Shades of 2004!

[richlevy]

The Italian election result are in giving the center-left coalition a win by 25,000 out of 38 million votes, including overseas votes, over Berlusconi's center-right party, which has been beset by allegations of corruption. (sound familiar)?

This comes on the heels of the (previously) ruling center-right party changing election rules to guarantee small parties seats in spite of actual position.

The center-right refuses to concede, calling for verfication and a court ruling.

That did not persuade Berlusconi. "Nobody now can say they have won," he said.


He said the overseas vote that decided the final Senate seats was far from decided, and there were "many irregularities and it's possible that we won't be able to confirm that it has been a valid vote."


"We won't hesitate to recognize the political victory for our adversaries — but only once the necessary legal verification procedures have been completed," he said. His camp called for a recount in the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, which Prodi's forces won with a 25,000-vote margin out of 38 million ballots cast.


The Interior Ministry said the overall results must still be confirmed by Italy's highest court, and that parliament's election committees would have to rule on any challenges.

It's deja vu all over again.