Unable to "deceive Death" again, character | Former Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi passed away | Former Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi|
According to Italian media reports, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi passed away at the age of 86 at a hospital in the northern city of Milan on the morning of the 12th. For 30 years, despite worrying health and constant political struggles, Berlusconi has persisted in being active at the center of the Italian political stage.
Political "Lao Bei"
Although people have a deep impression of Berlusconi as a politician, the first half of his life was spent as a business tycoon. During this period, the Berlusconi family established a media empire in Italy and held a controlling stake in the local large commercial media company, Media Media.
But in the early 1990s, Berlusconi decided to abandon business and enter politics, and created the still active Power Party. From 1994 to 2011, Berlusconi served as the Prime Minister of Italy three times and became the longest serving Prime Minister of Italy after World War II.
"In the complex political world of Italy, Berlusconi is the most adept at playing politics - he blends business and public life in a way that no one can match." The BBC wrote that his flamboyant personality resonated with some Italian voters.
However, during his tenure, Berlusconi has been repeatedly exposed to corruption and scandals, plagued by lawsuits, including being convicted of tax evasion in 2013 and sentenced by the Italian Supreme Court to hold public office for five years.
But Berlusconi argued that he was a victim of political struggle and insisted on being active on the Italian and even European political stages, with his long political career going through ups and downs.
After stepping down as prime minister in 2011, Berlusconi continued to lead an important political force in Italian politics and was elected as a member of the European Parliament in 2019, marking his first run for public office in six years.
In the Italian general election held in September last year, the Power Party, along with the Brotherhood Party and the Alliance Party, formed a center right party alliance with a vote share of about 44%, leading other political parties and party alliances. The Power Party later became a member of the ruling coalition, but Berlusconi himself did not serve in this government and instead returned to the Senate.
Having deceived Death multiple times
For many years, Berlusconi's health has been frequently highlighted by red lights. He suffered from prostate cancer in the late 1990s and underwent heart surgery in 2016.
In 2019, Berlusconi was admitted to the hospital for treatment of a kidney stone and missed an event to promote his candidacy for the European Parliament elections.
In the year 2020, when the COVID-19 is raging, Berlusconi will not be spared. His personal doctor said at the time that the former prime minister's lung infection was very serious, and if it were during a more severe local epidemic, he was likely unable to pass this hurdle.
However, as Berlusconi once said, he had "deceived the god of death" for many times without danger. Defeating the COVID-19 League was "the most dangerous challenge he has overcome in his life".
But in April this year, Berlusconi's physical condition once again attracted public attention. At that time, he entered the intensive care unit of a hospital in Milan and was confirmed to have leukemia. The treatment team said that Berlusconi has been diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia for some time without any acute attacks, and entering the intensive care unit is to treat the lung infection caused by this leukemia. According to local media reports, Berlusconi had already started receiving chemotherapy.
With Berlusconi's departure, Italian Defense Minister Croceto said, "An era has come to an end.".
