Italy in limbo after polls: Comedian is kingmaker
Italy was at an impasse Tuesday after an election seen as vital for the eurozone failed to produce a clear winner and provided a shock debut for a populist anti-austerity party, rattling world markets and setting off alarm bells across Europe.
Centre-left Democratic Party leader Pier Luigi Bersani scraped a razor-thin victory in the Lower House, but no one had a Senate majority.
Stock markets fell in Europe, Asia and the United States as analysts predicted either an unsteady coalition or fresh elections.
Mr Bersani said Italy was in “a very delicate situation” — in a state of limbo unprecedented in its post-war history.
Silvio Berlusconi’s coalition was a close second, with 29.18 per cent of the vote to 29.54 per cent for Mr Bersani. But the real winner was the Five Star Movement of former comedian Beppe Grillo, which got 25.5 per cent.
“We’re not against the world,” said Mr Grillo Tuesday as he was suddenly in the driving seat. “Grillo will play a decisive role. He (must) decide whether to strike a limited agreement with the left or go for fresh elections,” said politics professor Roberto D’Alimonte. It is a truly stunning turn of events for a tousle-haired 64-year-old who set up his movement in 2009.
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