Italians decide on Berlusconi's comeback

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080413/ap_on_re_eu/italy_election

ROME - Italians voted Sunday in a general election that could bring conservative billionaire Silvio Berlusconi back to power, as the nation grapples with mounting problems that are sure to challenge the winner.

Voters headed to the polls with a laundry list of woes. They are worried about a possible economic recession and disillusioned with a political class that has failed to solve the nation's problems.

A garbage collection crisis has left tons of trash piling up on the streets of Naples. Efforts to sell the loss-making national carrier Alitalia are up in the air after a proposal by Air France-KLM has encountered the opposition of unions and political powers. A buffalo mozzarella health scare has hurt exports and one of the country's culinary treasures.

Berlusconi, 71 and vying for his third stint as premier in the last 14 years, blames the outgoing center-left government and vows to put Italy back on its feet. Despite a questionable record during his five-year term between 2001-2006, he says he is the man to do the job.

His main opponent, former Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni, is almost 20 younger and has promised deep reform and an ideology-free approach to tackle the country's problems.

The campaign mantra of Veltroni has been, "We need to turn the page."

Polls opened at 8 a.m. and the voting is scheduled to last until 10 p.m., then it will resume Monday until early afternoon.

Berlusconi entered the race as the front-runner, capitalizing on the unpopularity of the outgoing center-left government of Romano Prodi, whose early collapse forced the vote three years ahead of schedule.

But Veltroni has appeared to narrow the gap, according to polls released before a pre-election ban on publishing polls took effect.

Analysts say a crucial factor might be the undecided voters — a significant chunk in the electorate of 47 million. Turnout will be another factor amid campaigns to boycott the vote and punish a political class seen as collectively responsible for the nation's problems.

Italy's economy has performed worse than the rest of the euro zone for the past decade. The International Monetary Fund predicts Italy's economy will grow by just 0.3 percent this year, compared with a 1.4 percent average growth for the 15-country euro area. While the cost of living has grown, Italian salaries have not.

The main candidates have both promised to lower taxes, cut red tape and reduce the costs associated with politics, from the number of lawmakers to their salaries and perks.

While Berlusconi and Veltroni are the only candidates with a realistic shot at the premiership, there is the usual plethora of parties trying to win some of the 945 parliamentary seats that are up for grabs.

They include a group of former Christian Democrats, an alliance of radical leftists, a far-right party, an anti-abortion list. Their showing will be significant insofar as they can take away precious votes from either mainstream bloc.

Prodi, whose last government lasted only 20 months, is not running.

[Peter1469]

And people think that the US economy is bad...

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

And people think that the US economy is bad...

Isn't 1.4% growth still pretty poor? That, as per the article, is the EU average. .3% is abysmal.

[Vermouth]

Within the fragile coalition that has brought Silvio Berlusconi back to power, the big winner appears to be the Lega Nord, a separatist party that advocates federalism or even complete independence for Northern Italy (or Padania, as they call it.)

I didn't know Italy also has a separatist movement. I guess Lega's success in the election was due more to their protectionist positions though.

Separatist Northern League makes gains in Italy

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

Within the fragile coalition that has brought Silvio Berlusconi back to power, the big winner appears to be the Lega Nord, a separatist party that advocates federalism or even complete independence for Northern Italy (or Padania, as they call it.)

I didn't know Italy also has a separatist movement. I guess Lega's success in the election was due more to their protectionist positions though.

Separatist Northern League makes gains in Italy

The economies of northern and southern Italy are very different. The north is industrial and much wealthier. There are also significant cultural and arguably ethnic divisions.

[Vermouth]

Berlusconi's return has raised some eyebrows, hasn't it? What's his plan for Italy's economic recovery in the short term?

[Vermouth]

According to the New York Times, Lega Nord campaigned using a shameful poster showing a sad-looking Native American in a feathered headdress and these words of warning: “They were not able to regulate immigration — now they live on reservations — think about them.” Ouch! Bizarre too.