Berlusconi tapped as odds-on favorite in upcoming election

By Nadin Aloufi

ROME, April 8 – Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's leading center-right politician, is expected to win the upcoming national elections, becoming the nation's next prime minister, political experts assembled at the American University of Rome said on Friday.

After the collapse of Romano Prodi's government in February, Italians will go back to the polls this Sunday and Monday for a chance to vote for another prime minister and his government. Although there are many political parties running in the general election, Berlusconi's "Popolo della Liberta" is considered the favorite over his main rival Walter Veltroni, a center-left politician running on the "Partito Democratico" ticket. 

 

Last Friday at AUR, a number of experts talked about the different spheres of  Italian politics focusing on its issues, personalities and techniques.  However, all the lecturers predicted a Berlusconi victory.

To help understand why this outcome is strongly expected, Mark Donovan from the University of Cardiff gave a brief history of the political parties and their alliances, focusing on Popolo della Liberta.  The party has a larger following, thanks to the alliances Berlusconi has created, said Donovan. 

However, there are some concerns about Berlusconi becoming the next prime minister for the third time, because of his still considerable business influence and strong media ties.

Economics will play a factor too. Marco Contini from Italian newspaper 'La Repubblica', said there are three major economic issues in this election: keeping down public spending, a lagging labor market and weak GDP growth.

Voters go to the polls on April 13 and 14.