Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Italian Elections Appear Inconclusive The Italian general elections look to be inconclusive, with neither the leftists nor the right-wing parties expected to gain a working majority in parliament after two days of voting. A partial vote count late Monday showed former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi`s center-right coalition could win more than half of the Senate seats while Pier Luigi Bersani`s center-left coalition could gain control of the lower house Chamber of Deputies. Voters discontented by politics-as-usual gave unexpectedly strong support to the 5 Star Movement led by comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo. A coalition needs 160 seats in the Senate to have a working majority, and Mr. Berlusconi may not garner enough support to become prime minister for the fourth time. The looming paralysis in the European Union`s third largest economy has shaken world markets. The election`s indecisive result raises the possibility of new elections in the coming months and will make it hard to pass reforms needed to get the country out of its economic crisis. ### __________________________________________________________________ [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/italian-elections-appear-inconclusive /1610673.html References 1. http://www.voanews.com/content/italian-elections-appear-inconclusive/1610673.html