Berlusconi refuses to accept defeat

? A week after they turned out to vote in huge numbers, Italians on Monday were still waiting to find out who will lead a new government. The incumbent, Silvio Berlusconi, continued to refuse to accept defeat, despite official results showing a narrow loss.

Italy’s high court will have to certify the final results of the election, following a partial recount. The court could rule as early as today, after the conclusion of the holidays, which in Italy includes Easter Monday. Presumably, Berlusconi then would have to accept his fate.

The candidate who holds the lead said he is ready to get to work.

“Basta,” said center-left leader Romano Prodi, the likely next prime minister, over the weekend. “Enough is enough. The country wants to breathe and move forward. I am doing the only thing that should be done, work toward a future government.”

Berlusconi, Italy’s richest man and one not accustomed to being told no, maintained the election was too close to call. He said numerous irregularities demand a partial recount.

The election was one of the closest on Italian record. However, the Interior Ministry, which oversees scrutiny of the ballots, revised its original estimate and said the number of disputed votes is too small to change the outcome of the election, held April 9 and 10.