In attesa dei risultati ufficiali, uno sguardo a quello che il mondo dice di noi. In questo articolo, la Reuters fa un parallelo tra Veltroni e Obama: affinità e differenze, a partire dal colore della pelle...
The name of Walter Veltroni's Democratic Party is not the only thing he has borrowed from U.S. politics. The man who hopes to win Italy's general election has also based his own style on presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
"Si puo fare" - a translation of Obama's "Yes we can!" - is the campaign slogan of the former Rome mayor who, like the U.S. senator, is hoping he can convince voters he is their best bet for change.
Behind in the polls, in the final throes of the campaign, Veltroni even borrowed one of Obama's most famous supporters, actor George Clooney, who lent the bookish former Rome mayor some much-needed glamour.
"Like Obama, I think Veltroni has a rare quality, a great oratory ability which can bring people together," said Clooney, in Rome to publicize a film.
To most outsiders, the comparison is not an obvious one.
Veltroni is white and at 52, he may only be five years older than Obama but has none of the senator's youthful swagger.
But in Italy's ageing society where anyone under 40 is considered a youngster, Veltroni represents a new generation compared with the 71-year-old Berlusconi.
"I am convinced ... only a completely new political proposal, something the country hasn't seen for 15 years, can provide Italians with a good reason to vote," Veltroni said.
The main innovation he offers is the Democratic Party itself, formed last year by merging post-Communist Democrats of the Left with the more centrist Daisy Party to form a broad, single party that excluded the extreme left.
"DEMONISING"
In Italy's fragmented politics, Veltroni hopes the PD can mop up votes from people who would previously have supported an array of other parties and can bring the mainstream Italian left closer to the centre.
He told Reuters last year he shares former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's "idea of the left as a wider area, more plural than was traditionally considered in the history of the Italian left".
Berlusconi mocks Veltroni's claim to be "new", pointing out his life-long career in politics starting in the now defunct Italian Communist Party and serving as deputy prime minister in outgoing premier Romano Prodi's first cabinet in 1996.
"I'm not demonizing Veltroni. He has ruined himself by his own hand by taking on the mission impossible of trying forget the Prodi government and his own and his party's communist past," Berlusconi said.
As Rome mayor, Veltroni has been away from national politics for the best part of a decade. Unlike Berlusconi who is contesting his fifth election, he has never run for the top job.
Polls show that, although Berlusconi commands more votes, Italians feel more trust for Veltroni. A novelist and movie buff -- he created Rome's film festival -- he has personal approval ratings of 50-60 percent, against 30-40 percent for Berlusconi.
His foreign policy would be similar to Prodi's: against the Iraq war but for intervention in Afghanistan; concerned for the fate of Palestinians but a friend of Israel.
Often accused of 'buonismo' - Italian for being too much of a Mr. Nice Guy - as mayor he toughened his image by cracking down on illegal settlements of Romanian immigrants at a time when fear of crime, and foreigners, has become a major issue.
The name of Walter Veltroni's Democratic Party is not the only thing he has borrowed from U.S. politics. The man who hopes to win Italy's general election has also based his own style on presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
"Si puo fare" - a translation of Obama's "Yes we can!" - is the campaign slogan of the former Rome mayor who, like the U.S. senator, is hoping he can convince voters he is their best bet for change.
Behind in the polls, in the final throes of the campaign, Veltroni even borrowed one of Obama's most famous supporters, actor George Clooney, who lent the bookish former Rome mayor some much-needed glamour.
"Like Obama, I think Veltroni has a rare quality, a great oratory ability which can bring people together," said Clooney, in Rome to publicize a film.
To most outsiders, the comparison is not an obvious one.
Veltroni is white and at 52, he may only be five years older than Obama but has none of the senator's youthful swagger.
But in Italy's ageing society where anyone under 40 is considered a youngster, Veltroni represents a new generation compared with the 71-year-old Berlusconi.
"I am convinced ... only a completely new political proposal, something the country hasn't seen for 15 years, can provide Italians with a good reason to vote," Veltroni said.
The main innovation he offers is the Democratic Party itself, formed last year by merging post-Communist Democrats of the Left with the more centrist Daisy Party to form a broad, single party that excluded the extreme left.
"DEMONISING"
In Italy's fragmented politics, Veltroni hopes the PD can mop up votes from people who would previously have supported an array of other parties and can bring the mainstream Italian left closer to the centre.
He told Reuters last year he shares former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's "idea of the left as a wider area, more plural than was traditionally considered in the history of the Italian left".
Berlusconi mocks Veltroni's claim to be "new", pointing out his life-long career in politics starting in the now defunct Italian Communist Party and serving as deputy prime minister in outgoing premier Romano Prodi's first cabinet in 1996.
"I'm not demonizing Veltroni. He has ruined himself by his own hand by taking on the mission impossible of trying forget the Prodi government and his own and his party's communist past," Berlusconi said.
As Rome mayor, Veltroni has been away from national politics for the best part of a decade. Unlike Berlusconi who is contesting his fifth election, he has never run for the top job.
Polls show that, although Berlusconi commands more votes, Italians feel more trust for Veltroni. A novelist and movie buff -- he created Rome's film festival -- he has personal approval ratings of 50-60 percent, against 30-40 percent for Berlusconi.
His foreign policy would be similar to Prodi's: against the Iraq war but for intervention in Afghanistan; concerned for the fate of Palestinians but a friend of Israel.
Often accused of 'buonismo' - Italian for being too much of a Mr. Nice Guy - as mayor he toughened his image by cracking down on illegal settlements of Romanian immigrants at a time when fear of crime, and foreigners, has become a major issue.
Robin Pomeroy
(C) Reuters
(C) Reuters
