The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, recalled the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who died this Monday in a hospital in Milan, as a leader “in a period of political transition” that marked Italy.
“It is with sadness that I receive the news of the death of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. He led Italy through a period of political transition and, since then, has continued to shape his beloved country, ”wrote the leader of the community executive. in a post on the social network Twitter.
In the message, Ursula von der Leyen also presented her “condolences to her family and to the Italian people.”
The leader of the Forza Italia party, media mogul and former AC Milan president was hospitalized for 45 days until three weeks ago, due to pneumonia and leukemia.
Italian media reported that Berlusconi died after his five children and brother Paolo were called to hospital, where they were joined by his partner, Marta Fascina.
Nicknamed “the immortal” for his longevity in politics, Berlusconi ruled Italy for nine years, three times between 1994 and 2011.
Berlusconi was a controversial figure, media mogul, conservative and right wing and Prime Minister of Italy for nine years (1994-1995, 2001-2006, 2008-2011).
He was the target of corruption allegations and was at the center of sex scandals that would culminate in his ouster from the Italian Senate in 2013.
In 2022, the billionaire returned to the political spotlight as a senator and leader of the party he founded, Forza Italia, a member of the currently ruling right-wing and far-right coalition led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Source: TSF
