Italian election

[The Monkey]

I'm suprised there isn't a thread about this already... The results are still uncertain, but it looks like Prodi is going to beat Berlusconi with the lowest possible margin.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4897994.stm

 

[kirovman]

It'll be for the best if Prodi wins, Italy will become more sane, but I'll miss the comedy that is Berlusconi.

 

[Bob_Marley]

It's all looking rather dubiois at the moment. Prodi seems to have a workable majority in the lower house but a majority of 1 in the upper. And Berlusconi's lot are leveling claims of ballot papers being misrepresented by biased polling station staff.

Then again, it seems that all the recent Europein elections have been either rather dubios or very close.

 

[gick]

It'll be for the best if Prodi wins, Italy will become more sane, but I'll miss the comedy that is Berlusconi.

Ditto. I also have a smug feeling of satisfaction that a centre-left coalition has beaten a centre-right one. Yay.

Then again, it seems that all the recent Europein elections have been either rather dubios or very close

I think most European countries use proportional representation, so naturally the results will be a lot closer than what you'd get here.

 

[Bob_Marley]

I think most European countries use proportional representation, so naturally the results will be a lot closer than what you'd get here.

Yeah, but some of the results in particularly eastern Europe have been very dubios. In the Ukraine and Belarus for example...

 

[Rupertvdb]

Slightly different kettle of fish when you think about Belarus or Ukraine and then compare them to Italy. Despite Burlusconi's centralised, authoritarian approach he isn't quite comparable with Pres. Lukashenko. Ukraine is also a little bit more unsettled, bear in mind they have had only one actually democratic election it's hard to tell what is happening with their political processes from our commentator positions.

You're right that there have been a lot of coalitions cropping up recently, but this is all to do with representative government, a very different system from our (in the uk) first past the post system of government. Maybe thinking more western may be the ticket...e.g. Germany.

My friend voted for Prodi so I guess he'll be happy. I'll miss Berlusconi managing to embarrass Italy whenever he was given a second to speak his mind.

 

[ComradeBadger]

Berlusconi was hilarious sometime, really really hilarious. Almost a quintisential stereotypical italian