Italians fear Florida repeat as Berlusconi digs in

[cal04]

Italy is facing the prospect of a protracted Florida-style electoral wrangle caused by Silvio Berlusconi's refusal to accept the results of this week's parliamentary elections. With official results giving his centre-left opponents a wafer-thin majority, Signor Berlusconi met President Ciampi for more than an hour last night to inform him of "innumerable irregularities" in the two-day election, which ended on Monday.

Citing government sources, major newspapers reported today that he had asked the President to sign a special decree ordering an unprecendented recount of 1.1 million spoiled votes, but Signor Ciampi refused. Instead, Signor Berlusconi, who demanded that his opponent, Romano Prodi, be stripped of his victory, is considering using his power as caretaker Prime Minister to order a partial recount. That move threw the country into full-blown political crisis and brougth comparisons with the 2000 US presidential election, when victory was handed to President Bush after a recount battle in Florida.

"At this point it is difficult not to fear a sort of Italian-style Florida. A long, destabilising confrontation over the regularity of more than one million votes," said the Milan daily Corriere della Sera newspaper in an editorial. "The only thing is that here one can’t see a final agreed conclusion." Signor Berlusconi is the only prime minister to have served a full five-year term since democracy was restored to Italy after the death of Benito Mussolini and the country's defeat in the Second World War. But after his meeting with Signor Ciampi, he gave no sign that he is willing to give up the office quite yet. "The result must, and will, change because there has been endless vote rigging in different places, all over Italy," he told reporters. "Did you think you’d got rid of me," he added, with a smile.

Official Interior Ministry figures say that Signor Prodi's coalition won the contest for the lower house Chamber of Deputies by a mere 25,000 votes of the 38 million cast, although Italian election law guarantees the winner at least 55 per cent of seats in the chamber. It also enjoys a slender two-seat majority in the Senate. The Berlusconi camp initially demanded a recount of 43,000 contested votes, then extended that demand to returns from all 60,000 polling stations, as well as more than one million spoilt ballot papers - 60 per cent fewer than the number of invalid votes cast in 2001. Newspapers reported that the partial recount of contested ballot papers suggested that votes were being allocated to both blocs.

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2132934,00.html

[Greeby]

1. If this is another Florida, lets hope Gore wins this time

;)

[rodeodance]

11. chuckle

[wtmusic]

2. Will the future of democracy hinge on public confidence in voting?

Swear to uphold laws, write them down on paper and seal them in a vault, introduce "foolproof" vote-counting technology--it still comes down to trusting people, and people are corruptible. :scared:

[anotherdrew]

3. they're going to have to get rid of him the same way they did Mussolini

mark my words, he intends to stay in power by any means necessary.

[Demit]

4. A preview of what's in store for us in 2008, I fear.

We should watch this thing closely. It's a harbinger of things to come.

[anotherdrew]

9. authoritarian dictators will take a mile when given an inch every time

they have to draw the line and follow their established election procedures.

[PassingFair]

25. "Did you think you’d got rid of me," he added, with a smile.

Chilling.
Really.
HE IS NOT GOING!
This shall test the mettle of the Italian people.

I HOPE they acquit themselves better than we have.

[flordehinojos]

5. BE A GOOD LOSER SILVIO. YOU LOST. PRODI WON. end of story.LET GO OF POWER

[0007]

6. It ain't gonna happen. Bet the money is flowing now in the vain

of corruption like a ran-away river.

[flordehinojos]

7. yeah, i am sure rove is giving ol' silvio some pointers on how to steal an

election after it has been won by an opponent. we need a new david to slew all of these goliaths.

[Barrett808]

8. Italians won't sit still for that crap

They can and will put millions of people in the streets.

[progressivebydesign]

13. did you notice that the challenger was clearly ahead.. then..

suddenly, it was barely ahead? Reminded me, sadly, of 2000 and 2004 around here. The challenger is winning handily, then suddenly it all turns toward the incumbent dictator. sigh...

[AX10]

15. Exactly!

[NYC]

19. I noticed that.

It was like a rerun.

[Copperred]

10. THE SINGLE BIGGEST ISSUE AMERICANS FACE IS VOTING

ELECTION REFORM

1. NATIONAL STANDARD THAT ENSURE PAPER TRAIN AND VERIFICATION.

2. OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN BE CLOSED SOURCE SOFTWARE

3. IF INDIAN VILLAGERS CAN VOTE!!! U SHOULD BE ABLE TOO ALSO!!!


NOT IRAQ, ABORTION, ISRAEL, TAXES, IRAN, HEALTHCARE, IMMIGRATION!!!! NONE OF THIS MATTERS IN THE FACE OF ELECTION REFORM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS NOT A JOKE

[goclark]

14. Right! Can you start a thread

that shouts this to the rooftops!


It is the biggest issue because without it ~ we will have more IRAQ's and a continued take over of our government by Crooks.

It IS the issue!

Thank you so much.

Can you ask the question ~ In 100 words or less tell us what you strongly believe can be done to fair and free elections.

(I don't just mean that 50 people will say , PAPER TRAIL, that alone will not do it}

There needs to be an all out, full court press on this issue and I don't see that happening at DU right now.

[progressivebydesign]

12. Oh shit.. I was watching this and thinking Berlusconi wouldn't budge.

He's no doubt on the phone constantly with Bush... figuring out how to steal this. I noticed that the challenger was winning handily, then SUDDENLY he was barely squeaking by.

[JeffR]

16. Quick, call Giacomo Baker

Or, hey, Antonin Scalia. That's the ticket.

[UTUSN]

17. Why would they FEAR it if they didn't know there was something

WRONG with the Florida thingy?

[NYC]

22. Florida has become synonymous with vote fraud & election theft.

[Uncle Joe]

18. I wonder how much of this is related to the consolidation of the media?

I believe theirs is pretty much concentrated in few hands somewhat like ours. I also believe media monopoly and government corruption go hand in hand.

[fshrink]

20. A lot. And since Berlussolini is one of the big media owners.

[warrens]

21. Silvio BerLOSEconi. Pass it on. NT

[LisaM]

23. The difference is that Italians care

A lot of Americans STILL don't care that Bush stole two elections. I have a friend in Ohio who simply won't acknowledge that there was and is fraud there. She simply tunes it out and says she has more important things to worry about (like that she just got laid off, which is some sort of bitter irony, I guess).

The Italians pay more attention to things and will not be rolled over.

[Hardrada]

24. Silly Old BerLostGonads

Should just Go Home!

[IndianaGreen]

26. Murdoch owns The Times while Berlusconi uses his media empire

to portray himself as a victim of fraud and keep himself in power.