Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The Regime
Berlusconi is almost as hostile to liberal democratic principles as Dick Cheney. Think about that.Italy's president dissolved parliament on Wednesday, clearing the way for early elections just two years after the last parliamentary vote.
The Cabinet set the election date for April 13-14.
President Giorgio Napolitano made the decision after Premier Roman Prodi's center-left government fell late last month and subsequent efforts to form an interim government to change voting rules failed. [...]
Early elections represent a victory for Silvio Berlusconi, the conservative leader who has repeatedly demanded a return to the polls since the fall of Prodi's government.
Berlusconi has firmly rejected any possibility of an interim government. The 71-year-old former premier is hoping for a new stint in power as domestic opinion polls suggest his center-right coalition would win an early election. [emp. added]
