ROME - Prosecutors in Rome have launched an investigation into claims that Silvio Berlusconi tried to electronically rig Italy's April general election. The claims are contained in an investigative report released today in video form with a weekly political review, Il Diario. Last April's election marked the first time that electronic voting machines were used in Italy, not to do the initial counting but to collate results arrived at by manual counting at the different polling stations. The vote was extraordinarily close, and it was not till late in the morning of the day after the election that the centre-left announced that it had secured enough seats in both houses to form a government. Silvio Berlusconi refused to recognize the centre-left's victory, and for weeks afterwards claimed that the election had been stolen by the opposition's skulduggery in the polling stations. The film claims that there probably was skulduggery, but that it was all on Mr Berlusconi's side: after all, as the editor of Il Diario, Enrico Deaglio, points out, Mr Berlusconi and his allies were in power and in control of the Interior Ministry, which polices elections.
The claims are contained in an investigative report released today in video form with a weekly political review, Il Diario.
Last April's election marked the first time that electronic voting machines were used in Italy, not to do the initial counting but to collate results arrived at by manual counting at the different polling stations.
The vote was extraordinarily close, and it was not till late in the morning of the day after the election that the centre-left announced that it had secured enough seats in both houses to form a government.
Silvio Berlusconi refused to recognize the centre-left's victory, and for weeks afterwards claimed that the election had been stolen by the opposition's skulduggery in the polling stations.
The film claims that there probably was skulduggery, but that it was all on Mr Berlusconi's side: after all, as the editor of Il Diario, Enrico Deaglio, points out, Mr Berlusconi and his allies were in power and in control of the Interior Ministry, which polices elections.
The film is based on the book "Il Broglio" (The Fraud) which I reviewed here and here last June. I had also mentioned the possibility of voter fraud in a comment of April 6th.
The DVD hit the stands this morning after a publicity campaign that culminated in a preview projection for the House of Deputies. The actual opposition is up in arms. Former Minister of the Interior, Beppe Pisanu, has announced he sill sue the authors of the film- which is exactly what Diario wants.
Most announcements of suits finish on the front page without a follow-up- a classic PR ploy. However, in this case it is now a matter of notizia criminis and must be investigated by law.
This case exemplifies the power of the electronic media. The book went unnoticed. The film is causing an uproar.
I have yet to see the film but from reviews it further develops themes in the book. Basically, there was an utter and uniform collapse of blank votes on a national level. This appears to be statistically improbable as blank votes vary locally. In the general elections of 2001 there were over 1,600,000 blank votes that varied locally from 2% to 8%. In the 2006 elections blank votes fell to nearly 400,000 with uniform distribution.
The authors of the film interviewed Clinton Curtis who is involved in a controversy concerning the Florida elections that saw Bush take the state. According to reports Curtis wrote a program that would effectively count blank votes as Berlusconi votes without anyone catching on. Curtis is considered a controversial character though.
Unfortunately for now there is negative but suggestive evidence. We will see how the case develops. Stay tuned.
But de Gondi might consider to spell it out at other times due to the consusion with the common English acronym for Prime Minister. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
I think the more important news out of Italy is the annual budget law that passed the Senate yesterday without the crucial votes of the Life Senators. It was very important for the Prodi coalition and the financial health of ailing Italy- and substantiates Berlusconi's private dinner conversation reported here the other day that the Prodi coalition will hold.
Another news item is the death of Litvinenko in London last night. eternalcityblues has a good diary on the Litvinenko poisoning.
