Italians can face a period of uncertainty after parliamentary elections left no party in a clear position to form a government. Expect to see a fair bit of and political horse trading after no clear winner emerged in the election race.
The center-left coalition headed by Pier Luigi Bersani won by a narrow margin in Italy’s lower house of parliament, according to final figures released by the Interior Ministry.
But Bersani’s coalition, with 29.54% of the vote, finished less than half a percentage point ahead of the anti-austerity center-right coalition headed by controversial three-time Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, which garnered 29.18%.
It was a similar story in Italy’s upper house, where the lack of a clear majority means that no one has a firm enough mandate to govern the country.
Voter turnout was lower than anticipated Sunday, the first day of balloting, down from 62.55% in 2008 to 55.17% this year, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported.
European markets, including Milan, were sharply lower in morning trading, while Asian markets also retreated.