After the fall of the government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Italian parties are already launching themselves into the electoral campaign. The tone was set by the head of Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi, who announced today his candidacy for a seat in the Senate. The 85-year-old is currently a member of the European Parliament.
In the duel in favor of the electorate, Berlusconi already distributes campaign sweets. He has promised to double the minimum pension from 500 to 1,000 euros a month if his Forza Italia, in alliance with its partners Lega and Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy – FdI), wins early parliamentary elections on 25 September.
“Competence and Honesty”
The early parliamentary elections “are not a tragedy,” Berlusconi said in a TV interview with his Canale 5 television channel. He said he was convinced a center-right cabinet would govern Italy after the elections. “Our government will be made up of high-level individuals who will work competently and honestly,” Berlusconi said.
According to a survey, the strongest party in the center-right alliance is the right-wing “Fratelli d’Italia” party, with 22% of the vote. Berlusconi’s party currently has to make do with around 8% of the vote. According to the poll, the Lega received about 17% of the votes.
The media mogul was prime minister of Italy four times between 1994 and 2011. He is the only prime minister who has managed to stay in office for a full five-year legislative term as prime minister. His fourth government fell in 2011 after a series of sex scandals and Berlusconi’s conviction for tax fraud.