中国网站品牌栏目（频道）
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 Berlusconi candidates have been barred from standing in crucial regional elections.(Agencies)
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A political comedy of errors has hurt Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's coalition less than a month before key regional elections, in the latest headache for a man already weighed down by a string of scandals. In a fiasco that Italian newspapers said left Berlusconi fuming at his aides, his People of Freedom (PDL) coalition missed the deadline for registering candidates in Rome province for key regional elections seen as a test of national strength. Rome province, the largest in the Lazio region of which Rome is capital, has more than 2 million voters. Thirteen of Italy's 20 regions will vote on March 28-29. While not the largest or richest region up for grabs, Lazio is perhaps the most symbolic as it is the seat of the national government. Losing it would be a major embarrassment for Berlusconi, who was shaken last month by a high-profile corruption scandal concerning the head of the civil protection agency, a close aide. Berlusconi also faces two trials, for tax fraud and for bribery. He denies all wrongdoing. Lazio had been considered an easy win for Berlusconi's centre-right coalition because the region's ex-governor, Piero Marazzo, a leftist, resigned after a sex and drugs scandal. But the weekend's events have destroyed that certainty. An opinion poll published last month showed Berlusconi's approval rating slipping to 46 percent after remaining at or above 50 percent for long periods. The new developments were certainly not good news coming four weeks before the elections. Berlusconi's coalition said the deadline was missed because its representative was distracted outside the electoral office on Saturday by an argument with a member of another party. But media reports and irate centre-right bloggers spoke of bungling and incompetence in the party, which commentators said could only hurt Berlusconi's image. The representative not only arrived at the last minute but did not have all the proper documents with him. Some reports said the deadline was missed because of internal bickering about names of candidates for regional councillors. (Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.) (Agencies) |
眼下距离意大利关键性的地方选举仅剩不到一个月的时间，而一出荒唐的政治闹剧却影响了意大利总理西尔维奥•贝卢斯科尼领导的执政联盟的参选，使已经一脑门官司的老贝又多了桩烦心事。 意大利的地方选举被视为国家实力的试金石，而贝卢斯科尼领导的自由人民联盟则错过了此次选举罗马省的候选人登记截止时间。据意大利报纸报道，老贝因这个失误对其手下大为恼火。 罗马省是拉齐奥区最大的一个省，拉齐奥区的首府为罗马市。罗马省拥有200多万选民。意大利20个大区中的13个区将于本月28日至29日举行选举。 尽管拉齐奥区并不是意大利最大或最富有的选区，但由于是政府所在地，所以该区的选举结果或许最具象征意义。 如果选举失利，贝卢斯科尼将陷入十分尴尬的境地。上月，老贝的“心腹”、意大利民事保护局局长卷入一起高层腐败丑闻，使得他自己也受到牵连。此外，他还面临逃税和受贿两项指控。但他否认了所有的指控。 贝卢斯科尼领导的中右翼联盟原本有望在拉齐奥区轻松取胜，因为该区的前区长、左翼人士皮耶罗•马拉佐因性和毒品丑闻辞职。但上周末的这起“事故”则搅乱了这一大好局势。 上月公布的一次民调显示，贝卢斯科尼的支持率下滑至46%，而此前他的支持率一直稳居50%或更高。眼下距选举只剩四周时间，这出闹剧对老贝来说的确不是什么好消息。 贝卢斯科尼领导的执政联盟称，之所以错过了上周六的登记时间，是因为登记代表当时在选举办公室外与另一党派的一名成员发生了争论。 但媒体报道和气愤的中右翼人士在博客中都将矛头指向了党内的混乱和办事不利。评论人士称这只会损坏贝卢斯科尼的形象。 据称，这名代表不仅在最后一刻才赶到现场，而且没有带全所需材料。有报道称，错过登记其实是由于党内对地方议员候选人名单发生了争执。 相关阅读 （中国日报网英语点津 Julie 编辑蔡姗姗） |
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Vocabulary: weigh down：to lower the spirits of; burden; depress（过度忧虑） fiasco：complete and ignominious failure（惨败） up for grabs：available to anyone willing to expend the energy to get it（提供的，可供争夺的） bickering：an angry, petty dispute or quarrel; contention（争吵，争论） |
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