Politics
Comeback king
He may be nearly 81 but Silvio Berlusconi is getting back in the game – and even Merkel’s got his back.
Italy’s politicians returning to work after the sacrosanct Ferragosto break have to brace for a tough September ahead, ripe with discussions about a controversial new electoral law and candidacies for regional elections. Among those returning will be a political figure many had thought buried in the country’s past: Silvio Berlusconi. Over the summer Berlusconi, who is almost 81, staged yet another astonishing comeback, with recent voting-intention polls showing his centre-right Forza Italia party as growing in popularity. Even German chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly supported him as the political force who can stop the populists of the Five Star Movement. To do so, however, he would still have to enter a coalition with the centre-left PD party. Berlusconi’s rise may be enticing for those simply hoping to stem the populists but it definitely won’t guarantee a steady course for the country.