Crushing Defeat for Berlusconi! Final Election Results!

[KoKo]

Crushing double defeat for Berlusconi
June 30, 2004
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Rome: The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has suffered one of the worst setbacks of his political career, with bad defeats in local elections, including in his provincial stronghold around Milan.

In two rounds of Monday's elections, his centre-right coalition, which swept to national power three years ago with the largest majority in postwar history, lost 52 out of 63 provincial council contests. The centre-right also lost 22 out of 30 mayoral races.

Critics said the defeats, coming three weeks after similar humiliations in European elections, signalled the beginning of the end for the media tycoon-turned-politician's political empire.

Both results are being seen as emblematic of growing national dissent over the Prime Minister's showy style of politics, known as Berlusconismo.

Berlusconi's coalition allies said they had paid the price for his special relationship with the radical Northern League, which has been holding the Government to ransom to push through federalist reforms.

"Milan is tired, a cycle is over," read the headline in the city's Corriere della Sera, Italy's largest quality daily, adding that locals had "lost patience" with the centre-right.

"Not even God would be able to put the pieces of the centre-right back together again now," was the verdict of Massimo Cacciari, a commentator and the former left-wing mayor of Venice.
(snip)

A defiant Berlusconi, speaking from the NATO summit in Istanbul, tried to shrug off the significance of the results. "I don't see why the Government should not remain in power," he said. "We have a five-year mandate and intend to respect our manifesto."

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/29/1088487964490.html

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. "Mussolini Jr."

[Hubert Flottz]

2. No wonder he and Bush are tight!

Dictators of a feather flock over us together!

[Kolesar]

3. First, control the media, then control the country

Belusconismo ... LOL

[TexasSissy]

11. Or vice versa!

[EastofEdon]

4. thank God!!!

this guy is one of the worst fascists going (in competition with Bush of course)

!!! :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast:

[joefree1]

5. That leaves Blair

First Spain, now Italy. World leaders should listen to their country men and not jump on the neo-colonism band wagon.

[tom_paine]

6. I love hearing stories from the Free World.

Do you think a Third World Nation with Third-World "voting" like Imperial Amerika could ever have something like this happen to it's Fuhrer?

one wonders...we shall all find out soon.

[G_j]

7. woo hooo !!

few people deserve to be called a "pig". For Berlusconi that is being kind.

[HootieMcBoob]

8. Bush's buddies are dropping like flies

:bounce:

[Cha]

9. It's really nice to see they have fair elections there

in Italy ...that aren't clouded with a jebby bush, a kathryn harris, voters purged, voters blocked, and funky machines that don't record your vote.

THe Italianos were against invading Iraq and they came through at polls!! First anzar, then Berlusconi, then bush, then blair, then howard..or some such order!

[KoKo]

10. Good News Kick for the "After Five Crowd!"

:kick:

[UTUSN]

12. Kick, as in Kick Him Out n/t

[Brian Morans]

13. Same thing happened to Bliar

and Labour in British local elections recently.

[Moderator]

14. KoKo01

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.

Thank you.

DU Moderator

[mainer]

15. Only losers hang out with Bush

First Spain. Now Italy. And Tony Blair's in trouble.

Listen up, leaders of the world! If you don't want to be a loser, then DON'T hang out with Dubya!