Berlusconi turns tables on rivals

March 30, 2010 01:03 pm | Updated November 18, 2016 10:59 pm IST - Paris

The enduring mystery of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's popularity remained intact on Tuesday after he won a convincing victory in regional polls held on Sunday and Monday. The poll was seen as a test of his popularity and opinion surveys had suggested the Premier could suffer severe reverses of fortune.

Mr. Berlusconi again turned the tables on his critics and detractors — winning crucial races and wresting the control of four regions from the opposition. The Northern League, an anti-immigration party and government ally, also fared very strongly, and will likely see its national influence significantly increase.

Overall, the conservatives won six regions, compared with the two they held before the election, while the centre-left opposition held on to seven.

Mr. Berlusconi's most stunning successes were in the Lazio region which includes Rome, and the region of Piedmont in the heavily industrial north of the country.

For Mr. Berlusconi, the success means a strong popular endorsement for the remaining three years of his mandate. It gives the Italian leader momentum to push through controversial reforms, including overhauling the justice system.

“This result is the best recognition for the work done by the government,” he said, and an encouragement “to carry out, in this second half of the legislature, reforms that are necessary to modernise the country.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.