BARI, Italy—Plagued by scandals, a decline in political power, and mutiny within his party, Silvio Berlusconi re-launched a political party that saw his rise to power in the 1990s.
The re-launch of Forza Italia (Go Italy), came after Berlusconi’s onetime political heir, Angelino Alfano, who is serving as the deputy prime minister broke away and formed his own political party on Friday.
But while the move comes after bitter disagreements from within the party and rising dissatisfaction among voters with Berlusconi, who faces a possible end to his Senate seat over a tax-fraud conviction earlier this year, it could end up strengthening Berlusconi’s political position.
While Alfano decided to break away from Berlusconi, he will still consider him a key ally, with a possible coalition forming between the parties on the political right.
Berlusconi himself said as much in an address to his party Saturday. “Even if now it appears to be a friend of the left, of the Democratic Party, it will be necessary for it to be part of the coalition,” Berlusconi said, referring to a possible right-wing coalition led by his party Forza Italia.
According to political expert Alessandro Lattarulo, Berlusconi now has the chance for a strong political recovery because “he will win a lot more political space.” The new political landscape allows votes to come in from both those who support and those who oppose Berlusconi, but still want to vote for a party on the right.
Lattarulo said that after the move the center-right is “much, much, much stronger than the center-left.” Italy’s current government is led by the political left.
Together, Alfano’s new center-right party, alongside Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, and the more rightist National Alliance of Gianfranco Fini, will be able to get a hold of a large share of the votes in elections.
Support From Church
Also the new center-right could still get the votes of the Catholic Church, which has generally supported right-wing politicians through its media and influential bishops, because of their more traditional values.
According to Lattarulo, Berlusconi had been for a long time the choice of Catholics, but his scandals had seen that support erode. Instead the church had moved towards Mario Monti, a professor of economics who led a technocrat government from 2011 to 2013.
But with the political downfall of Monti near certainty, Lattarulo believes that the church instead will rally behind Roberto Formigoni, an influential member in Angelino Alfano’s new breakaway center-right party.
Formigoni is well known in ecclesiastical circles and will probably be the key figure who will attract Catholic votes to the right.
