Moreover, no single group has a majority in the chamber, nor is there anything like a stable majority coalition.
He may well play an important role in this election, denying the established parties a stable majority and Italy a stable government.
Yet with Mr Basescu probably unable to force an early election, and parliament unable to oust the president or conjure a stable majority government, the prospects for a revival of reforms are dim.
After visiting the governor-general's residence in Ottawa, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told reporters that voters had a choice between his party forming a stable majority government in uncertain times, or a what he called a "reckless" opposition coalition.
The good news is that Congress has found it easy to form a coalition with what looks like a stable parliamentary majority.
He survived, but in the long run this defeat augurs ill: though Mr Barak was directly elected, the prime minister still needs a stable parliamentary majority to govern.
But the European Union's reaction to the prospect of the Freedom Party joining a ruling coalition has been hypocritical and wholly disproportionate to Austria's supposed offence in seeking to build a stable government backed by a majority of the voters.
And to deliver these commitments and many more - we need a working, stable majority in the Parliament.
Ronald Reagan forged a winning electoral majority on the stable foundation of what he described as a three-legged stool: fiscal discipline, traditional values and peace through strength.
"They were close to getting a two-thirds majority, and that will mean a stable and secure government, " said James Chin, a Malaysian political science professor and a visiting fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.
"Such a move would generate substantial economic efficiency gains from reduced congestion, reduce the tax levied on the majority of miles driven, leave many (particularly rural) motorists better off, and provide a stable long-term footing for motoring taxes without necessarily raising net additional revenue from drivers, " the IFS said.
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