PD sees 'earthquake' if Berlusconi Senate win confirmed
Hung parliament would spell eurozone crisis return, Letta says
25 February, 17:50
(ANSA) - Rome, February 25 - The centre-left Democratic
Party (PD) on Monday said there would be "an earthquake" in
Italy and the rest of Europe if projections of a Senate win by
ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi and a hung parliament were
confirmed."If these data are confirmed, in the next few days there will be an earthquake not only in Italy but in the whole of Europe, PD deputy leader Enrico Letta said.
Financial markets have been banking on a PD win and alliance with ex-premier Mario Monti and analysts have warned that a Berlusconi comeback could revive pressure on Italian bonds and re-ignite the euro crisis.
The PD and its leftist SEL ally are well ahead in the House but lagging in most polls in the Senate.
In Italy, unlike in many other countries, legislation must be passed by both houses so a differing result in one chamber effectively means a hung parliament, preventing law-making.
Stalemate could lead to a return to the polls, pundits say.
PD leader Pier Luigi Bersani, seen as odds-on future premier until a media blitz brought Berlusconi hurtling back into the picture, was watching the projections "nervously amid fears of instability," PD sources said.
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