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Berlusconi refuses to concede poll defeat

John Hooper

Rome: Silvio Berlusconi has refused to concede he had been defeated in Italy's general election and called for a re-examination of tens of thousands of votes that he said could alter the outcome.

After a day of sullen silence in which official results gave a slender victory to the centre-left in both houses of Parliament, Italy's billionaire Prime Minister said Italy should consider forming a German-style cross-party ``grand alliance''. But in remarks to a press conference in Rome, an irritated Mr. Berlusconi rounded on the Opposition leader, Romano Prodi, saying he had been ``absolutely irresponsible'' to claim victory earlier in the day and warned he would ``pay the consequences'' for what he had done.

Prodi furious

``No one can say now he has won,'' said Mr. Berlusconi.

His attack on the Opposition leader did not bode well for a smooth transition of power and brought a furious response from Mr. Prodi. He said Mr. Berlusconi's refusal to concede was ``out of line.''

``He is the Premier. The Interior Minister belongs to his Government, he wanted the electoral law,'' Mr. Prodi said. ``Now it doesn't seem to me the time for complaints because it is really out of line.''

Mr. Berlusconi appeared to suggest that, even if the declared figures were accurate, the Opposition would not have a moral right to form the next government because the country was so evenly split. At one point, he used the term ``civil war'' to describe Italy's future if an all-encompassing solution was not found. But one of his allies, Roberto Maroni of the Northern League, distanced himself from the Prime Minister's assertion. ``If these results are confirmed, then the centre-left will have not only a right, but a duty, to govern,'' he said.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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