The Italian Election is frighteningly close but...

...at least it gives me a chance to learn the names of the people involved in Italian politics and what all their abbreviations mean. For the first time my reading of Italian news isn't confined to the entertainment section--which used to be the only place where I knew most of the names and could figure out the meanings of words from context.

Prodi has declared victory. I can only hope he's right and my prediction was wrong.

Update: Interetingly, the legislation Berlusconi passed to help the right wing parties in future elections appears to have backfired. Next time, he might want to consult Tom Delay on rigging elections and gerrymandering districts. I hear the bugman's looking for work.