Italian Political Impasse Tested as Presidential Vote Begins
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Italian lawmakers get a chance to begin breaking an eight-week political deadlock today as they consider nominations for the next head of state.
The first ballot at 10 a.m. in Rome’s Chamber of Deputies will indicate whether tensions between Pier Luigi Bersani’s Democratic Party and forces loyal to former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi have eased. Broad agreement on a successor to President Giorgio Napolitano could revive moribund talks on forming a new government, which have yielded only acrimony since inconclusive elections Feb. 24 and Feb. 25.