ITALY: Silvio Berlusconi and Walter Veltroni appear in TV debate in final bid to sway voters

Record ID: 593272

  • Title: ITALY: Silvio Berlusconi and Walter Veltroni appear in TV debate in final bid to sway voters
  • Date: 12th April 2008
  • Summary: (W5) ROME, ITALY (APRIL 11, 2008) (REUTERS) ***NIGHTSHOTS*** EXTERIORS OF THE TV STUDIO/ BERLUSCONI GETTING INTO CAR AND DRIVING AWAY
  • Embargoed: 27th April 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA4QDSWB9F30KK33G4G1D847L3C
  • Story Text: Media tycoon and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and his political rival former Rome mayor Walter Veltroni shoot their final salvos in an election battle where personality has played a greater role than policy.
    The two main contenders in this weekend's Italian election made their final bids to win votes on Friday (April 11) in a televised debate.
    Silvio Berlusconi, former conservative prime minister and one of Italy's richest men appeared on the Matrix talk show, a programme on the Mediaset channel owned by Berlusconi's family.
    His opponent, former Rome mayor and centre-left leader Walter Veltroni, also appeared on the show, but not at the same time.
    The two men have never had a face to face debate during the election campaign.
    The campaignat midnight local (1000GMT) on Friday (April 11) before a statutory media blackout comes into force until polls close on Monday (April 14) afternoon.
    Veltroni, who portrays himself as a breath of fresh air in Italian politics and compares himself to U.S. Democrat Barack Obama, told voters that Italian politican scene needed a change.
    The 52-year-old former editor of left-wing daily L'Unita started his political career in the now defunct Italian Communist Party. In contrast to Berlusconi's flamboyant style, he projects a more intellectual image.
    Often accused of 'buonismo' -- Italian for being too much of a Mr Nice Guy -- the twice-elected Rome mayor has sought to harden his image by cracking down on illegal settlements of Romanian immigrants in the city at a time when fear of crime, and foreigners, has become a major issue for many Italians.
    Media magnate Berlusconi, who was prime minister from 1994 to 1995, and from 2001 until 2006 has has consistently led opinion polls by about 5 to 9 percentage points.
    But analysts say roughly a third of the 47 million eligible voters won't decide which way to vote until the last minute and many are likely to decide on the spur of the moment.
    Berlusconi attacked the image of his opponent as Mr Nice Guy, saying Veltroni had never stopped insulting him throughout the election campaign.
    True to his showman style, Berlusconi refused to end of the debate despite the presenter's pleas, showing the viewers how they should fill in the ballots on the election day.
    Visibly agitated, Berlusconi left the TV studio making a well-known Italian gesture of displeasure before getting into his car.
    At his last campaign rally in Rome on Thursday (April 10), Berlusconi told his supporters he was "100 per cent" sure he would win the election. However, the conviction has not prevented him from appealing to his supporters to go out and "convert" undecided voters.
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