3: Fears of a deadlock as Italy votes

[struggle4progress]

April 14, 2008
Richard Owen, Rome

Silvio Berlusconi, the media magnate and leader of the centre-right People of Liberty, is the favourite to win a third term of office. It is believed, however, that Walter Veltroni, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party, has closed the gap to a few percentage points in the past two weeks, as an estimated one third of undecided voters make up their minds ...

Even if Mr Berlusconi wins a comfortable majority in the Lower House, there may be stalemate in the Senate, which is elected on a regional basis under the complex Italian electoral system. The electoral law, based on proportional representation, was passed by Mr Berlusconi towards the end of his last period in office, when an election win by Romano Prodi and the centre left was forecast.

Mr Berlusconi’s aim was to cripple the Prodi Government — which collapsed in January after 20 months — by ensuring that it had too small a majority to govern. This has boomeranged against him as he faces the prospect of a slim majority in the Senate, which approves all laws.

Both Left and Right are reported to be backing candidates for the post of caretaker prime minister in the event of a hung Parliament, with the Right favouring Gianni Letta, the éminence grise of the previous centre-right Government, as Mr Berlusconi’s chef de cabinet ...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3739603.ece