The requests of counts of disputed ballots 43

The victory is a bit bitter for the Italian centre-left. Of course, Romano Prodi rejects still strongly the hypothesis of a "grand coalition" to the German, launched Tuesday night, by Silvio Berlusconi. But the leader of the Union of left-wing parties will still have to wait six weeks before form his Government. On the occasion of a first meeting with Romano Prodi, the current President of the Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, whose term expires on 18 may, made no secret of his intention to leave to his successor to the investiture of the future Government, Silvio Berlusconi is provided to manage the day-to-day affairs until mid-May. Although predictable, this new period has not contributed to ease the climate of uncertainty that weighs on the new majority.

"The formation of the Government will as soon as possible, in the first or the second part of may", be indicated yesterday Romano Prodi, without totally excluding the possibility of a leadership between the installation of the new Parliament and the election of the new head of State. A priori, to eighty-five years, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi would not represent for a new term of seven years, even if the Union of Romano Prodi and the center-right would not adverse to the idea of his second term. In view of the unstable political climate, the election of the future head of State by the new Parliament will in any case, be a crucial institutional stage. Potential candidates more sides include lifetime Senator Giorgio Napolitano, eighty years, and the former President of the Council, Giuliano Amato, sixty-seven years.

Despite these uncertainties and its very low margin of manoeuvre in the Senate (with 158 seats, against 156 for the centre-right), the leader of the centre-left Italian, Romano Prodi, said yesterday very confident in his ability to govern. "We have a strong and broad majority in the House (348 deputies, against 281 for the centre-right, Editor's note)." "There is the possibility to govern for five years", he said yesterday, rejecting strongly any idea of opening to the centre-right. "The great coalition is made when there is no majority." Why in 2002 should Nixon or Schröder have a grand coalition when they had the majority "This left in response to the democracy", insists the leader "of this are", Ce gauche en réponse de la démocratie, insiste le leader du Ce sont, insiste le insists le le He was in no less noted that one of the priorities of the centre-left will be to transform the alliance of the olive tree, which brings together the left (DS) Democrats and the centrists of the Marguerite (Francesco Rutelli) into a new unified Democratic Party, with a single parliamentary group in the House and Senate. The requests of counts of disputed ballots (43.028 at the Chamber of Deputies) and 39.833 in the Senate, made at the request of Silvio Belusconi, Romano Prodi stated perfectly serene on the outcome of the final checks.

Nervousness of employers

Despite the optimism of the leader of the Union, some observers, including close to the centre-left, still fear the risk of an ungovernable majority or a filibuster in the Senate. "One cannot govern with a single Chamber and a coalition fragmented in a country divided", emphasized yesterday the entourage of one of the main industry of the country. "Underground diplomats are at work," said another observer, without excluding a reunification of the two lines of the Christian democracy: Marguerite (centre-left) and the UDC of Pier Ferdinando Casini who could still reshuffle the cards, or even the hypothesis of a transitional Government entrusted Mario Monti.

The major concern of the Italian employers remains the risk of paralysis. To the difficulties associated with the closeness of the election result, the Executive Committee of Confindustria (the Italian Medef) reiterated the urgency and the "absolute need" structural reforms designed to improve competitiveness and to improve the economy. A task that could be assigned to Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, former member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank.