New Events

International

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link ?British Workers Come Last in Starmer?s Britain?: Employers Who Hire Indian Workers Given Major Tax ... Tue May 06, 2025 17:16 | Will Jones
Keir Starmer has been accused of putting British workers last after it emerged that employers who hire Indian workers are to be given a major tax break under Labour's new trade deal.
The post “British Workers Come Last in Starmer’s Britain”: Employers Who Hire Indian Workers Given Major Tax Break in Labour Trade Deal appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Nicola Sturgeon Refuses to Apologise to Women Over Self-ID Gender Policy, Saying ?Trans Lives Could ... Tue May 06, 2025 15:10 | Will Jones
A defiant Nicola Sturgeon has refused to apologise to women for her self-ID gender policy after the Supreme Court ruled trans women are not women, saying "trans lives could become unliveable".
The post Nicola Sturgeon Refuses to Apologise to Women Over Self-ID Gender Policy, Saying “Trans Lives Could Become Unliveable” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link What Lucy Powell?s Grooming Gang Comments Tell Us About Labour Tue May 06, 2025 13:00 | Andrew Doyle
Voicing concerns about grooming gangs is a "dog-whistle", a "little trumpet" and jumping "on a bandwagon of the far Right". That's what Labour really thinks, says Andrew Doyle, and voters will not be forgiving.
The post What Lucy Powell’s Grooming Gang Comments Tell Us About Labour appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Merz Humiliated as He LOSES Vote to Become German Chancellor Tue May 06, 2025 11:07 | Will Jones
Friedrich Merz,?leader of the German conservatives, was humiliated in Parliament today as he failed to win a majority in a secret ballot to become Chancellor. Turns out selling out to the Left has consequences.
The post Merz Humiliated as He LOSES Vote to Become German Chancellor appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link German Political Class Gleefully Planning to Ramp Up Persecution of AfD and its Supporters, Because ... Tue May 06, 2025 09:00 | Eugyppius
In Germany, 'democracy' now demands that the most popular party be kicked off the media, stripped of its funding and even banned outright, according to leading figures. Germany is a really stupid country, says Eugyppius.
The post German Political Class Gleefully Planning to Ramp Up Persecution of AfD and its Supporters, Because Hitler appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Will intergovernmental institutions withstand the end of the "American Empire"?,... Sat Apr 05, 2025 07:15 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en

offsite link Disintegration of Western democracy begins in France Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:00 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en

offsite link The International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism by Amichai Chikli and Na... Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:31 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Berlusconi Loses Big In Regional Elections

category international | politics / elections | other press author Monday April 04, 2005 18:41author by eeekkk Report this post to the editors

loses 11 out 13 regions.

Related Link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/4/122449/0679
author by Robin Pomeroy and Gavin Jones - (Reuters)publication date Mon Apr 04, 2005 20:31author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Berlusconi Scorched by Regional Election Defeat

- Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi suffered a stinging defeat at Italian regional elections, early votecounts indicated on Monday, a huge boost for center-left leaderRomano Prodi who aims to unseat him next year.

Berlusconi's center-right coalition appeared to have lostat least nine of the 13 regions at stake, only sure ofmaintaining Lombardy and Veneto -- both in its stronghold innorthern Italy.

Prodi, who had said he would be satisfied by winning justone new seat, was delighted by what appeared to be a landslide.

"Today we have easily won in terms of the number of votesand the number of regions," he told a news conference. "Withthis vote Italians are asking us to prepare to govern to takethe country forward."

The center-left won up to six of the contested regionspreviously held by government parties, giving it control of13-15 of Italy's 20 regions.

Berlusconi had prepared his supporters for a poor result,saying he expected a mid-term backlash due to Italy's economicwoes. But the outcome looks far worse than expected.

The tycoon-turned-politician has said he is more interestedin the total number of votes cast rather than seats won orlost, a figure that will not be available until the count isfinished.

"At a regional level the center-left has prevailed, but thenational battle is still to be played out," said FabrizioCicchitto, a spokesman for Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.

The death of Pope John Paul on Saturday overshadowed theelection but did not keep voters away. Turnout reached 71.4percent, down just 1.7 percentage points from the last one.

"RESIGN!"

"Berlusconi should draw the right conclusions and notprolong the agony for another year," said opposition member ofparliament Antonio di Pietro in a call for the prime ministerto resign.

A defeat in regional elections in 2000 prompted the thenprime minister, the center-left's Massimo D'Alema, to resign --ultimately making way for Berlusconi's rise.

Berlusconi rejected that idea even before the polls opened,saying he was determined to see out his five-year mandate asthe longest-serving premier in post-war Italian history.

The center-right appeared to have lost three regions seenas crucial by parties and pundits: Piedmont in the north, Lazioin the center and Puglia in the south, exit polls said. Butearly official figures showed the results in Lazio and Pugliawere on a knife edge.

The center-right president of the Rome region Lazio,Francesco Storace said if he lost, Berlusconi was doomed.

"If we lose in Lazio the successor to Berlusconi can onlybe Prodi," he said ahead of the vote.

If Storace loses, he may contest the legality of the Lazioelection as he believes Alessandra Mussolini, the granddaughterof wartime dictator Benito Mussolini, forged the signaturesneeded to allow her to stand.

Mussolini, head of her own extreme-right party, may havehanded victory to the center-left in Lazio by drawing votesaway from Storace, a member of the National Alliance which overthe last decade has broken its historic links with fascism

A fourteenth region, Basilicata, which is held by thecenter-left, will vote on April 17-18.

Related Link: http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5656023&cKey=1112638872000
 
© 2001-2025 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy