Italians have hit on a way around a ban on publishing polls in the two weeks before March 4 general elections: turn them into horse races.
Bloggers Andrea Mancia and Simone Bressan have begun writing up the results of fictitious “underground” races as a means of conveying the performance of various political parties and coalitions without falling foul of the law. Hence, avid politics watchers can check on favorites like Burlesque and his stable -- a not-so-thinly veiled reference to former Premier Silvio Berlusconi and his center-right coalition.