Silvio Berlusconi passed away at the age of 86

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, billionaire media magnate turned populist, has died aged 86, just months after discovering he was battling leukemia.

His death marks the end of a controversial political career during which the tycoon transformed Italian politics with his personality-focused party Forza Italia, which was built using the machinations of his fortune, modern marketing and his vast entertainment empire. .

“He Americanized Italian politics,” said Roberto D’Alimonte, professor of political science at the University of Louis in Rome. “He used marketing techniques to sell his product across ideological boundaries.”

As his country’s longest-serving prime minister after the war, Berlusconi led Italy for nearly nine years, amid criminal investigations into his business affairs and sex scandals.

Despite his advanced years, numerous legal battles, and recurring health issues, Berlusconi remained politically active – and ambitious – until the end of his life. In January 2022, he presented himself as a candidate for the Italian presidency, before abandoning his long-shot bid.

Last summer, he joined with his conservative allies, the League’s Matteo Salvini and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers, to pull the plug on Mario Draghi’s national unity government, a collapse that pushed Italy into early elections.

Berlusconi was last ousted from power at the height of the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, when markets and European partners saw the then-discredited leader as a liability, unable to restore market confidence.

Yet while Berlusconi’s personal brand has waned, his political legacy lives on in Prime Minister Meloni’s right-wing coalition, whose three constituents were previously brought together by Berlusconi.

“He is the man who unified the Italian right, made it acceptable and competitive,” D’Alimonte said. “It is his historical legacy.”

His style of politics also provided a template that other populists emulated, including former US President Donald Trump and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, billionaire media magnate turned populist, has died aged 86, just months after discovering he was battling leukemia.

His death marks the end of a controversial political career during which the tycoon transformed Italian politics with his personality-focused party Forza Italia, which was built using the machinations of his fortune, modern marketing and his vast entertainment empire. .

“He Americanized Italian politics,” said Roberto D’Alimonte, professor of political science at the University of Louis in Rome. “He used marketing techniques to sell his product across ideological boundaries.”

As his country’s longest-serving prime minister after the war, Berlusconi led Italy for nearly nine years, amid criminal investigations into his business affairs and sex scandals.

Despite his advanced years, numerous legal battles, and recurring health issues, Berlusconi remained politically active – and ambitious – until the end of his life. In January 2022, he presented himself as a candidate for the Italian presidency, before abandoning his long-shot bid.

Last summer, he joined with his conservative allies, the League’s Matteo Salvini and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers, to pull the plug on Mario Draghi’s national unity government, a collapse that pushed Italy into early elections.

Berlusconi was last ousted from power at the height of the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, when markets and European partners saw the then-discredited leader as a liability, unable to restore market confidence.

Yet while Berlusconi’s personal brand has waned, his political legacy lives on in Prime Minister Meloni’s right-wing coalition, whose three constituents were previously brought together by Berlusconi.

“He is the man who unified the Italian right, made it acceptable and competitive,” D’Alimonte said. “It is his historical legacy.”

His style of politics also provided a template that other populists emulated, including former US President Donald Trump and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.