Italy's Leaders Pay Respects to Divisive Former PM Berlusconi

As Italy received the news of the controversial former PM's death in Milan, political leaders paid tribute to a man who had shaped the country's politics for three decades.

Italy’s then Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi shakes hands with his Montenegrin counterpart Milo Djukanovic during a visit in Rome, 6 February 2010. Photo: EPA/DANILO SCHIAVELLA

Silvio Berlusconi, controversial former Italian Prime Minister and media tycoon, died in a Milan’private hospital San Raffaele on Tuesday aged 86 at around 9.30am.

He reportedly had leukaemia and was hospitalised for six weeks in the spring before being readmitted on Friday.

Berlusconi’s death has sparked mixed reactions in Italy, as both political allies and opponents paid respects to a man who left a significant mark on Italian politics, public life, and culture for over 30 years – among legal and private controversies.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent her condolences in a video message lauding Berlusconi’s achievements in the world of politics and business. “Silvio Berlusconi was above all a fighter, he was a man who was never afraid to stand up for his convictions, and it was exactly that courage and determination that made him one of the most influential men in the history of Italy,” Meloni said.

Centre-left Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein on Monday expressed her party’s “deepest condolences” for the passing. “With the death of Silvio Berlusconi, an era closes. Everything has divided us and divides us from his political vision, but the human respect for a person who was a protagonist of our country’s history remains,” said the note.

From his entry into the political arena with his party Forza Italia in the mid-1990s, Berlusconi shaped Italy’s political landscape, winning widespread popularity that wasn’t much shaken by the numerous scandals that dogged his career – corruption charges, tax evasion allegations, accusation of bribery, embezzlement and relations with organised crime.

The former prime minister was convicted in 2012 for tax fraud and was barred from holding public office. As the ban was lifted later, he came back to politics in 2018, leading his Forza Italia party.

Various investigations over the years monitored his alleged connections with organised crime, but the former PM was never found guilty and he’s always refuted the accusations.

Beyond the legal controversies, Berlusconi’s private life also attracted scrutiny and media attention as the scandals surrounding his personal life often overshadowed his political achievements.

During his political career, Berlusconi served as Italy’s prime minister on three occasions, making him the longest serving Prime Minister since the birth of the Italian republic in 1946.