Inside Story - Berlusconi''s struggle for political survival
Inside Story

Berlusconi’s struggle for political survival

How will the Italian PM’s dwindling popularity impact Italy and its faltering economy?

Italy’s problems are dominated by its economy: Growing unemployment, debt and stagnant growth has led to growing protests by those fed up with the country’s economic policies.

Meanwhile Silvio Berlusdconi, the Italian prime minister, is a defendant in three trials facing charges of bribery, abuse of power and sex with a minor.

Berlusconi has survived yet another confidence vote in parliament, but this time only by a single vote.

It buys the embattled prime minister more time in power, but facing a tough economic crisis, poor approval ratings and growing dissent within his own coalition, it seems unlikely he will be able to hold on for much longer.

What next for Berlusconi? For how much longer will he be able to hold on to power? Is there anyone who could replace him? And what will it mean for Italy and its faltering economy?
 
Inside Story, with presenter Hazem Sika, discusses with Maurizio Caprara, a diplomatic correspondent for Corriere Della Serra; Andrea Teti, a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen and a senior fellow at the European centre for international affairs; and Guido Moltedo, a political commentator for Europa, which is a center-left daily national newspaper in Italy.

“The country is fed up with his way of managing things, not so much with Silvio Berlusconi himself as a person, as a leader, but his politics is too much absorbed by his own problems, by his own problem of political survival and it is pretty clear to many people… He is out of touch with the Italian people according to me… Something very special must happen to make Berlusconi fall.” Guido Moltedo