EU Chief Tells Italians Not to Vote for Berlusconi
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The German president of the European Parliament has warned Italians not to vote for former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, citing worries that he will reverse Rome’s economic reforms if returned to power.
EU chief Martin Schulz is the latest in a line of German politicians to express fears about a possible Berlusconi comeback as Italy prepares to go the polls on Sunday.
The German president of the European Parliament has warned Italians not to vote for former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, citing worries that he will reverse Rome’s economic reforms if returned to power.
EU chief Martin Schulz is the latest in a line of German politicians to express fears about a possible Berlusconi comeback as Italy prepares to go the polls on Sunday.
Urging Italians to vote for continued reforms, Schulz, who was once likened to a Nazi camp guard by Berlusconi, cited investors’ worries that the billionaire media mogul might halt the austerity drive carried out by Mario Monti’s technocratic government over the last 18 months.
“Silvio Berlusconi has already sent Italy into a tailspin with irresponsible behaviour in government and personal escapades,” Schulz told Thursday’s mass circulation Bild newspaper.
[quote] “Much is at stake in the forthcoming elections, including making sure that the confidence built up by Mario Monti is not lost,” he added. “I am very confident that Italian voters will make the right choice for their country.” [/quote]
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Outside Italy, Berlusconi is viewed as the clown prince of politics better known for his bunga-bunga parties, diplomatic gaffes and multiple courtroom battles. Within Italy, however, the former prime minister remains a potent political force and may well be in the reckoning when the election results are out.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the Straubinger Tagblatt regional daily that Monti’s reforms had “brought a great deal of confidence worldwide back to the country.”
Merkel, who has supported Monti’s austerity drive and has a difficult relationship with Berlusconi, however insisted it was “for the Italians to elect their government” and said she did not want to get involved in “recommendations or speculation.”
In an increasingly bitter election campaign, Berlusconi has sought to portray Monti as a Merkel subordinate, adopting “German-centric” austerity policies imposed by Berlin and Brussels that, he claims, have worsened Italy’s socioeconomic problems.
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Italians will cast their ballots on Sunday as they grapple with the longest recession in two decades and European capitals and foreign investors will be watching closely as a return to Italy’s free-wheeling public finances could spell disaster for the eurozone.
According to S&P, Italy could repeat its history of forming “weak and fragmented coalition governments”, dampening or even reversing the much needed reforms. “We believe that a risk exists that after the February 24-25 elections there may be a loss of momentum on important reforms to improve Italian growth prospects,” the ratings agency said in a report this week.
