Berlusconi blames election chaos on opposition

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi went on the offensive yesterday, accusing the opposition of using dirty tricks to exclude his party's candidates from a regional election and announcing a national protest rally.

At a turbulent news conference during which a heckler scuffled with one of his ministers, Mr Berlusconi ruled out postponing this month's vote in 13 of the country's 20 regions despite two court rulings this week rejecting his party's appeal to be included on the ballot in the key Rome province.

The 73-year-old media tycoon accused members of the opposition of physically preventing his People of Freedom party (PDL) from registering its slate of candidates in Rome electoral offices before the deadline of midday on February 27.

In a blow-by-blow reconstruction of events, the centre-right prime minister said Radical Party members were abetted by magistrates at the scene who ruled the PDL had missed the deadline. He branded the centre-left opposition "undemocratic".

"It's like a football team that wants to get on the pitch without any opponent and a friendly referee who has shut the opposing team in the changing room," said Mr Berlusconi, calling a nationwide pro-government demonstration for March 20 in Rome.

Mr Berlusconi, owner of AC Milan soccer club, said he would press ahead with legal appeals for his party to be included on the Rome ballot, despite evidence that the dispute has reopened divisions in his coalition and dented its popularity.

An IPR poll yesterday for the left-leaning newspaper La Repubblica showed support for Mr Berlusconi falling to 44 per cent and for his government to 38 per cent, which the paper said was the lowest level since May 2005.

The main opposition force, the Democratic Party (PD), called Mr Berlusconi's version of events a "fantasy".

Even many centre-right commentators blamed bungling in the PDL for the mess and urged the party to apologise to voters.

Leading PDL figures dissented from Mr Berlusconi's hard line. Lower house speaker Gianfranco Fini said he would not join the March 20 rally, while Umberto Bossi, head of the PDL's coalition partner the Northern League, was undecided about whether to attend.

In a further sign of political tension, opposition senators held a sit-in against a confidence vote called by the government on a draft law delaying corruption and tax fraud trials against Mr Berlusconi for up to 18 months because of his public commitments.