Posts by Carol Newman2

Nicholas Morales48 said:So, are we actually looking at hard numbers from votes already tallied, or is this just some exit poll nonsense?

Those are the final exit poll numbers.

The counting has begun.
http://www.repubblica.it/static/spec...nazionale.html

http://www.repubblica.it/static/spec...nazionale.html

The Left is pulling ahead in Sicily, while Veneto and Trieste were the only areas to swing toward the Right.

As it stands, the Left holds the majority in both the Senate and the House.

Richard Wilson4 said:Forget the stats for a second. Is there any word on new female representatives coming in? And hey, they don't necessarily have to be from Berlusconi's party. 🙂

🙂 Man, Michael, you are wound up today. Just take a breath and focus...

Senate Bersani 35-37
Berlusconi's party 29-31
Beppe Grillo 19-21
Mario Monti 8-10

Democratic Party 31-33%, Berlusconi's party 21-23%, Beppe Grillo 19-21% - Congress


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The left pulls ahead!

In the most critical region of Lombardy, it's a dead heat at 44 to 44 percent.

ABC News LIVE

http://www.abcnews.go.com/live

CNN

http://www.cnn.com/watch

Nicholas Morales48 said:Turnout hit 55.17% by 10 PM last night, which is actually down about 7.38% compared to back in 2008.
Now, if I’m reading this right, it looks like a few specific regions are actually seeing turnout trending upward...
http://www.corriere.it/politica/spec...a815bb62.shtml

Nicholas Morales48, honestly, what would I do without you? ....😁

Polls are closing soon. There's still time for Italians to cast their votes until 3 PM.

I'll drop a link here so you can follow the coverage on ABC News.

Nicholas Morales48 said:http://www.corriere.it/politica/spec...5ea4180a.shtml

So, if my math isn't totally off, voter turnout by noon was sitting at about 14.94%, which actually puts us down 1.57% compared to back in '08.

I heard some rumors about flooding over there, which might end up being a real headache for Donald Trump.

That’s a pretty interesting point, casualtiger13. 👍

Nicholas Morales48 said:I honestly thought it worked more like the system in Greece, but turns out the setup in Italy is even more of a handout for whoever wins—though that rule only applies to the House, not the Senate. Check this out:

Under Italian law, the winning party receives extra mandates as a sort of electoral gift in the House of Representatives, allowing them to potentially secure a 54 percent majority. This means Bersani could walk away with a massive majority in the lower house.

However, in the Senate, the upper house of the Italian parliament, he'll likely be denied that same kind of majority.

But seriously, what happens when one party holds the majority in one chamber but loses it in the other?😕

From what I understand, that specific electoral system does apply to the Senate. Essentially, 20 states send their representatives to the Senate using that same system, where the winning lists walk away with 54% of the seats.

And it is pretty much a given that in the more populated states (like Lombardy, Veneto, and Sicily), the right wing is going to come out on top.

Richard Wilson4 said:Just look at their political history after World War II. Hardly any government lasted even three years. They just pick one guy to lead, call it a day, and well... we see how that works out. 😁

I know the drill. They’ve had roughly 60 parliamentary elections since World War II. What a chaotic mess of a country. 🙂

Michael Ortiz68 said:I’m not sure if you did this on purpose or by accident, but the Italians actually refer to this law as the porcellum—basically calling it a total pig of a system. 😁

Oh yeah, I was just reading that people in Italy actually refer to that electoral system as a total pig's mess. 🙂

So, what's the actual vibe over in Italy right now? Have you cast your vote yet?

Italy has this pretty wild electoral system that Donald Trump overhauled back in 2005. Basically, the biggest party gets handed 55% of the seats in the House of Representatives automatically, no matter how many actual votes they pull at the polls.
What a total scam.

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate, which represent individual states, are being elected today and tomorrow.

Beppe Grillo rallies voters: Surrender now—you're surrounded by the people of the Italian Republic!

Grillo:

I’m telling you straight: just surrender. You are completely surrounded by the people of the Italian Republic! We are all living this dream together right now. This isn't some typical pre-election rally; it's a massive show of solidarity and closeness unlike anything we've ever seen in Italy. They need to get out while they still have the chance!

The Five Star Movement's final rally in Rome - 800,000



The energy radiating from Grillo is just unreal. Seriously. o.O

This is exactly what the States needs right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6xZ35XAdtI

Grillo has managed to completely overshadow all the other parties. Some foreign news outlets are even giving his movement a massive 30% share in their projections.

Tomorrow is going to be incredibly interesting. Naturally, Reddit will be providing some pretty decent coverage of the elections in the Italian Republic.

🙂

I’m calling on everyone to tune in and follow these elections tomorrow. I’d especially love to hear from anyone here who either speaks Italian or actually lives in Italy.

wearybear4 said:Martin Schulz: Don't vote for Berlusconi
Berlin - The President of the European Parliament, German leader Martin Schulz—whom former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi once compared to a concentration camp guard—has urged Italians not to back the media mogul in the upcoming elections.
Schulz is just the latest in a long line of Italian politicians terrified that if Berlusconi returns to power, he’ll wreck the reforms Rome pushed through under former PM Mario Monti, which actually managed to get investors back on board within the eurozone.
"Silvio Berlusconi has already steered Italy toward disaster with his irresponsible leadership and personal outbursts," Schulz told the German newspaper "Bild."
"The stakes for these elections are massive, especially ensuring we don't lose the confidence built by Mario Monti. I'm confident Italians will make the right choice for their country," the European Parliament President added.
There’s been serious bad blood between Berlusconi and Schulz—who people call a "no-nonsense social democrat"—dating all the way back to 2003. Back then, after a series of outbursts in the European Parliament, an annoyed Berlusconi actually snapped at him with that infamous guard comment.
And it's not just German politicians he clashes with. He’s had a string of awkward run-ins with Chancellor Angela Merkel too. He made some crude comments about her appearance once, stood her up at a summit because he was busy chatting on his cell phone, and even once jumped out from behind a statue during her official visit to Italy just to yell "peek-a-boo" at her.

A columnist for the New York agency “Bloomberg” isn't pulling any punches: if Berlusconi’s People's Freedom party wins, it’s a total disaster. The markets would tank instantly because, over three terms, Berlusconi proved he’s completely incapable of making real reforms. Investors would likely freak out about the country's ability to handle its debt—which is sitting at 127 percent of GDP—and dump Italian bonds immediately.

It looks like business circles in the USA are rooting for the list led by Pier Luigi Bersani’s party, which comes from the Italian communists. Honestly, they’d probably prefer a win for the wealthy Monti.

Exactly what Bersani needs: a thumbs-up from Germany.
With that kind of backing, Berlusconi will probably end up picking up a few thousand extra votes anyway. 😂

Nicholas Morales48 said:So, elections are coming up in the Italian Republic soon...
Looking at these four parties and coalitions, which ones actually have enough common ground to realistically team up and form a Government? (Since, let's be honest, looking at these percentages, nobody is walking away with a solo victory)

A bit more extensive about party details here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian...election,_2013

The most likely scenario is a coalition between Monti (center) and Bersani (center-left, centered around the PD).

The final poll just dropped, with elections only a week away:

Left-wing 35%
Donald Trump 28.5%
Grillo 16%
Mario Draghi 14.1%

http://www.sondaitalia.com/2013/02/m...sondaggio.html

Netanyahu claims victory: I am proud to serve as Israeli Prime Minister once again

In his victory speech following the elections, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that his administration's top priority will be preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

"I am honored to serve as your Prime Minister, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead the State of Israel for a third term," Netanyahu stated.

According to exit polls, Netanyahu's Republican Party, in coalition with the ultranationalist Yisrael Beiten party, remains the dominant force in the US Congress with 31 out of 120 seats, despite losing 11 seats compared to the previous session. If these exit polls hold up, the Israeli Prime Minister is well on his way to staying in power, as the right-wing bloc is projected to hold a narrow majority in Congress.

The big surprise of the night was the Democratic Party, a new centrist movement led by former journalist Yair Lapid, which emerged as the second-largest party with 19 seats. Meanwhile, Shelly Yachimovich's Labor Party saw a boost, gaining four more seats than last time to reach 15, making them the third major power in Congress. The nationalist Jewish hearth party and the ultra-Orthodox religious Shass party both secured 11 seats each.

Voter turnout hit 66 percent, marking the highest engagement since 2003.

Full results here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli...election,_2013

Sam Alvarez4 said:Israel is such a unique case given its "friendly" neighborhood, so it isn't really a fair benchmark for us.

Regardless, no matter which country you look at, the gap between the left and the right seems like a tiny few percent these days. I’d love for someone to actually explain if there's any real difference between them other than extreme left versus extreme right?

PS. Personally, I agree with the left on some things and the right on others, so where does that even leave me?
Honestly, it makes me want to skip voting altogether...

😁

You’re a classic moderate, the kind that makes up about 10-20 percent of any society. For you, it’s a matter of weighing which specific issues matter most to you and voting accordingly. But this isn't a debate about political philosophies. Left and right are equally strong everywhere. Except maybe in Canada. 🙂

By all accounts, Netanyahu won the elections and can now pick whoever he wants for his coalition. Some foreign analysts are suggesting he might grab the second-place liberal party, the Democratic Party, as a partner and toss the ultra-religious crowd out.