Ex-Italian PM Faints During Speech (BERLUSCONI)

Sky News ^ | November 26, 2006 | Staff

[MadIvan]

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has fainted during a speech at a political rally in Tuscany.

The media mogul was seen to slump at the podium, then sink back into the arms of nearby officials.

Supporters said he had fallen ill because of the strong emotion of the speech.

After some 40 minutes of railing against Premier Romano Prodi's centre-left government, Mr Berlusconi suddenly looked weak.

Aides rushed to his side to prop him up as he gripped the podium.

Fellow conservative politician Marcello Dell'Utri told the crowd to stay calm and wait until Berlusconi returns to speak.

Another supporter, former Chamber of Deputies speaker Irene Pivetti, told the crowd that Berlusconi had "fallen ill for the tension, for the emotion" of the speech.

[MadIvan]

Prayers for Signor Berlusconi's health.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Ping!

[the invisib1e hand]

I posted this on the first "Berlusconi Faints" thread.

Why is he ill?

after Putin's recent remark about the Mafia....well, do I need to draw you a map!? /sarc (or should it be sarc?)

Even though there will probably be ten threads, this is the only other one I'll make this cute remark on.

[MadIvan]

I just saw the video on the news...he really looked weak.

Regards, Ivan

[the invisib1e hand]

Putinside?

[George W. Bush]

May have some cardio blockage. Hopefully, not a stroke. On TV, it looked like more than too passionate a speech.

I hope he recovers. He's been a strong voice for Italy, pushing back at the decadence of EU thinking. Certainly, he has been a great and unexpected friend to America. He has vision and political courage, someone who believed in the old mission of NATO: an attack on any member of the West is an attack on all.