Berlusconi repeats allegations that Italy's recent elections marred by fraud

Italian opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi, who narrowly lost last month's elections and refused to call Premier Romano Prodi to concede, reiterated Thursday that the vote was marred by fraud and "irregularities."

Photo: Berlusconi repeats allegations that Italy's recent elections marred by fraud

Berlusconi's conservative coalition narrowly lost the April 9-10 election to Prodi's center-left coalition. But the vote was so close that the final results were not certified for days.

Berlusconi has repeatedly challenged the results, and has said he would appeal them to the newly formed legislative commissions in charge of such complaints.

There have been "an infinite number of irregularities with the votes of Italians at home and abroad," Italian news agencies quoted Berlusconi as telling supporters in the southern city of Caserta, where he was campaigning before this weekend's local elections.

"If we were to discover that this 24,000-vote margin was a fable, we would go directly to the head of state to demand early elections," the former premier said.

He also said that he was certain that some of the blank ballots that were deposited in the urns "were filled in by a generous spirit, and certainly not with a vote for our side."

Center-left politicians condemned Berlusconi's statements.

"I understand that he doesn't want to give up," Anna Finocchiaro, president of the senators from Prodi's Union coalition said in a statement. "But I find that the tone of his statements and his propaganda is no longer acceptable."

Berlusconi repeated his threat that his coalition would withdraw its senators and deputies from Parliament if the president did not allow new elections, reports AP.

O.Ch.