Berlusconi ally sees election error - Silvio has won after all

[NNN0LHI]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-04-15T195220Z_01_L15362739_RTRUKOC_0_UK-ITALY.xml

ROME (Reuters) - The dispute over who won Italy's general election took a new twist on Saturday when an ally of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he had found a mistake in the tally that would reverse the ruling coalition's defeat.

The centre-left opposition alliance, which claimed victory four days ago in the April 9-10 vote, dismissed the assertion by Roberto Calderoli, a former reforms minister.

Its leader, Romano Prodi, said Berlusconi should apologise to the nation and finally admit he lost the closest election in modern Italian history, whose outcome awaits a court ruling.

Berlusconi's best hope of overturning Prodi's 25,224-vote advantage in the lower house of parliament appeared to have vanished on Friday when the interior ministry said there were not enough disputed ballots to change the election outcome.

[saltpoint]

1. I half expect our General Myers to rise to Silvio's defense any minute now

timed with a Swiftboat ad on Prodi.

[kevinbgoode]

2. Wingnuts always refuse to accept defeat

it is disgusting how they cling to power as if they think it is their birthright. And I'm sure the Pope is standing right behind them, urging them on as if this is a major threat to Catholicism.

[rpannier]

3. I have no idea how this Pope feels about Berlusconi

But the last Pope didn't like silvio much.

[NorCalDem]

4. meanwhile

democratic party members roll over even when there are literally hundreds of stories about voter fraud (and copious amounts of evidence as to the inaccuracy of e-voting machines).

This Italy election thing is interesting, I'm keeping my eye on it :D

[oscar111]

5. NEVER concede. NEVER. Let official results defeat us, if we must be

defeated. Conceding is not good. And never necessary.

[Mnemosyne]

6. Here's an interesting site run by an Italian man in Italy..

This guy knows his stuff on e-voting. He was not impressed by the "test" of electronic machines in this election.

The Italian system of voting has worked for 60 years, no problems, no questions. Now that little fascist is whining. I would bet that he uses those sections of the country testing the machines if he decides to attempt to steal the "win". Sixty years of paper ballots hand counted with witnesses. They even use clear boxes to hold the ballots.

If they are experimenting with e-voting no telling what mess it will end up in the future. HIVA - Hack Italy Voting Act? Everyone has to switch to machines for the security of the vote. Right.

I do believe there are too many sick of Berlusconi for him to manage it and doubt he does more than whine for a bit. An old country that has seen his type of shit before.

http://www.electronic-vote.org/TERMINI/italians_en.php

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

7. If their Diebold machines are like here, how can there be a recount?

The whole POINT of the way they've set things up here is to avoid any possibility of a recount.

[Mnemosyne]

12. Paper ballots for 60 years and no questionable results.

"Berlusconi said he had found a mistake in the tally that would reverse the ruling coalition's defeat."

Now he claims a discrepancy when machines are used for the first time?

I'm saying that he may use the excuse that the e-votes weren't properly registered and cannot be counted to try to force a re-vote. I most likely am wrong, but with fascist pigs you never know what they will try to manipulate to achieve their goals.

I emailed Mr. Lombardi the other day to ask which e-voting machines Italy used and have not received a response yet.

[EstimatedProphet]

8. Wow! Does this 'friend' work on the Italian Supreme Court?

[CatWoman]

9. heh

one of Fat Tony's relatives, perhaps? :D

[EstimatedProphet]

10. Yeah-Guillermo 'Guido' Scalia AKA 'Guido the Thumb'

[tom_paine]

11. This is a test of the strength of Italian Democracy

Let us hope it is stronger than American "Democracy" (what's left of it)