Word: berlusconis
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...Bossi's party got only 3.9% of the vote, meaning Berlusconi could govern without his parliamentary support this time. Denouncing the "atrocious price" his party paid for joining forces with Berlusconi, Bossi demanded that the League receive compensation in the form of a cabinet job or the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies. Berlusconi will probably placate the northern party with some secondary post, but he will no longer be forced to move quickly on Bossi's key demand for a devolution of administrative powers to the regions...
...declaration at all. German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, a Social Democrat, issued a notably cool statement, saying his government "took note" of the Italian results and "respected the decision" of the voters. Britain's center-left Prime Minister Tony Blair was a better sport, phoning his congratulations to Berlusconi Monday night...
...Predictably, Europe's conservative parties hailed Berlusconi's election as a victory for their camp and a boost to center-right governments, now outnumbered 12-3 in the E.U. French President Jacques Chirac treated Berlusconi to an effusive 20-minute phone call, while Chirac's Rally for the Republic Party cheered his "unequivocal victory" as "a powerful aspiration for change" and "an alternative to socialist immobility." Thomas Goppel, general secretary of Germany's opposition Christian Social Union, said the Italian vote was "ringing in the end of the governmental power of the left camp in Europe." Spanish Prime Minister...
...Indeed, no one wanted a rerun of the Austrian diplomatic sanctions, which divided the E.U. and were dropped after only eight months. "Everyone is reading into Berlusconi's election what they want to read into it," says Dominique Moïsi, deputy director of the French Institute of International Relations in Paris. "Conservatives are pleased to see the right back in power, the left is happy over Bossi's defeat and the avoidance of an Austria-style scenario. Yet everybody also realizes that Italy is a special case - that Berlusconi is unique, in a uniquely Italian situation...
...Unique, but not isolated. Though domestic issues dominated the campaign, Berlusconi's victory has implications both for the E.U. and for NATO, where his strongly pro-U.S. position could weaken support for an autonomous European defense pillar. Within the E.U., Berlusconi could form a conservative bloc with Aznar, who shares his resistance to rapid enlargement of membership; he is already demanding a bigger Italian say on European farm policy. Berlusconi's promises to cut taxes, raise pensions and fund big public works projects seem at odds with the fiscal rigor required of euro-zone countries. Despite the potential...