Rome: Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has said he intends to return to power, and has warned the country’s new leader that he will call for snap elections in three months.
The 75-year-old leader also hinted that he would only back the new emergency government that was sworn in this week for three months before calling for snap elections.
The new Italian cabinet that has no elected politicians at all in it, is facing the massive task of saving the country's dangerously balanced economy, and Berlusconi has said he and his party will back it in its battle, but only temporarily.
“I know you want me to retire and write my memoirs, but I'm not going to do that,” the Daily Mail quoted Berlusconi, as saying.
“We need to have an election quickly because at the moment democracy has been suspended. Mario Monti (who replaced Berlusconi) knows that the duration of his government depends on us because we are vital for the majority and as a consequence the term of this government,” he said.
“Monti was welcomed as if he was Diego Maradona, but it takes more than one player to make a team. It's not all just down to him,” he added.
Berlusconi spoke out as a huge poster campaign started across Italy with billboards showing his People of Freedom party's emblem and his words from his resignation speech of last weekend, “I am going to redouble my efforts.”
The media tycoon has told party faithful that he will hold a massive rally soon where he would then announce that they are no longer backing the Monti technical government and demand a general election ahead of that scheduled for May 2013.
ANI
First Published: Saturday, November 19, 2011, 11:57