Silvio Berlusconi , the former prime minister of Italy , said that he is considering running as a senator in the early general elections to be held in September.
In the country, before the early general elections to be held on September 25, election campaigns continue in Italian politics, on the right and left fronts.
Berlusconi, leader of Forza Italia Party, which is in the centre-right alliance, and former prime minister, said in a radio show he attended, “I am thinking of running for the Senate. We will all be happy this way after pressure from many people even outside Forza Italia.” said.
Berlusconi stated that he is not very interested in the leadership struggle within the centre-right alliance, “This is not something I am very passionate about. I am more interested in what to do, in the fight against financial and judicial pressure.” he said.
Berlusconi, 85, entered politics in 1994 and became the longest-serving prime minister since 1946, when Italy was ruled as a republic.
Berlusconi was dismissed from the senate after a vote in the Senate in November 2013, due to his conviction in a case found to be tax evasion and his decision to be banned from politics for 6 years.
The experienced leader, who was a candidate for the European Parliament (EP) Elections in 2019, when the ban from politics was lifted, was elected to the EP.
– The two leaders, who were ahead in the polls, started bickering.
The latest opinion polls in the country place the far-right Brothers of Italy (FdI) party led by Giorgia Meloni in first place, and the center-left roof party Democratic Party led by Enrico Letta in second place.
The two leaders, whose vote rates were close to each other, started to quarrel during the election campaign.
In his statement to the international press, Meloni noted that if they come to power, there will not be an anti-democratic shift and a return to authoritarianism, and that it is nonsense to be mentioned with them.
Letta, on the other hand, said that she wanted to change Meloni’s image in foreign policy, she tried to make up herself with powder, but the points that Meloni referred to herself, such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Spain’s far-right party Vox, were obvious.
In response, Meloni stated that he would not take lessons from Letta on foreign policy and argued that his party FdI’s pro-NATO and EU stance is consistent.
Giorga Meloni told Letta, “We don’t need powder for make-up. However, you won’t be able to cover up your contradictions with plaster.” gave the answer.
– What do the opinion polls say?
In different opinion polls, the fascist-leaning right-wing FdI has a vote rate of 23-25 percent. The roof party of the centre-left, PD, ranks second with 22-24 percent.
According to the polls, the League, which is in the centre-right alliance, follows these two parties with a rate of around 12-14 percent.
The 5 Star Movement seems to have around 9-11 percent of the vote, while Berlusconi’s party Forza Italia (FI) seems to have around 7-9 percent of the vote.
It is stated that the vote rate of the Az Party, whose votes are in an upward trend, is in the 4-6 percent band.
Current polls reveal that the centre-right alliance of FdI, League and FI will emerge from the elections with a majority to form a government.
The coalition government with broad participation led by Mario Draghi in Italy collapsed on July 21, when 3 coalition partner parties withdrew their support to the government in the parliament.
After Prime Minister Draghi’s resignation on July 22, President Sergio Mattarella dissolved parliament and pulled the elections, which should normally be held in the first months of 2023, to autumn.