Silvio Berlusconi is the Prime Minister of Italy, serving his third non-consecutive term. He is also the leader of Forza Italia, a conservative political party that he founded in 1993.
On May 3, 2009, Italian media reported that Berlusconi's wife Veronica Lario had started divorce proceedings after a series of public arguments over his being seen with much younger women. An Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, reported that the country's PM may have paid showgirls to attend gatherings at his villa in Sardinia. This comes on the heels for his divorce proceedings and rumors of infidelity.http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,527054,00.htmlGuardian: Berlusconi's wife seeks divorce (May 3, 2009)
Marital Problems Surface
In April 2009, Veronica Lario, Berlusconi's wife, publicly attacked the Prime Minister's plan to promote attractive showgirls as candidates in the June 2009 European Parliament elections. Lario, a former actress, said her husband's actions were "against women" and "shameless rubbish to entertain the Emperor".Telegraph: Silvio Berlusconi's Wife: In Her Own Words (April 29, 2009)
Missed NATO Meeting
On April 4, 2009, Berlusconi came under fire for missing choreographed NATO ceremonies in order to continue a conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on his mobile phone. A spokesman from Berlusconi's office says that the Italian leader was doing NATO work during the time of his phone conversation, allegedly trying to convince Erdogan to accept the newest European candidate as the next head of the organization.Reuters: Berlusconi skips NATO ceremonies to talks to Turkey
Political Stances
Often characterized as a conservative, or even right-wing, politician, Berlusconi generally supports lowering taxes, tightening immigration laws, and supporting United States foreign policy, including the Iraq War.
Alleged Propaganda
Berlusconi's political campaigns have often been criticized as exploiting his media empire as a propaganda machine to control public opinion. Berlusconi refutes these accusations by pointing out that he officially resigned from his media group in 1994.
Political History
References
Fast Facts
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Born
September 29, 1936 in Milan, Italy
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Current Prime Minister of Italy
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Assumed office
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Previous office
Italian Minister of Health
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Preceded by Romano Prodi
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Wife
Veronica Lario
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Founded media group Fininvest in 1978
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Company's interests controlled more than half of Italian TV networks
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Owns football team AC Milan
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Founder and current leader of the conservative Forza Italia political party
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Current term is his third non-consecutive term as Prime Minister
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Previously owned a major media company which controled approximately half of the Italian broadcast TV network
