Silvio Berlusconi, the alligator of Italian politics

By Nicholas Rigillo Apr 6, 2006, 12:57 GMT

Rome - The man they call 'The Knight', 'Berluskaiser' and 'The Great Seducer' has a new nickname: 'The Alligator.'

Though this is taken from the title of a new movie that is openly hostile to Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's most talked-about politician has made it his own and will snap at anyone who stands in his way.

'Gentlemen, I am The Alligator, and I will make mincemeat of them all,' he told his Forza Italia party faithful in Naples on March 26.

Berlusconi has embarked on a particular virulent election campaign in his bid to get re-elected prime minister come April 9-10.

He has lashed out at prosecutors who have indicted him on charges of corruption, journalists who have dared ask him about the conflict of interest inherent in his ownership of large sectors of the country's media and even fellow businessmen who have turned their backs on him.

But by far his most vicious attacks have been directed at centre- left opposition leader Romano Prodi, whom he has called a 'useful idiot who lends his cheery parish priest's face to communists' present within his coalition.

The 'Red Menace' has been a recurring theme of Berlusconi's political agenda. So much so, that critics suspect his decision to enter politics, back in 1994, was driven by fear of losing his huge business empire if the left was ever to rise to power.

Now that he is trailing in the polls, Italy's richest man has decided to play the same card again.

During that same rally in Naples, he grabbed the international headlines by claiming that Communist China 'used to boil babies to fertilise the fields.'

The statement was in fact a dig at Prodi's communist allies, which represent about 10 per cent of his electorate.

An outsider may view this line of attack as somewhat anachronistic. But in a traditionally conservative country that for almost 50 years had western Europe's largest communist party, many still have a deep-rooted aversion to those who display any form of affinity towards Marxist ideology.

Berlusconi's other main election tactic has involved scaring off voters with threats of higher taxes in case of a Prodi victory.

Perhaps conscious that he might be defeated, Italy's outspoken premier has appeared particularly aggressive and nervous of late - even going as far as calling left-wing voters 'idiots.'

He wasn't always like this.

There was a time when he used to mesmerise the crowds with his indisputable charm, good-humoured wit and promises of a new economic miracle.

After all, the man was born a seller.

As a child, he charged entrance fees for puppet shows; in high school he ghost wrote homework in exchange for his classmate's pocket money; and as a law student, he paid for his university fees by selling vacuum cleaners and singing French love songs on Mediterranean cruise ships.

And all agree that the man who brought American-style politics, suburbs and television to Italy is driven like few others.

But after five years of government that have left Italy poorer by most standards, he has decided to resort to scaremongering tactics in a bid to hold on to power.

'Are we selling fear now? Yes, because the left makes people scared,' he recently told journalists.

Born in Milan on September 29, 1936, the son of a bank clerk, Berlusconi began his business career in the 1960s by founding Edilnord, a construction company.

After creating Fininvest, Italy's first commercial television, by exploiting legal loopholes and his connections in politics, he plunged into the political fray.

His decision came in the aftermath of a massive corruption scandal that had toppled Italy's traditional ruling class and eliminated his close friends in power.

Berlusconi stormed to victory in 1994, but his short-lived government lasted less than a year. And after losing the 1996 election to Romano Prodi, he regained power in triumphant style, five years later.

The twice-married father of five proudly defends the track-record of his second government, the longest-serving in post-war Italy, saying it has approved 'an unprecedented number of reforms' and restored the country's international prestige by forging closer ties with influential countries like the United States and Russia. <!--page-->

Critics, however, say he leaves behind a sluggish economy - gross domestic product has grown on average by 0.8 per cent a year since 2001 - and a ballooning budget deficit - it hit 4.1 per cent of GDP in 2005, its highest since 1996. They also accuse him of passing a number of laws whose only aim was to make him richer and keep him and his associates out of jail.

Berlusconi has denied having put himself before the rest and has blamed the poor state of the economy on external factors such as the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and increased trade competition from China.

Nevertheless, a growing number of Italians suspect that, now 69 years old, he may have lost his Midas touch.

Whether this will convinces the majority of Italians to vote against him remains to be seen.