Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi (born
September 29,
1936) is currently (as of
2004) the
Prime Minister of
Italy. He is the leader of the
Forza Italia political party, a party which was created by his entry into politics, and the owner of an Italian media
empire. The Berlusconi government is the longest in Italy's history.
Berlusconi is also famous as a businessman owning a large proportion of Italian Media, some banks and other companies. His ownership of
AC Milan has been claimed to be an important factor in the success of his political career (Forza Italia is a football chant meaning "Go Italy"
[1]). His media ownership whilst being prime minister has been a source of controversy.
Italian public opinion is split in judging his actions and controversial personality. To some he is a corrupt figure of hate, to others he is the leader driving Italy forward.
Wealth
As an entrepreneur, Silvio Berlusconi has interests in a variety of businesses. Forbes Magazine lists him as the wealthiest person in Italy and estimates his net worth at around $10 billion [1] as of 2004.
His official tax returns declare less [1].
Career
Berlusconi became known in the 1980s for the creation of a private TV network (Fininvest, now Mediaset) of national importance and for other financial companies.
In the early 1990s, the major Italian Parties, the Christian Democrats (DC) and the Socialist Party (PSI) lost strength because of corruption in the Mani Pulite affair. This lead to the expectation election would be won by the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) (the former Communist Party (PCI)) unless there was a strong alternative.
Berlusconi decided to enter politics on a platform of the defeat of communism. He claimed to believe in "freedom, person (the individual), family, enterprise, Italian tradition, Christian tradition and love for weaker people" [1]. Others have claimed that his entry was rather designed to help him avoid the bankruptcy of his companies due to $24Billion of debt[1].
Berlusconi founded Forza Italia[1] and he became Prime Minister in 1994, his term in office was short because one of the parties (Lega Nord or Northern League) in his majority dropped out of the coalition following Berlusconi's failure to respect the coalition pact, moving the majority's weight to the centre-leftist side. The coalition of opposition parties (now including Lega Nord) then replaced him. In 1996 the ad-interim coalition formed by Lega Nord and centre-left was replaced, after a new election, by a centre-leftist government (without Lega Nord) led by Romano Prodi.
In 2001 Berlusconi again ran as leader of the center-right Casa delle Libertà (House of Freedoms) coalition which includes Alleanza Nazionale (National Alliance), CCD, Lega Nord and other parties. His success in this election lead to him becoming Prime Minister once more, with an impressive 53% of the vote.
The Casa delle Libertà was routed in the 2003 local elections and in the 2004 elections to the European Parliament.
On July 1, 2003, Italy assumed the rotating EU presidency, represented by Berlusconi.
Legislative actions
\n \nBerlusconi's government has passed many pieces of legislation. Forza Italia supporters proclaim the spirit of enterprise the premier puts in the administration, and claim his staff act with the mentality and efficiency of private entrepreneurs.
As an evidence of this they quote that within the period 2001-2003:\n332 bills, 184 approved laws and 148 halfway, concerning matters like fiscal facilities for medium-low incomes, family relief, new jobs creation, start-up of big reforms and bureaucracy simplification.
Among the most important reforms there are:\n*The reform of the labor system\n*The reform of the school system\n*The law about the big public works\n*The new laws about the driver's license
In addition, Italy under Berlusconi became a substantial ally to the United States of America in 2003 as Berlusconi supported the American/British-led Iraq War to oust the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Berlusconi has pushed many incentives that have allowed Italians to (not anonymously) "buy off" their criminal past for many financial offences and thus gain immunity from future prosecution, like most of the previous governments.
The Berlusconi government has presented a new legislation which was described as a reform of the media. This legislation included an increase in the percentage share that an individual was allowed to control and allowed Berlusconi to avoid selling some channels which he owned at the time. The legislation also deals with the roll-out of digital television and internet based publishing, and hence his government claims it resolves the problem of conflict of interest and his media monopoly "by opening up more channels". See the section on media ownership for more information.
Media Ownership
Berlusconi owns three national television channels , which prior to the elections took around 45% of viewer share. According to the Economist[1] Berlusconi controls "90% of all national television broadcasting" (The Economist, it should be noted, is a disputed source). This measure includes stations he owns as well as those he has direct control of through the post of Prime Minister and his ability to appoint the management bodies of these stations.
Berlusconi also owns Il Giornale a major national newspaper and Panorama a news magazine. Berlusconi's brother has further interests in publishing.
Several noted journalists who where critical of Berlusconi, for example Daniele Luttazzi, Enzo Biagi, Michele Santoro and Indro Montanelli, have disappeared from the media, but there has been no substantive evidence suggesting that Berlusconi was involved in these dismissals. In the meantime a series of problems in the running of the state television channels has allowed his own company Mediaset to increase market share.
Berlusconi in the media
Berlusconi fought very hardly against the Communists and post-Communists parties (in Italy there are two Communists parties). Some speculate that this is a reason for attacks by journalists allegedly close to such parties.
The most famous incident which has been widely reported about Berlusconi is that, upon being criticised by a German member of the European parliament Martin Schulz (SPD) during Italy's presidency, he reacted with the words "Mr. Schulz, I know there is a producer in Italy who is making a film on the Nazi concentration camps. I will suggest you for the role of kapo. You'd be perfect." The reference to the Nazis caused an uproar in the 626-seat assembly and a short diplomatic crisis between Italy and Germany.
Legal investigations of Berlusconi
- This section contains a number of paragraphs which are not clearly backed up with sources or statements. As such it needs to be updated with links or corrected before it can be treated as authoritative. If you want to help the Wikipedia project, please provide references for correct statements and delete wrong ones.
A good friend of former socialist premier Bettino Craxi, he has been accused of having used political pull throughout his business career, and of various sorts of corruption, including conflicts of interest. He has been convicted on these accusations in court, but the conviction yielded no actual prison sentences, as the trials took so long that they were closed because of the statute of limitations.
Berlusconi has been subject to a number of legal investigations and has even been convicted of "illegal party financing, corruption, bribery and false accounting"[1] however no legal process against him has yet been completed to the end of the appeal process.
Berlusconi's allies claim that this is due to politically motivated persecution and indeed, one famous attorney, who prosecuted Berlusconi, Antonio di Pietro, the leader of the Mani Pulite pool, subsequently entered politics and was elected with the votes of the post-communist party.
Berlusconi's enemies, on the other hand claim that it is only through political manipulation that he has avoided jail.
Since his candidacy, Berlusconi was attacked by some prosecuting attorneys over various subjects. Berlusconi was accused of corruption and crimes like massacre and implication with the mafia. Evidence was not found and the accusations were dropped.
Berlusconi has recently appeared on trial on charges accusing him of bribing judges who had to try important business disputes in which his companies were involved. The trial had been suspended (see below) and has now being resumed.
In June 2003, facing further legal action, Silvio Berlusconi pushed through a controversial law granting himself immunity from prosecution while in office. Several members of the judicary were prosecuted for taking bribes to make a decision in favour of Berlusconi but his own situation had been "frozen" by the new laws. In January 2004 his "immunity legislation" was annulled by the Constitutional court as it was ruled to have conflicted with the constitution. Subsequently Berlusconi has declared his intention to seek to re-introduce the law using the correct procedure for constitutional modification. In the meantime, his trial for corruption may recommence but it is unlikely to finish as there is ample opportunity for his legal team to use stalling tactics in order to exceed the time limits.
Judicial and customs investigators claim to have uncovered large offshore slush funds controlled by Berlusconi and his companies which were expected to lead prosecutions for financial and tax evasion offences. So far he has avoided prosecution, in part as a result of legislation his government majority has introduced such as de-criminalising "false" accounting and making it more difficult to obtain legal documents from overseas. Documentation from the Swiss government which Italian judges required for a corruption trial were only handed over after Italy agreed not to use them to prosecute Berlusconi for the Tax evasion offences they were accused of.
Members of the Pool rebelled themselves against the legitimate government when it proposed laws to limit their power (the parties of the government think they are excessive).
Berlusconi has also been indicted in Spain for a $25 million dollar tax fraud, but has used his status as a member of the European Parliament to gain immunity from prosecution.
\nExternal links
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
