Share

Berlusconi's back, runs for Euro parliament after ban lifted

Share

ROME (AP) — Silvio Berlusconi is back. Again.

The three-time Italian premier, who has made a career out of rebounding from legal woes, personal scandal, heart trouble and political setbacks, is running for the European Parliament in May elections.

The 82-year-old Berlusconi announced his candidacy with his center-right Forza Italia party Thursday in Sardinia. He said he wanted to “bring my voice to a Europe that should change, a Europe that has lost profound thinking about the world.”

Berlusconi had been barred from running for public office for nearly five years due to a tax fraud conviction. Citing his good conduct, a court last year ruled that he could once again run.

Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, which dominated Italian politics for a quarter-century, is now polling in single digits behind the two parties in western Europe’s first populist government, the right-wing League and the anti-establishment 5-Stars, as well as the center-left Democratic Party.

Berlusconi stressed in his first campaign remarks that he wanted to see a united center-right in Europe. It was evidence of his continued hope that the League, which had been a junior partner in all his governments, would eventually abandon the 5-Stars at the national level and come back to the traditional center-right fold.

“A center-right that is united and victorious, with its values and ideals, is the future of Italy, Europe and the world,” Berlusconi said.

In October 2012, Berlusconi was found guilty of committing tax fraud as part of his vast business dealings. Italy’s highest criminal court upheld his conviction the following year.

Because a 2012 law stipulated that anyone sentenced to more than two years in prison was ineligible to hold or run for public office for six years, Berlusconi had to relinquish his Senate seat.

He never left politics, however, and continued to lead Forza Italia even as heart problems slowed him down and newspaper headlines focused more on the trials involving his infamous “bunga bunga” parties and his costly divorce from his second wife.

Forza Italia lost the popularity it once enjoyed while the more hard-line League broadened its appeal beyond its northern Italy base and capitalized on the anti-migrant, nationalistic sentiment that has swept Europe in recent years.

Berlusconi referred to his advanced age in kicking off his European Parliament campaign, but framed it as a benefit of an elder statesman merely seeking to defend European values against global powers such as China.

“At the beautiful age I have, I’ve decided out of a sense of responsibility to go to Europe where profound thinking about the future of the world is missing,” he said. “I’ll be there, and I pray that God gives me the strength to convince others.”

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

Conversation