Silvio Berlusconi drops heavy hints he will make Italy leadership bid in 2013
Source: The Guardian
Silvio Berlusconi has given the clearest indication yet that he is returning to active politics and will seek re-election as Italian prime minister for the fourth time in 2013.
In an interview published in an Italian newspaper on Saturday, the scandal-plagued media mogul said that without him, the Freedom People party (FP) he created risked taking just 8% of votes in elections scheduled next year, down from 38% in 2008.
If that happened, "what sense would 18 years of political commitment have?" said Berlusconi, 75. Apparently referring to his candidacy next year, he added: "I wanted to make the announcement later on, possibly at the start of the autumn, but here it is difficult to keep anything secret."
Berlusconi stepped back from an active role in party leadership after he resigned as prime minister in November 2011 in the wake of a series of sex scandals, leaving the presidential palace by the back door to avoid jeering crowds after tendering his resignation. He was replaced by a technocratic government led by Mario Monti, who has promised to resign before scheduled elections in 2013.
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/15/silvio-berlusconi-election-hints-2013
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As the tour director from my last trip to Italy called him, the horrible and disgusting Silvio Berlusconi.
I feel the strong need now to whip this out again.
