Italy entered a period of political transformation on Thursday after Silvio Berlusconi’s historic ouster from Parliament, with the billionaire tycoon humiliated and assailed by legal woes but now a force in opposition.
Prime Minister Enrico letta’s ruling coalition will survive the withdrawal of support by Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, thanks to the defection of some of his former proteges who will stay on in the Government.
But, while he is a figure of fun around the world, Berlusconi is still a formidable campaigner who can continue as a figurehead leader even if he is banned from running for election for the next six years.
“Silvio Berlusconi’s political story did not end on Wednesday with his expulsion as senator,” Roberto D’Alimonte, one of Italy’s top political experts, wrote in the business daily Il Sole 24 Ore. “The Cavaliere leaves parliament but not politics, at least not for now. In fact we should not forget that he still has six-seven million loyal voters on his side.”