News & Impressions
from Italy

As of now the verdict of the Roman Court of Appeal is to be expected for Thursday next.
On the one hand it has to come to a conclusion with regard to votes that have been assessed a spoiled ballet-paper in the first round.
The other issue the court has to assess, however, is of much higher importance as they have to decide what should happen/have happened to 40.000 votes in favour of a political party that had been eligible just in one province (kind of administrative district) of Italy. They all had been attributed to the left parties; now the right wing pretends there is a law which says they should not have been attributed to either side. This question as well has to be dealt with by the court of appeal.
In case the right parties’ opinion should prevail the left side would simply loose 40.000 votes which automatically would overthrow the outcome of the elections with Berlusconi being the winner. Should the court come to another decision a long and painful litigation could follow as the right wing would most certainly not just give in as long as any verdict would not have achieved legal capacity.

Interesting times !