Berlusconi says he could support leftist president

Italy's Silvio Berlusconi on Friday said he could consider supporting a candidate for president from his rivals on the left but only on condition that they form a grand coalition government with him.

Published: 12 April 2013 09:11 CEST

Berlusconi says he could support leftist president

Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP

"We are certainly ready to discuss it," the scandal-tainted former prime minister, who leads a centre-right coalition that came a close second in February elections, told La Repubblica daily.

"If we agree a path to the presidency, then on the other side we need a grand coalition, with ministers chosen together. Otherwise, no deal," the 76-year-old billionaire tycoon said.

The centre-left, which won the elections but failed to garner enough votes for a majority, on Thursday denied that its leader, Pier Luigi Bersani, had been mooted as a possible president.

Presidents in Italy are elected by parliament and agreement on a candidate is seen as key to ending the deadlock on forming a new government, which has dragged on since the inconclusive elections.

Berlusconi, who has been convicted of tax fraud and is on trial for allegedly having sex with an underage prostitute, also denied that he wanted a president who would give him a legal amnesty.

"Nobody wants an amnesty," Berlusconi said.

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The strike comes after Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama — who is close to Meloni — called a top RAI editor to complain about a television report into Italy’s controversial migration deal with his country.

The Usigrai trade union called the strike from May 6 to May 7 saying talks with management had failed to address their concerns.

It cited numerous issues, including staff shortages and contract issues, but in first place was “the suffocating control over journalistic work, with the attempt to reduce RAI to a megaphone for the government”.

It had already used that phrase to object to what critics say is the increasing influence over RAI by figures close to Prime Minister Meloni, who leads Italy’s most right-wing government since World War II.

However, another union of RAI journalists, Unirai, said they would not join what they called a “political” strike, defending the return to “pluralism” at the broadcaster.

Funded in part by a licence fee and with top managers long chosen by politicians, RAI’s independence has always been an issue of debate.

But the arrival in power of Meloni — leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, who formed a coalition with Matteo Salvini’s far-right League party and the late Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing Forza Italia — redoubled concerns.

Tensions erupted at the weekend amid accusations RAI censored a speech by a leading writer criticising Meloni ahead of Liberation Day on April 25, when Italians mark the defeat of Fascism and the Nazis at the end of World War II.

Both RAI’s management and Meloni have denied censorship, and the premier posted the text of the monologue on her social media.

In another twist, Albania’s premier confirmed Thursday he called senior RAI editor Paolo Corsini about an TV report on Sunday into Italy’s plans to build two migration processing centres on Albanian territory.

Rama told La Stampa newspaper the report was “biased” and contained “lies” – adding that he had not raised the issue with Meloni.

The Report programme claimed the costs of migrant centres, which are under construction, were already “out of control” and raised questions about criminals benefiting from the project.