Berlusconi vs Prodi: Battle not yet over

Centre-Left leader Romano Prodi said that talks on selecting a Cabinet would begin in the next few days, insisting he had the necessary majority to govern despite PM Silvio Berlusconi8217;s refusal to concede defeat in parliamentary elections where official results released by the Interior Ministry gave the Centre-Left a thin majority in both Houses of Parliament.

8216;8216;We already have had preliminary meetings8217;8217; among allies, Prodi said in an interview with France8217;s Europe 1 radio from his Rome headquarters. 8216;8216;We will reflect together and then I alone will make the decision.8217;8217; Prodi again rejected Berlusconi8217;s suggestion that the two coalitions form a 8216;8216;grand coalition8217;8217; to govern, as occurred in Germany, as the Apcom news agency quoted him during an interview.

In the 315-member Senate, Prodi has won 158 seats; the Center-Right 156, and an Independent, in a narrow winning margin of Berlusconi8217;s 49.7 per cent.

With a margin of 25,000 over the 38 million votes cast, Berlusconi, speaking of the vote of Italians abroad, which proved decisive in assigning the Senate, said 8216;8216;there are many irregularities and therefore it8217;s possible that this is not a vote we can say is valid.8217;8217; The procedures could take weeks. 8212; Alessandra Rizzo