Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi, dies at 86

By Letizia Pelligrino

Silvio Berlusconi, 86, passed away on June 12th 2023 at 9:30 a.m. at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. The leader of Forza Italia, who had been hospitalized since last Friday for investigations related to the chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, from which he had been suffering for some time.

"Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister who survived sex scandals and corruption allegations, has died at the age of 86," reported by the BBC. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised his "courage and determination", calling him one of the most influential men in the country's history.

He was charged with sex and corruption scandals, and he served as prime minister for the longest period of time in post-war Italy. In the early years of his career, Berlusconi was an entertainer on ships and was selling brooms. The turning point came when he decided to enter the real estate market. Berlusconi implemented the Milan 2 project, a residential area that revolutionized the concept of living in the city.

After his experience in construction, Berlusconi also expanded his business to the communications and media sector. In fact, the 1976 Constitutional Court decision No. 202 opened the door for the operation of television publishing, which had been a state monopoly until that point. He bought private channels and created a triopoly that revolutionized Italian television .

In 1986 he bought the A.C. Milan football team and stayed its president until 13 April 2017,gaining fame internationally . On January 26, 1994, in a famous TV message, he announced his decision of founding a party, Forza Italia, with which to run in the general election.

His political career were marked by strong charisma, but at the same time there were many scandals involving him that put the entire nation in a bad image. He was charged of legal troubles, bribery, tax fraud, and sex with an underage prostitute.