Page 47 - Bloomberg_Businessweek

POLITICS January 29, 2018

public office, after a 2013 conviction for tax fraud. Berlusconi
But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t return to power.
Since last year, Berlusconi has been working behind
the scenes to pull together a center-right coalition
that has a shot at winning the most votes in Italy’s
March 4 election. If that happens, Berlusconi could
hold sway over the next government, giving him
the power to hand-pick a new prime minister and
set policy, including cutting taxes and pushing back
against European Union rules.
The anti-establishment Five Star Movement
party, co-founded by comedian Beppe Grillo, is
leading Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, 27 percent
to 16 percent in polling. But Berlusconi has assem-
bled a coalition with three other parties to become
the biggest bloc, with about 38 percent. His cam- word—I’ll make suggestions and above all keep a
paign team estimates it could claim a majority close watch to ensure the center-right government
if it exceeds 40 percent. “Berlusconi is unbeat- carries out our program.” Berlusconi remains in his
able at aggregating everything that can be aggre- element on TV and supplements his social media
gated,” says Roberto Weber, chairman of pollster presence with several talk show appearances a
Ixe Institute. “He is the best campaigner and the week. When his motorcade arrived at the Canale 5 ○ Latest general
election polls
most effective communicator.” studio near Rome’s Colosseum, he’d already had
After dominating Italian politics for decades, his makeup done. On air, he joked about how stu-
thanks in part to his command of TV, Berlusconi dents and seniors visiting the botanical museum 38%
is shifting his strategy to focus on digital, taking a at his summer villa in Sardinia had stolen his Berlusconi’s
page out of the playbook of Five Star. The upstart entire crop of herbal Viagra. “They took it all,” he Forza Italia
party didn’t exist the last time Berlusconi won an grinned. “They didn’t leave even a blade of grass.” 45
election, in 2008, yet it’s risen to the forefront of But the campaigner who used to draw crowds
Italian politics by harnessing the power of social so big he’d block traffic has cut back on large-scale
media and mobilizing disaffected voters. “It’s true public events. His advisers, who asked not to be Northern
League
that Five Star beat us to the web,” says Sestino named discussing his strategy, say his age and
Giacomoni, one of Berlusconi’s closest advisers. health, as well as new limits on party financing,
“But we’re catching up fast.” were behind the shift. Berlusconi has had a pace-
Berlusconi has about a million likes on Facebook maker since 2006, and he had heart surgery in Brothers of Italy
and 19,000 followers on Twitter, compared with 2016. Nevertheless, he’s been working for 16 to 18
Five Star’s candidate for prime minister, Luigi Di hours a day since campaigning for his party began Us With Italy
Maio, with about 1.1 million and 263,000, respec- in January and sleeping only three or four hours a
tively. That all pales in comparison to Grillo’s social night, according to Giacomoni. 27
media footprint, with 2 million Facebook likes Berlusconi doesn’t use a cellphone because, Five Star
Movement
and 2.5 million Twitter followers. Still, the strat- according to aides, his phone has been tapped
egy appears to be paying off for Berlusconi. Forza thousands of times during past court probes.
Italia has gained about 4 percentage points since Nowadays, his team uses iPads to show him draft
relaunching his Facebook page in October, accord- posts for Facebook and Twitter as he looks to posi-
ing to Bloomberg’s composite of election polls. tion himself as the antithesis of Five Star. He’s keen
As a result, Berlusconi is edging aside Northern to know which posts generate the most interest— 23
League leader Matteo Salvini as de facto head of the
good or bad—and offers constant feedback.
REX FEATURES/AP PHOTO; DATA: COMPILED BY BLOOMBERG ferred choice as premier, though he might also be rooted in their memories of the past. “People Democratic
No matter how good Berlusconi gets at learning
right. Antonio Tajani, president of the European
social media tricks, his appeal to voters will likely
Parliament, has been touted as Berlusconi’s pre-
Party
are going for Berlusconi as a moderate,” says
accept the current center-left prime minister, Paolo
Weber, the pollster. “He’s the best-known, calm-
Gentiloni, as a compromise. The Northern League
is the wild card, with Salvini indicating he could
est, most coherent, and most reassuring leader.”
seek a deal with Five Star after the election.
—John Follain
“If anything, from outside, I’ll be able to be the
7
THE BOTTOM LINE Berlusconi is working behind the scenes to
director,” Berlusconi said in a Jan. 16 interview on
assemble a center-right coalition for Italy’s March election that could
Canale 5, a TV station that he owns. “That’s a big
Left-wing alliance
give him the power to hand-pick the next prime minister.