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Italians vote for change
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ITALY'S centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi, who won general elections over the weekend, said on Monday that Italians had clearly voted for change.
In a statesman-like appearance on Italian television, his first after Sunday's vote, Berlusconi pledged to stand by his five-point Contract with the Italian People, which he signed last week during a television interview.
The controversial billionaire media tycoon looked set to win a majority in both houses of parliament after Sunday's vote.
"All Italians without exception must feel protagonists in this grand project and this big commitment to change Italy," he said in the statement, which he read out before the cameras sitting at a stately desk in his home at Ardore, outside Milan.
He said his message was also aimed at voters who do not support his centre-right House of Freedoms alliance.
Promising "to speak less and work more", Berlusconi greeted "friends in the European Union and the United States".
His coalition was "proud to be part of Europe", he added.
Most of Italy's partners in the 15-nation European Union are concerned at the presence in his coalition of the anti-EU Northern League and the National Alliance, the heir to Mussolini's fascist movement.
In London, investors trapped the euro below 0.88 dollars on Monday amid concerns over the outcome of the Italian election and lingering confusion over euro-zone monetary policy.
Economists said that Berlusconi's tax-cutting plans and sceptical approach to Europe were yet another factor niggling at the euro.(SD-Agencies)
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