Rome
The center-right coalition led by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi lost Italys parliamentary elections this week by a hairsbreadth. The center-left bloc led by Romano Prodi claimed victory in the lower house by one-tenth of a percentage point49.8 percent to 49.7 percentthe narrowest margin in Italian history. The tiny margin still translates into a decent majority, because under Italian law, whoever wins the election gets 55 percent of the seats regardless of the scale of victory. Berlusconi wont go quietly, though. Hes demanding a recount. The margin is under 25,000 votes, said Paolo Bonaiuti, Berlusconis spokesman. Such a tiny difference requires a scrupulous checking of the counting.