Italy’s Elections: Split Vote Yields No Clear Winner and an ‘Unholy Mess’ | TIME.com

Italy’s Elections: Split Vote Yields No Clear Winner and an ‘Unholy Mess’ | TIME.com: Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano’s five-year term ends in May. His replacement will need the support of two-thirds of the Parliament. Italy remains one of the most heavily indebted countries in Europe, much of which it will need to refinance in the coming days. The country is also badly in need of reforms to its electoral laws — especially if it’s headed toward a quick return to the polls. Berlusconi, in the meantime, has asked for the vote to be counted again. “Tomorrow, I’m afraid to see the market reaction,” says Roberto D’Alimonte, a professor of political science at Rome’s LUISS University. Italian instability threatens to spread once again.