Italy's centre-left hails poll comeback

ROME, Italy -- Centre-left parties defeated by Silvio Berlusconi's conservatives in the general election on May 13 are celebrating the capture of prestigious mayorships in Rome, Turin and Naples.

"We showed that the centre-left is alive and kicking," said Francesco Rutelli, the man Berlusconi defeated for premier and who now leads the country's main opposition coalition.

Rutelli, 46, told the ANSA news agency: "We can start over again from here. These results show we are a strong political force even after the victory of the right."

Sunday's mayoral polls showed "there wasn't any domino effect after the May 13 vote," Fabio Mussi, a centre-left opposition leader, told the Associated Press.

Berlusconi, who is working on assembling a Cabinet to form a government after Parliament convenes later this month, made no immediate comment.

According to the official results, the Interior Ministry said, Turin's centre-left candidate Sergio Chiamparino won 52.6 percent to 47.4 percent of the poll.

In the first round he and centre-right opponent Roberto Rossi had finished virtually neck-and-neck.

Electoral reforms

In Rome, Berlusconi had pitted his former spokesman Antonio Tajani against a former Communist, Walter Veltroni, a major leader in the outgoing national government.

By early Monday, the Interior Ministry said Veltroni was winning 52.2 to 47.8 percent, according to returns from 98.6 percent of the precincts in the capital.

Rutelli had been Rome's first elected mayor, reflecting electoral reforms last decade to make local politicians more accountable to citizens.

Unable to run for a third term by law, he was determined to keep the city under the centre-left.

In Naples, centre-left candidate Rosa Russo Jervolino beat Antonio Martusciello, an advertising manager.

Ministry figures showed Jervolino beat Martusciello 52.9 percent to 47.1 percent.

The three victories on Sunday meant the biggest city held in the nation by Berlusconi's forces was Milan, where incumbent Mayor Gabriele Albertini swept to victory on May 13.

While the left took Turin, Rome and Naples, several other cities did go to the centre-right including Rimini, Benevento and Rovigo.

Milan was easily won by the centre-right incumbent in the first round two weeks ago.

In all, 74 towns were contested in second-round ballots on Sunday, with final tallies still being counted in some on Monday.