1.   If it occurs on a sufficiently large scale, either main party might still win an outright majority.

2.   Neither man won an outright majority.

3.   Only a handful of polls since Christmas have given either party the lead they would need to secure an outright majority.

4.   Because the Socialists alone did not gain an outright majority, however, they will need Communist support to govern.

5.   Because the Socialists did not gain an outright majority, they will need Communist support to govern.

6.   But any combination that denies the former governor an outright majority raises the dread specter of a post-Thanksgiving rematch - which is how we got here to begin with.

7.   But Germany operates under a complex system of proportional representation that never produces an outright majority for one party and always leads to some form of coalition government.

8.   But polls suggest Toledo will not win the outright majority that is required to avert a second-round runoff.

9.   If he fails to win an outright majority and is forced into a run-off, it will be easier for vested interests to exert influence over him.

10.   In negotiations that began when it became clear that no party would gain an outright majority, the New Democrats have been courted by the Communists.