Silvio Berlusconi's spokeswoman
Deborah Bergamini on Friday denied reports that his Forza Italia
(FI) party was to set up a 'directorate' to fill a leadership
vacuum created by his enforced absence from the political arena.
The billionaire and three-time premier is to undergo
surgery next week to have a new aortic valve after tests at
Milan's San Raffaele Hospital found he was suffering from
"severe aortic insufficiency" that had placed his life at risk.
The centre-right party is in ferment, amid uncertainty
about when, or if, the 79-year-old will be able to return to the
political fray.
"The creation of a special governance body is not taking
place," Bergamini said.
"Forza Italia already has, on the basis of its statute,
management bodies that are fully operative. The fanciful
reconstructions in today's newspapers about FI's reorganization
are groundless and clearly aim to create confusion inside the
movement".
Former education minister Mariastella Gelmini, who won the
most preferences in the first round of Milan's local elections
this month, has been mooted as a possible new leader.
There has also been talk of Stefano Parisi, the centre
right's candidate to be Milan mayor, being the next centre right
premier candidate, but he rubbished this on Friday.
"It's journalist chatter," said Parisi who, like
Berlusconi, is a businessman-turned-politician.
"I'm here to be Milan mayor and I've never thought about
anything else. I went into politics to do this and I won't do
anything else".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
