Berlusconi launches new political party

Italian centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi said Sunday he was launching a new party, Reuters reported. He also announced he would dissolve the Forza Italia (Go Italy!) group he founded in the early 1990s. Berlusconi launches new political party Surrounded by supporters in a central Milan square, Berlusconi said he would officially present on Monday The Party of the Italian People of Freedoms. "Come with us, against the old fogeys of politics to form a great new party of the people," Berlusconi said, adding that his "new creation will be a protagonist of Italian politics for the coming decades". The surprise move by the former prime minister, who narrowly lost last year's election to Romano Prodi, will be seen as an attempt to regain the political initiative just as his future leadership of the centre right appeared most in doubt. Berlusconi's closest ally said the 71 year-old media tycoon's Freedom Alliance coalition would collapse by the end of the year unless he changed strategy. Right-wing National Alliance leader Gianfranco Fini accused Berlusconi of failing to unite the centre right and focusing instead on a counter-productive call for a general election. "The time has come when either the centre right shows it can unite, find a mission, offer the country a program, or else we accept that the coalition no longer exists and everyone goes their own way," Fini told la Repubblica daily. Berlusconi said Forza Italia had gathered 7 million signatures around the country over the weekend asking President Giorgio Napolitano to dissolve parliament and call a new poll. Berlusconi has been under pressure since Thursday, when the government narrowly won a major budget vote in the Senate, belying his forecasts that the upper house would throw out the budget and trigger Prodi's downfall. Berlusconi has also been criticized by his other two coalition partners, the populist Northern League and the Union of Christian Democrats, for his refusal to negotiate with the government on reforming Italy's electoral laws. Fini's words were unusually blunt. He said the centre right was "lacerated" and could take no credit for Prodi's record low approval ratings. Twice prime minister, Berlusconi has been written off many times since forming Forza Italia almost overnight to win power in 1994, but has always come bouncing back. He said his new party would be open to disillusioned voters from all parties, and also appeared to change his stance on electoral reform. "If the other side puts forward proposals, or accepts our proposals, we will be the first to be happy to find changes for our country that ensure democracy, growth and freedom," he said

Berlusconi launches new political party

Surrounded by supporters in a central Milan square, Berlusconi said he would officially present on Monday The Party of the Italian People of Freedoms.

"Come with us, against the old fogeys of politics to form a great new party of the people," Berlusconi said, adding that his "new creation will be a protagonist of Italian politics for the coming decades".

The surprise move by the former prime minister, who narrowly lost last year's election to Romano Prodi, will be seen as an attempt to regain the political initiative just as his future leadership of the centre right appeared most in doubt.

Berlusconi's closest ally said the 71 year-old media tycoon's Freedom Alliance coalition would collapse by the end of the year unless he changed strategy.

Right-wing National Alliance leader Gianfranco Fini accused Berlusconi of failing to unite the centre right and focusing instead on a counter-productive call for a general election.

"The time has come when either the centre right shows it can unite, find a mission, offer the country a program, or else we accept that the coalition no longer exists and everyone goes their own way," Fini told la Repubblica daily.

Berlusconi said Forza Italia had gathered 7 million signatures around the country over the weekend asking President Giorgio Napolitano to dissolve parliament and call a new poll.

Berlusconi has been under pressure since Thursday, when the government narrowly won a major budget vote in the Senate, belying his forecasts that the upper house would throw out the budget and trigger Prodi's downfall.

Berlusconi has also been criticized by his other two coalition partners, the populist Northern League and the Union of Christian Democrats, for his refusal to negotiate with the government on reforming Italy's electoral laws.

Fini's words were unusually blunt. He said the centre right was "lacerated" and could take no credit for Prodi's record low approval ratings.

Twice prime minister, Berlusconi has been written off many times since forming Forza Italia almost overnight to win power in 1994, but has always come bouncing back.

He said his new party would be open to disillusioned voters from all parties, and also appeared to change his stance on electoral reform.

"If the other side puts forward proposals, or accepts our proposals, we will be the first to be happy to find changes for our country that ensure democracy, growth and freedom," he said