Press Interpreter

04/11/06 -- ROME - The result from the polls is "a victory of Italian democracy," and now the main challenge has arrived for the center-left: to govern. This is the thought of the leader of the center-left, Romano Prodi. "We've won after a close race," said the Professor [Prodi], "but with a majority in both the Camera* and the Senate, allowing us to govern with the coalition we represented during the campaign." At this point, Prodi also responded to a question from reporters who had approached him at Ulivo** headquarters: "I'm waiting for a phone call from Berlusconi because this is the custom of modern democracies." In fact, a call had already come in from the Quirinale***: "[The call] with Ciampi," Prodi emphasized, "was purely institutional."

THE AFTERMATH OF THE ELECTIONS - The leader of the Union# also spoke of prospective policies during the electoral aftermath, and, in particular, of the possibility of transforming the Ulivo party into a unitary and stable political force. "The tasks of the Senate and the Camera," Prodi explained, "serve to reinforce the theory of a democratic party. We'll put ourselves to work on forming this unitary parliamentary group right away." As for future plans, the Professor indicated that peace and Europe will be at the center of the planned course of action.

RELATIONS WITH THE CDL^ - Prodi then added that relations with the opposition will be courteous, and the objective will be to reconstruct an upstanding institutional relationship. The entity that will be inaugurated at Palazzo Chigi^^ "will be a government for all Italians." Nevertheless, "The CDL will get neither the presidency of the Camera nor that of the Senate." And speaking of the announcement of the center-right that it would recount 500,000 contested votes, Prodi reaffirmed: "No problem, it's enough that they're doing it using the methods called for by democratic procedures."

[Full Article]

* Camera dei Deputati, the lower house of the Italian parliament.
** Ulivo is a major Italian political party of the left
*** Official residence of the President of Italy, now Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
# The center-left coalition
^ The center-right coalition, led by outgoing Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
^^ Seat of the Italian government, in Rome.

[The source is the Corriere della Sera, a major Italian daily based in Milano]

--Translated by Chris Drake

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http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Politica/2006/Notizie/Politiche2006/articoli/04_Aprile/11/governo.shtml