Profile: Berlusconi, political entrepreneur and scandal
- June 12, 2023
- 0
Three times Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi, passed away today at the age of 86 one of the most important characters in Italian social life in the
Three times Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi, passed away today at the age of 86 one of the most important characters in Italian social life in the last half century: mogul of the media empire, changed the way politics was done and became the harbinger of populism, embodied by Donald Trump.
A successful businessman and one of Italy’s richest men, he was a non-combustible political animal who took advantage of the vacuum created by the disappearance of Christian Democracy and, in the style of a “self-made” winner, almost won the election. immediately. And he remained on the front lines from 1994 until the end of his life.
Three times he headed the government of Italy (1994-1995, 2001-2006 and 2008-2011) and, despite falling out of favor in 2011, after being disqualified due to a conviction for tax fraud, Berlusconi returned to parliament as a senator in 2022. when his party joined Meloni’s far-right Georgia coalition government.
He has been involved in numerous trials for corruption and abuse of power: the loudest scandal was the so-called “Ruby case”, the nickname of a young Moroccan with whom Berlusconi allegedly had a sexual relationship when she was a minor, although he was also accused of negotiating with the Sicilian mafia (Cosa Nostra) in the 1990s. All ended in an acquittal or statute of limitations.
From builder to media empire owner
Berlusconi (Milan, 1936), the son of a middle-class banker who started singing on cruise ships and selling vacuum cleaners, embarked on a meteoric career in business. at the age of 25 he founded his first construction company, Cantieri Riuniti Milanese.
In the 70s, he launched a cable TV channel that broadcast in one of the Milanese neighborhoods he built himself.was made with part of the capital of the newspaper daily and created television channel 5.
Also in 1978, he founded Fininvest, the holding company of the Berlusconi family, which today controls the empire built among others publishing house Mondadori, film company Medusa and audiovisual group Mediaset.
Football fan, he was owner of Milan from the 70s until 2017, when he sold it to a Chinese consortium and subsequently bought Monza, a small team that led the Serie A elite.
His entry into politics
At the height of his business career, Berlusconi announced his famous line in a 1994 television speech: “I’m out on the field” games.
Thus began his political career from the founding Forza Italia, liberal and centrist party showing the first signs of populism and promising to fill a void in a country disillusioned with politicians after the Clean Hands anti-corruption operation.
Berlusconi presented himself as a dam against communism and he promised to lead the country as he ran his companies. And he convinced me that in the same year he won the elections and became head of government in a coalition with the League of the North, which was then headed by its founder Umberto Bossi.
This office did not last long. Pursued by justice and the incessant attacks of the opposition, he saw how in December of that year Bossy withdrew his support and forced him to resign.
In 2001, he again became prime minister. with the conservative Casa de las Libertades coalition, with which he ruled for five years and made that executive branch one of the most enduring in the country’s history.
During the election campaign, he surprised by signing a contract with the Italians in one of the country’s most popular television programs, among other things, abolish the first property tax: With this populist promise, the Alligator, as director Nanni Moretti called him in one of her films, “devoured” his opponent.
In 2006, he tried to regain his mandate, but lost to Romano Prodi. although just two years later, at the age of 71, he took advantage of the fall of the government to become Prime Minister again, this time with the People of Liberty (with Forza Italia and the right-wing National Alliance).
He again led the country in a coalition with the League of the North, until in 2011 the economic crisis and again judicial scandals sank his government and Mario Monti took over as technical executive.
El Cayman sunset
It was his last legislature though he never completely disappeared from the political scene.
His parties with women were notorious, which earned him the discovery of several lawsuits against him for abuse of power and inducement to prostitution of minors and others for allegedly bribing witnesses.
Married twice, father of five children, He had several partners before the current Martha Fashina, The Forza Italia MP is 53 years younger than him and with whom he celebrated a “false wedding” in 2022.
Always controversial, remember when he jokingly donned “horns” at a summit to Spain’s then Foreign Minister Josep Piqué; when he said he was jealous of former US President Barack Obama’s tanned skin or whatever dictator Benito Mussolini “sent people on leave” into exile.
In addition to his many sexist jokes, Berlusconi has caused controversy because of his friendship with Vladimir Putin, especially in the last months of life.
(EFE)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
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