Biden is up for re-election to his Senate seat this year but could run for this spot while also campaigning on the Democratic ticket.

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"Increasing his shares definitely helps him in trying to get a seat but even this significant number is not enough to get the job done on its own, " said Edward Snyder, Principal Analyst at Charter Equity Research.

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Mr Prodi, who has a one-seat majority in Parliament, is trying to push through his 2007 budget by the end of this year.

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But this might not be fast enough for the impatient Mr Peltz, who is likely to demand a seat for one of his allies on Cadbury's board, as he has done at Heinz, another of his targets.

ECONOMIST: Cadbury