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Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Losing Election Challenge
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=11CB908:3919ACA Italian news
outlets report recount will not significantly change official results
of election





Silvio Berlusconi (file photo)Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi's challenge of this week's parliamentary elections appears
to be failing as judges continue to check thousands of contested
ballots.

Italian news outlets are reporting the recount will not significantly
change the official results of the election. The center-left coalition
of opposition leader Romano Prodi won a majority in both houses of
parliament - but only a razor-thin margin in the lower chamber.

Newspapers also say the number of disputed ballots being examined is
far fewer than the 43,000 previously indicated by the Interior
Ministry.

Some supporters of Mr. Berlusconi have claimed there are 4,000 votes
that should have gone to the prime minister. But other allies have
begun to raise doubts that the results will change in his favor.







Romano Prodi flashes victory sign at end of press conference at his
party headquarters in Rome, April 11, 2006

If Prodi prevails in the recount, it could be weeks before he takes
office. Italy's president must give the head of the winning coalition
a mandate to govern. Current president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi leaves
office in mid-May, and says he will leave that task up to his
successor.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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