Exposed but defiant: Berlusconi's shield is his popularity
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday October 9, 2009
THE 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 9-6 verdict by the Constitutional Court 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 resulted in Mr Berlusconi's British tax lawyer, David Mills, being sentenced in absentia to 4 years jail. Mills's legal team is reported to be planning an appeal later this week and could now 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 at the judges, the 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 as he left his residence in Palazzo Grazioli in Rome.The decision should, for all intents and purposes, be a mortal blow to Mr Berlusconi, but his ebullient response less than an hour after the judges made their ruling suggests 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.However the 9-6 split among the judges can also be read as a litmus test of just how divided Italy itself is in its judgment and patience for Mr Berlusconi.While his 63 per cent popularity has dropped to below 50 per cent for the first time in the wake of the sex scandals, he still appears to have strong electoral support €“ a swathe of Italians are amused or, at worst, bemused by his antics.Before the verdict, there was 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 the court ruling is potentially one of the most difficult political moments in Mr Berlusconi's life but it would be very dangerous to underestimate the level of his popular support.Certainly, his centre left opponents, sitting on 35 per cent in polls, are unlikely to have the appetite to fight an election in which Mr Berlusconi may be severely weakened but the coalition he leads still holds a healthy lead.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
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