Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella is stepping down – and Silvio Berlusconi of all people wants to succeed him. However, things are probably not going well for the controversial ex-Prime Minister.
ROME – According to one helper, Silvio Berlusconi is on the verge of failure in his campaign for the office of president.
The 85-year-old’s already bold plan to win enough parliamentarians for the elections that begin next week “is objectively over,” said Vittorio Sgarbi on Tuesday on Rai Radio 1. The politician had Berlusconi in the past few days assisted in calling supposedly undecided senators and chamber members to campaign for themselves. According to Sgarbi, Berlusconi was still missing around 100 of the 505 necessary votes.
The President of the Republic and successor to Sergio Mattarella is elected by the members of the two chambers of Parliament – the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate – as well as representatives of the regions and autonomous provinces. The right-wing parties Fratelli d’Italia and Lega had pledged their support to the boss of Forza Italia – but that’s not enough for a majority.
Lega boss Matteo Salvini turned his back on Berlusconi on Monday: On the one hand, he called on him to finally clarify whether he could win enough MPs for himself. At the same time, he indicated that he wanted to present his own candidate as plan B before the first ballot on Monday.
Even Berlusconi, who, in addition to his four terms as head of government, was in the headlines mainly because of his many lawsuits, such as the so-called bunga bunga parties with young women, must have recognized the hopelessness of his endeavor, as Sgarbi said. Berlusconi is now looking for an “honorable” way out.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi has long been the favorite for the highest office in the state. Because he cannot hold both positions, negotiations have been going on for weeks about the future of his government, in which almost all the major parties in parliament are represented. Many Italians fear new elections, which could slow down the up-and-coming country’s reform course. dpa
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