Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi's center-left coalition
scored some big wins in Italy's local polls, comfortably passing
its first test at the ballot box since its narrow victory in last
month's general election.
Of the four big cities where mayoral elections were held, the
center-left easily kept control of Rome, Turin and Naples, final
results showed Tuesday.
In Milan, a center-right stronghold, Silvio Berlusconi's
candidate won but by a smaller margin than expected. "It has gone
very well," Prodi told reporters late on Monday. "Apart from
Milan... the other cities, the most important ones, are in our
hands," he said.
The results are a boost for Prodi, who needed a good showing in
the local polls to counter claims by Berlusconi that his knife-edge
victory in April was the result of irregularities during the
vote.
They could also strengthen Prodi's hand as he tackles
deteriorating public finances that could trigger a downgrade of
Italy's debt rating unless he can push through unpopular reforms
with his razor-thin parliamentary majority.
The polls were certain to have disappointed Berlusconi, who had
hoped for a swift comeback after losing power in the closest
election in Italy's post-war history.
"The failed revenge" was the headline of a front-page editorial
in left-leaning La Repubblica Tuesday.
The two-day vote across more than 1,260 cities and towns ended
on Monday afternoon. Results trickled through the night.
(China Daily May 31, 2006)
