Challenger Wins by Tiny Margin in Italy

[helderheid]

By MARIA SANMINIATELLI
Associated Press Writer

ROME (AP) -- Center-left challenger Romano Prodi claimed an outright electoral victory Tuesday over Premier Silvio Berlusconi before official results were in, but the slim margin could return Italy to political paralysis and instability.

Berlusconi has not conceded and called for a recount in the lower Chamber of Deputies, where final results gave Prodi's coalition a razor-thin margin.

While the Interior Ministry had not declared a winner, near-final returns indicated Prodi's coalition had captured the Senate, parliament's upper chamber, giving him a victory in both houses.

The tally depended on the six Senate seats being decided by Italians living overseas. Near complete returns indicated Prodi's allies had captured four of them, giving him the margin he needed.



Earlier, Prodi told a news conference his government would have "constructive relations" with the United States and predicted that financial markets would "welcome with favor" his leadership.

More...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/ITALY_ELECTION?SITE=ILMOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Botany]

1. But he was winning by a bigger margin by the exit polls

What kind of voting system(s) do they use in Italy?

Silvio Berlusconi's support for the Iraqi war is very unpopular with most Italians.
I have heard or read up to 80%. How did he get so close in the election?

[stop the bleeding]

2. tronic - is it official now??

I hope so.

[nonconformist]

3. Electronic voting for the first time!

How.... coincidental.

[helderheid]

4. they were using electronic voting machines and had ties to those

in power - there was a post here on it - I'll have to do some hunting

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Transmission of results was electronic

Ballots were paper, as before:

Voters in the four regions will cast their ballots just like everybody else and the votes will be counted as before. It is what happens next that changes.

The authorities at each polling station will enter the results into a computer and save the data on an encrypted USB memory stick that is formatted to work only on certain computers.

The memory sticks will be collected in one room, where the data will be read and sent on to the Interior Ministry in Rome. Polling officials are to follow every step of the process. The intent is to speed up the count.
...
The decree outlining the new method of recording votes, approved by the Berlusconi government in January, says that if the data collected electronically is contested it will no longer be valid and a manual count of the printed ballots will take precedence.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/04/news/rome.php

[nonconformist]

5. Excellent news.

Hopefully if Berlusconi doesn't concede Italians will take to the streets! Like we should have done here.

[helderheid]

6. we can hope that's what they'd do - their media is owned as well

but I don't know if they are as complacent as Americans are.