Tycoon-turned-Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has died aged 86. Though his party is unlikely to survive his departure and his business empire is much weakened, his unorthodox methods spawned imitators across the West, writes LJucca
Italy’s four-time and longest-serving prime minister, who often quipped he would live until 120, passed away on Monday. He had been suffering with leukaemia and had recently developed a lung infection. To many, his name remains associated with “bunga bunga” sex parties, fake tan, bad jokes and financial scandals. Yet his entrepreneurial approach to politics has been copied by leaders including former U.S. President Donald Trump.
But it’s in politics that Berlusconi was most innovative. As Italy’s traditional parties collapsed under countless graft charges in the 1990s, he used his media popularity and image as a can-do entrepreneur to exploit Italy’s political void. While rivals and Western leaders looked down on his diplomatic gaffes, blatant self-interest and ebullient lifestyle, voters rewarded him with three electoral victories between 1994 and 2008.
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