Comedian splits Italy vote
Italy appeared to be heading towards another political deadlock after a centre-left coalition narrowly won the lower house but failed to win the Senate. But a protest movement led by comedian Beppe Grillo won 25%
Italy faces election deadlock after Senate result
Italy faces an election stalemate after no party or likely alliance claimed the 158 seats needed to form a majority in the upper house of the Senate.
The centre-left coalition led by Pier Luigi Bersani secured a solid majority in the lower house, despite its slim advantage in terms of votes, but fell short in the Senate, which it would need to control in order to pass legislation.
Calculations by the Italian Centre for Electoral Studies, gave 121 seats to Bersani's coalition, 117 to Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right bloc, 54 for the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement of comic Beppe Grillo and 22 to the centrist coalition led by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti.
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