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CNN Sunday Morning

Bitter Italian Election Campaign is Finally Finished

Aired May 13, 2001 - 08:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: First projections are expected late this afternoon in the Italian elections that will decide who leads the country. The battle features a well-known media baron versus the former mayor of Rome.

More on that now from CNN's Alessio Vinci.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The bitterly contested political campaign has come to an end and Italians are enjoying their first day in a long time without politicians appearing on television or in city squares.

The insults and disputes that characterized much of this campaign, described by one leading journalist as a verbal civil war, did not exactly help Italians build trust in the political system.

LAWRENCE GRAY, POLITICAL ANALYST: It's devastating and I think everyone, even the most committed partisans of both sides are sick of it, tired of it, can't wait until it's over. It is undoubtedly the dirtiest campaign since 1948.

VINCI: The result is an unusual number of people who are still undecided or who will not vote at all for either of the two leading coalitions led by media mogul Silvio Berlusconi on the right or the former mayor of Rome, Francesco Rutelli on the left.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Now there is only a fight between Berlusconi and Rutelli, but they did not talk about their programs. We do not understand what they'll do when they get elected. They only say that Berlosconi is a Mafioso and that Rutelli was a radical who used to use drugs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I will not vote because, unfortunately, they are all the same. I do not trust one coalition or the other. Surely I will not vote. I'm not undecided. I have decided, and I will not vote.

VINCI: Many analysts agree this political campaign has been rich in controversy, but poor in its content.

JAMES WALSTON, POLITICAL ANALYST: There's a lot of -- been a lot of talk saying we must talk about the issues, but they've been talking about talking about the issues, rather than talking about the issues, certainly. It is -- it's been largely a personality debate. It has become presidential, in inverted commas.

VINCI (on camera): Italy's electoral laws prohibits the publication of opinion polls two weeks before election day. But privately, political parties are conducting their own surveys, and both sides are saying they will win the elections.

Alessio Vinci, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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