Berlusconi’s party on verge of rift
17 Dec 2012 6:54 AM IST
Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party appeared to be on the verge of an irreparable rift on Sunday as its lawmakers held rival congresses that cast further doubt on the former Italian prime minister's new candidacy.
Leading deputies including party secretary Angelino Alfano at one of the events in Rome urged Prime Minister Mario Monti to run for office as head of a centre-right coalition -- echoing a proposal from Berlusconi himself last week.
But at the other congress, Giorgia Meloni, a leader of the party's more right-wing youth division, said that she was against both Berlusconi and Monti.
‘We choose a different centre-right!’ she told her supporters.
‘Monti for us is not the horizon and a Berlusconi candidacy would be a mistake,’ said Meloni, who had put her name forward as a candidate for primaries that have since been cancelled to pick the party's nominee.
Despite growing domestic and international pressure Monti has not said whether he will run or not in the elections, which are expected in February.
Berlusconi's PDL party, which swept the last elections in 2008, has been riven by bitter infighting since he was forced to step down in November 2011 due to a parliamentary revolt, financial market panic and a wave of sex scandals. He was replaced by Monti, a former high-flying European commissioner.
Earlier this month the 76-year-old playboy tycoon said he would run for what would be his sixth election in two decades in politics, but only days later said that he would withdraw his candidacy if Monti joined the race. The move surprised observers since Berlusconi's party has withdrawn its support for Monti's government in parliament over his allegedly poor handling of the economy, triggering early elections.
Berlusconi reiterated his offer on Sunday, saying in a note to his supporters that Monti ‘shares my, your and our ideals’ and calling for an end to ‘sterile disputes’ within his own party.
Leading deputies including party secretary Angelino Alfano at one of the events in Rome urged Prime Minister Mario Monti to run for office as head of a centre-right coalition -- echoing a proposal from Berlusconi himself last week.
But at the other congress, Giorgia Meloni, a leader of the party's more right-wing youth division, said that she was against both Berlusconi and Monti.
‘We choose a different centre-right!’ she told her supporters.
‘Monti for us is not the horizon and a Berlusconi candidacy would be a mistake,’ said Meloni, who had put her name forward as a candidate for primaries that have since been cancelled to pick the party's nominee.
Despite growing domestic and international pressure Monti has not said whether he will run or not in the elections, which are expected in February.
Berlusconi's PDL party, which swept the last elections in 2008, has been riven by bitter infighting since he was forced to step down in November 2011 due to a parliamentary revolt, financial market panic and a wave of sex scandals. He was replaced by Monti, a former high-flying European commissioner.
Earlier this month the 76-year-old playboy tycoon said he would run for what would be his sixth election in two decades in politics, but only days later said that he would withdraw his candidacy if Monti joined the race. The move surprised observers since Berlusconi's party has withdrawn its support for Monti's government in parliament over his allegedly poor handling of the economy, triggering early elections.
Berlusconi reiterated his offer on Sunday, saying in a note to his supporters that Monti ‘shares my, your and our ideals’ and calling for an end to ‘sterile disputes’ within his own party.
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