ROME -- Center-left leader Romano Prodi on Saturday demanded anew that Premier Silvio Berlusconi concede defeat in Italy's tight election and apologize for claiming there had been fraud in the voting.

"He must acknowledge how things went and, I believe, apologize as well after what he said about fraud," Prodi told reporters Saturday morning, speaking from Bologna, where he lives. Final results are yet to be released as electoral officials examine contested ballots.

Italy's opposition leader Romano Prodi (C) makes a victory toast with (L-R) politician Arturo Parisi, Democrats of the Left (DS) party leader Piero Fassino, and Margherita party leader Francesco Rutelli during a rally by his centre-left coalition in central Rome April 11, 2006. [Reuters]

Berlusconi said earlier this week that there had been fraud in the elections, but quickly backed away from his comments.

The conservative premier made no public comment Saturday, after describing himself late Friday as a "fighter" and an "optimist." A letter from him published in Italy's main daily, Corriere della Sera, indicated he was digging in, for now.

"At least on the basis of the popular vote, there's no winner and no loser," Berlusconi wrote in the letter published Saturday. Hours earlier, the premier had said he still had hope he would be declared the winner, as long as the count of contested ballots continued.

But the count was certain to confirm Prodi's narrow victory, after electoral officials sharply reduced the number of contested ballots.

The official result would formally end days of political stalemate following the elections on Sunday and Monday. Prodi's center-left won a razor-thin majority in both houses of parliament, but Berlusconi alleged irregularities and demanded thorough checks.
Other possibilities for questioning the election outcome remain _ questions over blank, null or otherwise irregular ballots must be taken up by parliamentary commissions set up by the new parliament. That but could take weeks to play out should Berlusconi stay his defiant course.

On Friday, the Interior Ministry drastically reduced the number of contested ballots from 80,000 down to 5,200, dashing Berlusconi's hopes of retaining power that way. The new figures were not enough for the premier's conservatives to reverse the electoral result, even with a gap as narrow as the one dividing the two coalitions.

The ministry said the confusion was caused by officials including null or blank ballots by mistake.

Once checks on the contested ballots are completed, a top Italian court, the Court of Cassation, certifies the election result. It was not clear when the court's confirmation would come. Court officials did not answer their phones Saturday afternoon, and with Monday a national holiday in Italy, it might be at least Tuesday before any announcement is made.

In his letter published Saturday, Berlusconi also renewed an appeal he made to the opposition to create a coalition government, saying "a partial agreement, limited in time and aimed at dealing with the country's institutional, economic and international commitments should not be ruled out in principle."

He raised the possibility of a "grand coalition" earlier this week, but Prodi and other center-left leaders quickly rejected the proposal. Prodi would not need Berlusconi's party to form a government, even if his majority of elected senators in the upper house of parliament is a mere two.

Even center-right politicians have expressed skepticism over Berlusconi's stance, with some saying they opposed any agreement with the center-left and others urging him to concede defeat.

"It seems to me that the idea of not recognizing the result is losing strength by the hour," said Franco Pavoncello, a political science professor at John Cabot University.

But the premier, Pavoncello said, was looking ahead.

"Berlusconi is trying to cut a political role for himself and his center-right coalition for after the election," he said.

Even once the results are confirmed, it could still be weeks before Prodi takes office.

It is up the president to give him a mandate to form a government. However, the president's term ends in mid-May, and the current president, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, has said he would leave the decision up to his successor. Parliament has until May 13 to elect a new president.