The death of Silvio Berlusconi this Monday at 86 years at the San Rafaelle hospital in Milan has shocked the international community. Although he suffered chronic myeloid leukemia and that he had been hospitalized since last Friday, the news has been received with surprise and sadness by the many friends he made in politics.
From a political point of view, the former Prime Minister of Italy has been fired by various members of the current government. “Was above all a fighter, a man who he was never afraid to defend their convictions, with courage and determination“said the Italian president, Giorgia Meloni.
His political right-hand man, former President of the European Parliament and current Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, expressed his “immense pain” at his death on his social networks. “Simply thank you, President, thank you Silvio,” wrote Tajani, who is on an official trip to the United States, Whose return will advance to be able to be at the funerals.
An immense pain. Simply thank you President, thank you Silvio. pic.twitter.com/KM4UODQs8o
– Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) June 12, 2023
[Adiós a Silvio Berlusconi: las mejores imágenes de su vida política]
Matteo Salvini, Vice President and Minister of the Interior he has canceled his acts and has called for a minute’s silence in Parliament in memory of “a great man and a great italian“.
“Today a great Italian says goodbye to us. One of the greatest of all time, in all fields, from all points of view, without equal. But above all, today I lose a great friend. I am devastated and rarely cry, today is one of those days,” Salvini said on Twitter.
Oggi ci greets a GREAT ITALIAN.
One of the più grandi di semper, in tutti i campi, da tutti i punti di vista, senza equiali.
Ma soprattutto oggi I lose a great friend.
Sono distrutto e piango rarely, oggi è uno di quei giorni.
I keep as a precious gift the value of yours… pic.twitter.com/4n4TOefl4c— Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) June 12, 2023
“I keep as a precious gift the value of your friendship, of your advice, of your generosity, of your respect, of your genius, of your rare and affectionate rebukes immediately followed by compliments and unique attention. You have done so much for Italy and for the Italians, you leave a void that is difficult to fill, from today we will dedicate all our efforts and all our commitment to continue the thousand paths that you saw and traced for the first time,” he added.
For his part, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that the death of the former president leaves “a great void because he was a great man.” “I loved him very much. Goodbye, Sílvio”, he added.
Silvio Berlusconi has made the story in this country. As much as I have loved him, as much as I have hated him: all of us devono riconoscere che il suo impacto de él sulla vita politica ma anche economica, sportiva, televisiva è stato senza precedenti. Oggi l’Italia piange insieme alla famiglia,…
— Matteo Renzi (@matteorenzi) June 12, 2023
However, from the ideological antagonism condolences have also arrived. The Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Hall, of the Green Party, has also used Twitter for this. Berlusconi was a native of that city.
“Milan is in mourning. Every Italian has an opinion about him, matured over the years by his business, sports and political centrality. But this moment is for condolences and respect. You have to give him credit for having loved Milan very much”, said Sala.
The leader of the opposition Democratic Party (PD), Elly Schleinconveyed his condolences to the family and to the members of the government coalition, of which Forza Italia is a part.
“Everything separated us and continues to separate us from his political vision but he remains I respect which is humanly due to someone who has been a protagonist in the history of our country,” he wrote in a note.
International policy
Berlusconi had well-known and important allies in international politics, such as the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Another of them, Viktor Orbán, the president of Hungary, has said that “the great fighter left“.
Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, has fired what she considered a “father, businessman, MEP, President of the Government, Senator. He has left his mark and will not be forgotten. Thank you Silvio.”
In Spain, the leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóohas said that “Berlusconi marked several decades of Italian political history. My condolences to his family and his party. He rest in peace.”
Silvio Berlusconi marked several decades of Italian political history. My condolences to his family and his party. Rest in peace.https://t.co/ix3IJIYcyE
— Alberto Núñez Feijóo (@NunezFeijoo) June 12, 2023
soccer world
The sports world has also mourned the death of Berlusconi. “I feel bad, despite everything, I did not expect“Arrigo Sacchi told the Italian news agency ANSA through tears. The former AC Milan coach considered his former president at the Italian club”a great friend to whom I owe everything, who tried to change this difficult country”.
The club of which he was president, AC Milan“deeply regrets the death of the unforgettable Silvio Berlusconi and extends its affection to his family, collaborators and closest friends”.
“Tomorrow we will dream of other goals, we will invent other challenges, we will look for other victories. May they be worth it to realize what is good, strong and true in us, in all of us who have lived this adventure of intertwining our lives with a dream called Milan. Thank you Presidentforever with us”, he concludes.
He real MadridAC Milan’s great rival in the first decade of the 2000s, has published a statement offering its condolences to the family of the former prime minister: “Real Madrid CF, its president and its Board of Directors deeply regret the death of Silvio Berlusconi, legendary president of AC Milan between 1986 and 2017 and current president of AC Monza“.
“ANDhe Real Madrid wants to express its condolences to his family and loved onesand the fans of Italian football, especially those of AC Milan and AC Monza. During his presidency, AC Milan experienced one of the most successful periods in its history, with the conquest of 5 European Cups3 Club World Cups, 5 European Super Cups, 8 Serie A titles, 1 Italian Cup and 7 Italian Super Cups”, adds the white club.
Berlusconi’s other great sports rival, Inter Milan, recent runner-up in the Champions League, also said goodbye to Berlusconi on Twitter: “The challenges between Inter and his Milan have made the city of Milan the heart of world football”.
Il President Steven Zhang e tutta FC Internazionale Milano esprimono il own profondo cordoglio for the side of President Silvio Berlusconi.
His figure has left an indelible mark in the history of our country. The fans against Inter and his Milan have not resolved the… pic.twitter.com/YHLZzNIMOI
— Inter (@Inter) June 12, 2023
“Rapist and Corrupt”
Among the praise, the critics of detractorsas the former leader of Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, which has been especially hard in RAC1. “Today we are going to be able to verify, on Telecinco and Cuatro, if indeed there is freedom of the press in Spain and if all the professionals who work on these televisions today are going to be able to exercise the right to information from the televisions that continue to be owned by the Berlusconi family”, he began by saying.
“I perfectly remember when I was a talk show host on Cuatro, on the Jesus Cintorathat every time I said the ‘berlusconization’ of politics, in the breaks Jesus He told me ‘be careful, don’t forget where we are’“, he recalled.
[Muere Silvio Berlusconi: el empresario total al servicio (y su beneficio) de la política de Italia]
Iglesias has considered Berlusconi a “ahead of its time”since he was a precursor of “the society in which we live”: “The disgust of a character corrupt, rapistrepresentative of the trivialization of politics… It is a precursor of what would come later in the US with donald trump“.
But the former leader of Podemos does not end his analysis there, but rather draws parallels with Spain: “Would figures like Ayuso exist if Berlusconi had not previously existed? The problem is not so much that there is a receptive society, but that there are no democratic mechanisms to prevent such characters from being, in Spain, owners of one of the main representatives of the media oligopoly”.
