From: bala@ulysses.att.com (Bala Krishnamurthy)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.italian
Subject: DC coalitiion projected to lose majority
Keywords: DC majority
Date: 6 Apr 92 14:58:07 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

apnews reports:
   ROME (AP) - In a clear call for change, Italians have voted in
parliamentary elections to rebuff the Christian Democrat-led
coalitions that have governed for four decades, early projections
indicated today.
	   The first projections were based on early returns for the
Senate, considered slightly less representative than the Chamber of
Deputies because voters must be 25 years old instead of 18 to cast
ballots.
	   But if the trend held, the result could make it difficult to put
together an authoritative coalition to deal with such pressing
problems as organized crime and reforms needed to keep pace with
European integration.
	   Initial projections from the voting Sunday and today showed the
Christian Democrats, which have dominated every government since
World War II, receiving a record low 25.9 percent, down from 34
percent in 1987.
	   The governing four-party coalition was losing its majority in
Parliament, according to the projection broadcast by the state-run
RAI-TV. The coalition was receiving 43.8 percent of the vote.
	   The biggest beneficiary of a large protest vote was a regional
party seeking autonomy for the wealthy north, the projections
showed. The Northern League was getting over 9 percent.
	   The former Communist party wasn't spared, the projections
showed. The party, now called the Democrat Party of the Left, was
reported receiving 17.5 percent of the vote, down from 28.3 in the
previous election. It would still be Italy's No. 2 party after the
Christian Democrats.
	   Turnout was heavy, with 38.6 percent of registered voters
casting ballots by 5 p.m. Sunday despite rainy weather. Overall
turnout in the last general election in 1987 was 88 percent.
	   Among those appealing to voters disenchanted with
politics-as-usual were Moana Pozzi, a blond actress aiming to
succeed fellow porn star Ilona ``Cicciolina'' Staller as the Party
of Love candidate in parliament.
	   The neo-fascist Italian Social Movement fielded Alessandra
Mussolini, an aspiring actress and granddaughter of the World War
II dictator.
	   With Communism no longer an issue in this NATO nation, the
elections tested the depth of public disgust over the state's
inability to defeat the Sicilian Mafia and other crime syndicates,
political corruption and public services deemed unworthy of the
country's ranking as one of the world's sixth largest economic
powers.
  Opposition parties were appealing to voters increasingly
critical of the mainstream leaders' ability to fashion a modern
state and keep pace with the European Community's plans for
economic and monetary union.
	   But the governing politicians stressed the need for stability at
a critical moment, warning that a widely scattered vote under
Italy's proportional representation system would make it difficult
to put an authoritative coalition together.
	   Other than Christian Democrats, the governing coalition is made
up of Socialists, Liberals and Social Democrats.
	   ``This is the test of truth for Italy,'' proclaimed the leading
Milan newspaper Corriere della Sera. ``Old and new opposition
forces are challenging the ruling coalition.''
	   Despite its succession of 50 postwar governments, Italy has had
enormous stability of political leaders. For more than four decades
the government has been dominated by the Christian Democrats, who
have often governed with smaller parties. The Communists were
continuously in opposition.
	   A total of 128 parties, ranging from anti-Mafia groups to South
Tyrolean activists to auto enthusiasts, were registered to run.