Leftist Bersani asked to form new Italian government

Leftist Bersani asked to form new Italian government
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano has asked Luigi Bersani (pictured), head of the country's left-wing coalition, to form a government. February’s elections produced no clear winner; the political deadlock has revived fears of new economic woes.


Italy's leftist leader Luigi Bersani was asked to form the country's next government on Friday after last month's elections left no clear winner in the eurozone's third largest economy.
President Giorgio Napolitano, who has been trying to resolve the political deadlock, called ex-communist Bersani to a meeting at 1600 GMT.
Napolitano gave Bersani a tentative mandate to investigate the possibility of forming a government after the centre-left narrowly won the February 24-25 elections, but failed to secure a majority in the upper house.