The right wins, but less than expected as the Northern League does well
“After the attacks he has suffered, no [other] politician in the world would
have achieved this result,” declared Ignazio La Russa, a PdL official.
Mr Berlusconi had claimed overwhelming personal support—over 70%, he said.
His party’s tally fell well short of his associates’ target of 40%, let alone Mr
Berlusconi’s own aspiration of 45%.
The stridently anti-Berlusconi Italy of Principles party, on the other hand,
doubled its share, to 8%.
In the south Mr Berlusconi’s party suffered from abstentions. Elsewhere the PdL
lost votes to its coalition ally, the Northern League, which is emerging as the
party of Italy’s rednecks.
Mr Berlusconi has so far spent most of his energy on two issues: law and order
and institutional reform. It is high time he switched his attention to the
economy.
clipped from: www.economist.com