Former Italian Premier Berlusconi Has Covid-19, Is Being Isolated at Home
Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi Has Covid-19, Spokeswoman Says
(Bloomberg) -- Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has tested positive for the coronavirus and is continuing to work in isolation at his home near Milan, his spokeswoman said.
The 83-year-old leader of the Forza Italia party will continue to support candidates of his group and of the center-right bloc with daily media interviews, the spokeswoman said.
Berlusconi, who recently returned from a vacation in Sardinia, is campaigning ahead of Sept. 20-21 regional and local elections which will test the stability of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s government. Italians will also vote in a referendum on shrinking the number of lawmakers in the Rome parliament.
Berlusconi’s party, a moderate and pro-European force, has slid in opinion polls in recent months, contrasting with the rise of the populist,
euroskeptic Brothers of Italy party of Giorgia Meloni. Surveys show the center-right, led by Matteo Salvini of the anti-migrant League, would win a general election if it were held now.
Media mogul Berlusconi controls Mediaset SpA, Italy’s largest commercial broadcaster. His family holding company Finivest SpA also controls publisher Mondadori SpA, owns 30% of Banca Mediolanum and has a 2% stake in investment bank Mediobanca SpA, according to its website.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.