A hardcore soccer buff and tycoon Silvio Berlusconi won Italy’s general elections to become the country’s prime minister for the third time. Official results showed the coalition had won 46.5% of the vote in the lower house Chamber of Deputies, while the centre-left under the leadership of Mr. Walter Veltroni had to be content with 38%.
Both fronts contested the elections on similar manifestoes and left the electorate with little choice. Analysts said the anti-incumbency factor is believed to have played in favor of former prime minister and added that governance is going to be really tough since experts have already predicted zero percent growth in this fiscal.
The 71 year old Berlusconi, soon after his victory said he would complete the full tenure of five years in office. He also remarked that his primary goal is to see the sale of loss making state owned airline Alitalia and finding permanent solution for trash accumulation in the city of Naples, which has brought Italy to a standstill some time back. Analysts related governance of economically shattered Italy with huge public debt as a ‘chalice of poison’. But something Italy and Berlusconi as well can hope for is, both fronts contested the elections on similar promises, therefore constructive support from the opposition is expected in the areas including tax cuts and handouts.
As a cost cutting measure, Berlusconi’s coalition cabinet will comprise of just 12 members. Berlusconi is one of the richest in Italy and his empire extends to media, advertising, insurance, food and construction, and also owns topnotch European football club AC Milan.
His initiations on minimal expenditure are indicating that he would try to avoid his past mistakes to take his country out of economic shambles. Unfortunately, majority of Italians are deeply disenchanted with politics and suspect any government could bring in any quick fix remedy for the ills of the European’s Union’s fourth-largest economy. This gloom of uncertainty was very much sensed in the low key post election celebrations in the streets.