Silvio Berlusconi courts parliamentarians in Italy’s presidential bid | Silvio Berlusconi

The only thing missing from the list of 22 personality traits and achievements shown is a full-page newspaper ad titled “Who is Silvio Berlusconi?” it was the singing talent of the former Italian prime minister. But the former cruise ship singer, one of Italy’s most controversial leaders known for his myriad legal troubles, hopes his pleasant voice will seduce dozens of MPs into backing his bid to become Italy’s next president.

The secret ballot begins on January 24, and Berlusconi, 85, has broken with tradition by brazenly campaigning for the job, a largely ceremonial role with powers to resolve political crises, even without officially throwing his hat into the ring. . His charm offensive, which includes canvassing unaffiliated MPs by telephone whose votes could secure his victory and jokingly inviting them to his “bunga bunga party”, is stoking tensions within Italy’s ruling coalition, blocking any meaningful debate on a impartial candidate that all parties can agree on. and provoking protests among Italians who find the prospect of scandal-plagued Berlusconi becoming head of state abhorrent.

For the past week, Vittorio Sgarbi, a deputy, art critic and undersecretary for culture in the second of Berlusconi’s four governments, has been organizing “calls with Berlusconi” to establish whether the billionaire leader of Forza Italia can muster enough votes to win. . “He told me he had 100 more votes [needed from unaffiliated parliamentarians] and I said, ‘Okay, let’s try to put a face on the votes,’ so we started calling people,” Sgarbi said. “These are people without a party to call home, so when you get a call from Berlusconi you feel important. We’ve made 50 calls so far, and 15 seemed ready to vote for him. He is the one speaking, not me, and he has a voice like Frank Sinatra. For me, his voice alone can generate at least another 20 votes.”

A little more than 1,000 “major voters” (deputies, senators and a smaller number of regional delegates) will cast their votes in a complex process that is about to go through several rounds before a successor to Sergio Mattarella, who resigns on 3 February, be appointed. chosen one. The majority required to win decreases each round. If Berlusconi officially expresses his candidacy in the next few days and can show that he has the extra numbers then his right-wing allies, the League and the Brothers of Italy, have promised their parties’ backing. If that promise prevails and all parliamentarians from the right-wing bloc support Berlusconi, then he would need some 80 more votes from the unaffiliated to secure the 505 needed for victory in the fourth round.

Berlusconi is doing everything he can to boost his public image as he seeks one last power grab, mobilizing his media empire as he dominates political debate. Attributes highlighted in the ad that ran in his newspaper Il Giornale last week included being “a good and generous person,” a “friend to all, enemy to none,” and a “self-made man, an example to all.” ”. Italians”.

He claims to have successfully ended the cold war between Russia and the US, and describes himself as a “freedom hero” who first entered politics in 1994 to save Italy from an authoritarian regime. There is no mention of his conviction for tax fraud, which got him expelled from the Senate in 2013, his myriad legal troubles, or the fact that he is still on trial for allegedly bribing witnesses in an underage prostitution case related to his notorious “bunga bunga.” . sex parties is indeed embracing the notoriety of the latter.

“When Sgarbi put me on the phone with Berlusconi, I thought he was a colleague impersonating himself,” said Cristian Romaniello, a former Five Star Movement deputy who is now part of the so-called “mixed group” in parliament. “He made a joke out of inviting me to the bunga bunga party, and I must admit I appreciated his humor. I would never vote for him, but while everyone else is being a bit smug, he is welcoming, one by one, the MPs who are always snubbed.”

Sgarbi said the motivation behind Berlusconi’s campaign is to show his critics that he can do it. “It is a response to all those who have attacked him,” Sgarbi added. “He also maintains that for those who make the election, they will not find a better president than him.”

If he becomes president, Berlusconi will gain powers to choose prime ministers who can then try to form governing majorities, call early elections and pass or scrap laws.

Most analysts believe Berlusconi will have a hard time building enough support to win. His main rival for the seven-year term is incumbent Prime Minister Mario Draghi, though many oppose Draghi’s move to the presidential palace as it would bring his government to an early end, undermining efforts to enact reforms. necessary to secure government quotas. EU post-pandemic recovery fund, of which Italy is the largest beneficiary. Berlusconi threatened last week to withdraw Forza Italia from Draghi’s unity coalition if Draghi is elected.

But Berlusconi’s prospects as head of state are beyond the bounds of the left-wing bloc in parliament. “Berlusconi’s candidacy is a dead end,” Enrico Letta, leader of the Democratic Party (PD), told TG3 on Sunday. “In the sense that it is not an institutional figure in which there will be unity. Let’s find a name together, we need something super impartial,” Letta urged the right-wing parties.

Sgarbi said that Berlusconi had tried to ask some PD MPs for support, but without success.

Meanwhile, an anti-Berlusconi movement, called The Purple People, has revived to protest his campaign, while banners reading “No Berlusconi” have appeared in soccer stands across the country. “Berlusconi’s name should be completely removed from the game as it is totally inappropriate,” said Gianfranco Mascia, leader of The Purple People. “He has been convicted, is still on trial and has offended women many times. I get calls from people abroad asking, ‘How is this happening?’”