Friday

29th Mar 2024

Italian expatriate vote proved crucial for Prodi

After two days of indecision, Italian newspapers are now reporting that Italy's next prime minister will be Romano Prodi.

The centre left coalition led by former prime minister and European commission president Romano Prodi won what is being described as the closest elections in Italy's modern political history.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • The expatriate vote was crucial for Mr Prodi (Photo: prodi.it)

"We have won a tough challenge" said Mr Prodi adding "but with a majority both in parliament and in the senate, we are able to govern with the coalition we presented for the elections".

Mr Prodi, whose left coalition won the election by just 25,000 votes, will replace controversial prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The centre left coalition won 49.8% of the votes for the lower house, to the 49.7 % won by Mr Berlusconi's centre right coalition.

But, thanks to the new electoral system, this minimal difference will mean 63 more deputies for Mr Prodi’s coalition.

Under the new electoral system, the winners of the election are automatically granted 340 seats out of the 630 seats in parliament.

The crucial expatriate vote

The expatriate vote was crucial for the centre left coalition to both upper as well as the lower house of parliament – with a majority in both houses making it much easier for Mr Prodi to govern.

After the national votes for the senate were counted, the centre right coalition was leading by just one seat, but the expatriate vote tipped the scales in Mr Prodi’s favour.

His coalition won four out of the six senate seats reserved for Italian expatriates. One seat went to Mr Berlusconi's coalition while the other seat was obtained by independent candidate Luigi Pallaro in South America.

Mr Pallaro has already declared that he will back the new centre left government.

This results in Mr Prodi's coalition having 158 seats (159 when Mr Pallaro is added) while the centre right won 156 seats.

\"Next step is to govern\"

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Mr Prodi said that the "next step is to govern."

"We can govern for five years even if it will be hard," said Mr Prodi.

"We will start working immediately to have a unique parliamentary group," he added.

Mr Prodi also remarked that peace and Europe will be at the centre of his government programme.

It is likely that a Prodi government will be more pro-EU than the Berlsuconi government has been.

During the electoral campaign, the centre-left coalition, which opposed the war in Iraq, vowed to bring Italy closer to its traditional European partners France and Germany

France and Luxembourg were among the first to comment on the results.

French European affairs minister Catherine Colonna was reported as saying that Mr Prodi will "play an essential role in the re-launching of Europe" while Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker remarked that Mr Prodi would be "very openly pro-European".

But Italian citizens are expecting important and much awaited economic reform from the new government, with the country’s economy having been sluggish under Mr Berlusconi.

Political analysts argue that the much awaited reform may be difficult to bring about due to the small majority Mr Prodi won in these elections.

But Mr Prodi insists, "with these results we can govern with tranquillity, although there must certainly be cooperation"

Prodi waiting for Berlusconi phone call

Due to the narrow difference in votes, prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and his allies are disputing the result and have called for a careful checking of the votes.

"The margin is under 25,000 votes. Such a tiny difference requires a scrupulous checking of the counting "said Paolo Bonauiti, a spokesperson for Mr Berlusconi.

Mr Prodi said that he is waiting for a phone call from Berlusconi to concede defeat "because this is what happens in modern democracies".

Italy's elections could change EU policy

A possible change in government after this weekend's Italian elections could also mean a change in Italy's approach to the European Union.

Prodi claims victory in Italian elections

Centre-left coalition leader Romano Prodi has claimed victory in Italy’s general elections. The centre-left won 49.8% of the vote against 49.7% for the centre-right, according to the latest official figures. But Mr Berlusconi's allies are disputing the claim.

Berlusconi suggests a grand coalition

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is still refusing to concede defeat in the Italian elections, insisting first on a careful checking of the votes. He has also called for a grand coalition.

Opinion

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us