Berlusconi says he won't be premier if his party wins
Source: Agencies |
January 21, 2013, Monday
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SILVIO Berlusconi insisted yesterday he won't be premier again if his conservative party, now trailing in opinion polls, wins Italian elections next month.
The media mogul told an interviewer on Sky TG24 TV that his political heir and former justice minister, Angelino Alfano, is his choice to head Italy's next government. For months, Berlusconi has been coy about whether he wants a fourth term as premier. "If we win, the premier will be Angelino Alfano," Berlusconi said.
Front-runner in polls testing sentiment for the February 24-25 elections is center-left leader, Pier Luigi Bersani. But it appears unlikely he'll win enough votes to govern alone.
A potential coalition partner is caretaker Premier Mario Monti, who is heading a centrist ticket and trailing Bersani and Berlusconi in polls.
Monti, an internationally respected economist, was appointed in late 2011 to replace Berlusconi, who resigned as Italy risked succumbing to the eurozone debt crisis. Bersani proved to be one of Monti's staunchest allies in Parliament, backing him on pension and labor reforms. Those measures, including raising the retirement age and making it easier to fire workers, were bitterly opposed by Italy's unions, traditional allies of the political left.
Milan daily Corriere della Sera, whose editor-in-chief interviewed Monti for yesterday's edition, said that the outgoing premier was considering modifying some of the labor reforms. Asked about reports that he might soften the measure that made it easier to fire workers, Monti would only say that "for now, nothing had been decided."
In the interview, Monti said his candidacy tapped into the public's "intolerance" with the ruling class. Yesterday, during an appearance in the northern city of Bergamo, Monti presented his candidates for parliamentary seats, including many neophytes to politics, such as mid-level businessmen and leaders of volunteer groups.
Berlusconi is also among political leaders scrambling to line up "clean" candidates for the elections.
The media mogul told an interviewer on Sky TG24 TV that his political heir and former justice minister, Angelino Alfano, is his choice to head Italy's next government. For months, Berlusconi has been coy about whether he wants a fourth term as premier. "If we win, the premier will be Angelino Alfano," Berlusconi said.
Front-runner in polls testing sentiment for the February 24-25 elections is center-left leader, Pier Luigi Bersani. But it appears unlikely he'll win enough votes to govern alone.
A potential coalition partner is caretaker Premier Mario Monti, who is heading a centrist ticket and trailing Bersani and Berlusconi in polls.
Monti, an internationally respected economist, was appointed in late 2011 to replace Berlusconi, who resigned as Italy risked succumbing to the eurozone debt crisis. Bersani proved to be one of Monti's staunchest allies in Parliament, backing him on pension and labor reforms. Those measures, including raising the retirement age and making it easier to fire workers, were bitterly opposed by Italy's unions, traditional allies of the political left.
Milan daily Corriere della Sera, whose editor-in-chief interviewed Monti for yesterday's edition, said that the outgoing premier was considering modifying some of the labor reforms. Asked about reports that he might soften the measure that made it easier to fire workers, Monti would only say that "for now, nothing had been decided."
In the interview, Monti said his candidacy tapped into the public's "intolerance" with the ruling class. Yesterday, during an appearance in the northern city of Bergamo, Monti presented his candidates for parliamentary seats, including many neophytes to politics, such as mid-level businessmen and leaders of volunteer groups.
Berlusconi is also among political leaders scrambling to line up "clean" candidates for the elections.
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