Editing Mafia (section)

===Vote buying===
Politicians court mafiosi to obtain votes during elections. A mafioso's mere endorsement of a certain candidate can be enough for his clients, relatives and associates to vote for said candidate. A particularly influential mafioso can bring in thousands of votes for a candidate; such is the respect a mafioso can command.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-142">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Mafia#cite_note-142 [142]]</sup> The Italian Parliament has a huge number of seats (945, roughly 1 per 64,000 citizens) and a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Italy#Active_parties large number of political parties] competing for them, meaning a candidate can win with only a few thousand votes. A mafia clan's support can thus be decisive for his success.
Politicians have always sought us out because we can provide votes. [...] between friends and family, each man of honor can muster up forty to fifty other people. There are between 1,500 and 2,000 men of honor in Palermo province. Multiply that by fifty and you get a nice package of 75,000 to 100,000 votes to go to friendly parties and candidates.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-143">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Mafia#cite_note-143 [143]]</sup>—[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonino_Calderone Antonino Calderone]Politicians usually repay this support with favours, such as sabotaging police investigations or giving contracts and permits.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Gambetta.2C_pp._185_144-0">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Mafia#cite_note-Gambetta.2C_pp._185-144 [144]]</sup>

Although they are not ideological themselves, mafiosi have traditionally opposed extreme parties such as Fascists and Communists, and favoured centre candidates.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Gambetta.2C_pp._185_144-1">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Mafia#cite_note-Gambetta.2C_pp._185-144 [144]]</sup>