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Old February 25th, 2013 #3
Tim
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 851
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Beppe Grillo's Five Star Movement becomes Italy's election success story

"By any standards, and whatever happens, Beppe Grillo and the Five Star Movement (M5S) have emerged from Italy's general election as big winners."

"Because of the way the electoral system works – favouring alliances Grillo shuns – the M5S will not be the overall victor. But projections suggested it could get more votes than any other party, and could hold the balance of power in the upper house, the Senate. 'Honesty will be fashionable again,' Grillo declared on Twitter, as the projections began to emerge."

"The M5S, founded in 2009, grew out of what were initially Grillo fan clubs. Their members were encouraged to organise face-to-face encounters through the Meetup website."


Italy braced for political deadlock

"The upstart anti-establishment Five Star Movement, founded only three years ago by the comedian-blogger Beppe Grillo, was on course to stage the biggest shock by garnering the largest number of votes of any single party. With all but 2 per cent of polling stations reporting, the grassroots movement was leading on 25.5 per cent, a few thousand votes ahead of the centre-left Democrat party."

"However, the Democrats were narrowly on course to take a majority in the lower house thanks to their smaller allies putting them ahead with 29.62 per cent of the vote, against 29.1 per cent for Mr Berlusconi’s alliance. The Five Star Movement went into the elections alone."

"But the nation was torn three ways between Mr Grillo and his band of political novices, Pier Luigi Bersani’s centre-left coalition and Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right alliance, raising the prospect of a second election within months."

"While some politicians were already speaking of another poll to break the deadlock, others expressed the fear that the Five Star Movement would only gain in strength."

"Angelino Alfano, People of Liberty secretary, said the result was within the 'margin of error' and therefore 'too close to call'."

"'It is impossible to declare a winner of this election,' Mr Alfano said, demanding a review of the results."