Free Republic

The European Union should form its own combined army that could play a role in peacekeeping and preventing conflict, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said. In an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa, Tajani said that closer European cooperation on defence was a priority for the Forza Italia party that he leads. "If we want to be peacekeepers in the world, we need a European military. And this is a fundamental precondition to be able to have an effective European foreign policy," he said in an interview published on Sunday. "In a world with powerful players like the United States,...

In the 1990's Italian politics was revolutionized with the rise to power of media magnate Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi, who once called himself a Socialist and supported the Socialist Party, rebranded himself as leader of Forza Italia (Forward Italy). He took the name from a soccer team. Berlusconi swept to victory gaining control over public media in addition to the private media already under his tutelage. His huge victory followed corruption scandals that engulfed the existing political parties in Italy. Berlusconi had his day and his following for more than 15 years. Meanwhile his enemies used the legal system against him...

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is being accused of election interference after threatening to use “tools” if the wrong election result is achieved in Italy’s national elections, set to take place this Sunday, Sept. 25. She added that those same tools are already being used against Hungary and Poland. “We will see the result of the vote in Italy,” said von der Leyen. “If things go in a difficult direction — and I’ve spoken about Hungary and Poland — we have the tools.” Von der Leyen made the comment while responding to a journalist after a talk she...

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani has come under fire for comments praising Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Tajani told Radio 24 Wednesday evening that Mussolini did some “positive things,” including improving Italy’s infrastructure, until “he declared war on the entire world, following Hitler, until he promoted the racial laws” that restricted the rights of Jews. …

The three-time Italian premier, who has made a career out of rebounding from legal woes, personal scandal, heart trouble and political setbacks, is running for the European Parliament in May elections. The 82-year-old Berlusconi announced his candidacy with his center-right Forza Italia party Thursday in Sardinia. He said he wanted to “bring my voice to a Europe that should change, a Europe that has lost profound thinking about the world.” Berlusconi had been barred from running for public office for nearly five years due to a tax fraud conviction. Citing his good conduct, a court last year ruled that he...

Milan (AFP) - An Italian appeals court on Friday cleared Silvio Berlusconi of having sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of power in a surprise ruling that will strengthen the former prime minister on the political scene. "The defendant is acquitted," presiding judge Enrico Tranfa said, requesting silence after gasps from the courtroom. The effectively scraps Berlusconi's seven-year sentence and lifelong ban from holding public office. The judge said there was "no crime" on the abuse of power charge and that Berlusconi's actions "did not constitute a crime" on the prostitution one, promising to publish a detailed explanation within...

Silvio Berlusconi has won a crushing victory in the Italian general election to become prime minister for the third time. The 71-year-old media magnate defeated Walter Veltroni, the 52-year-old leader of the Democratic Party, by a considerable margin and has a large enough majority to rule Italy for a full five-year term. Mr Veltroni, who was a popular mayor of Rome before entering national politics, conceded defeat five hours after the polls closed, saying that the result was clear. "I have telephoned Mr Berlusconi to wish him well in the job," he said, adding that he was comforted that Italy...

BERLIN, July 9 (Reuters) - Italy beat France 5-3 on penalties in the World Cup final after the the two teams finished level at 1-1 after extra time in a dramatic encounter in which French playmaker Zinedine Zidane was sent off.

Voting has ended on the second and final day of Italy's bitterly contested general election. Polling stations closed at 1500 (1300 GMT) and partial results are expected in the next few hours. According to exit polls, centre-left leader Romano Prodi is on course to beat Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. A Nexus poll shown on Italian TV put Mr Prodi's coalition on 50-54% in both houses of parliament, with Mr Berlusconi's coalition on 45-49%.

By next May, the latest possible date for Italy's forthcoming national election, the country's political landscape could look very different. For one thing a new law, strengthening the role of proportional representation in the voting system, may be in place. For another, the three main parties in Italy's ruling centre-right coalition, which has held power since June 2001, may have merged into a single, if loosely knit, movement. Most intriguingly of all, Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister who will turn 69 in September, may not even be the centre-right's candidate for premier. Italy's next election campaign will take place against...