Berlusconi forced to swallow 'mere tadpole' in media diet of frogs
The Age
Friday October 9, 2009
ITALIAN Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi faces the political fight of his life after the nation's top court overturned the law tailor-made to shield him from prosecution and declared it illegal.The 9-to-6 verdict, delivered by the Constitutional Court's 15 judges, took just two days of deliberation and now paves the way for a possible reopening of three major legal cases in which Mr Berlusconi is implicated.These include political corruption charges as well as a tax fraud case, which has already seen Mr Berlusconi's British tax lawyer, David Mills, sentenced in absentia to 4 years' jail. Mills' legal team is reported to be poised to launch an appeal later this week and could potentially call Mr Berlusconi to the witness box.The decision has sparked a political and media frenzy in Italy as Mr Berlusconi, defiant to the last, lashed out publicly at the judges, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, and the national and international media, accusing them all of a left-wing, political plot."We have to govern for five years with or without the law . . . these things just wind me up. We move on, move forward. Viva l'italia, viva Berlusconi!" he said in Rome.The decision should, for all intents and purposes, be a mortal blow for Berlusconi, but his ebullient response less than an hour after the judges made their decree suggests that he will continue to try and brazen his way through the crisis, just as he has done for months in the wake of the scandals over his personal life.In fact, the billionaire Prime Minister, Italy's richest man, has been battling legal problems for nearly two decades as his labyrinthine web of property, media and publishing companies has become enmeshed in myriad, long-running legal challenges. The 9-to-6 split among the judges can be read as a litmus test of just how divided Italy is in its judgment of and patience for Berlusconi. While his 63 per cent popularity has dropped to less than 50 per cent for the first time in the wake of the sex scandals, he still seems to have strong electoral support with a considerable swathe of Italians amused or at worst bemused by his antics. Before the verdict was handed down, there was even speculation that Mr Berlusconi might consider standing down and calling a snap election in a bid to spark a popular mandate for the law.Seasoned Italian analysts agreed yesterday that while the court ruling is potentially one of the most difficult political moments in Berlusconi's life, it would be very dangerous to underestimate the level of his support. Many supporters angrily rejected the verdict and implored the Prime Minister to fight on. Wrote one supporter, Gino, to a pro-Berlusconi website: "Forza Berlusca, you have swallowed many toads. This one is a mere tadpole".
© 2009 The Age
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