Berlusconi is Italy’s Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi is back in power and won a third term as the Italian Prime Minister, according to Monday’s election results. He defeated his center-left opponent Walter Veltroni by a wider margin than expected. Projections showed that Berlusconi’s camp won the House by 45.9% to Veltroni’s 39.1%. Berlusconi succeeded Romano Prodi, who turned in his resignation after he lost a vote of confidence in the Senate in January. According to Berlusconi, he knew that he would win based on the opinion polls but that the victory comes with a great responsibility. Voting turnout was over 80%, compared to 2006’s 83.5%.