Berlusconi seeks charismatic leader

(ANSA) - Naples, May 22 - Whoever becomes the leader of a new centre-right party envisioned by Silvio Berlusconi must have "charisma" and integrity, the three-time ex-premier said Friday.
    Campaigning in Naples for upcoming regional elections, Berlusconi added that the new leader must also be committed to the country and not seeking personal gain.
    On Thursday Berlusconi, whose Forza Italia (FI) party has plunged in the polls since a tax-fraud conviction, said Thursday that he will found but not lead a new movement.
    He added then that there should not be primaries, but he will appoint his own "heir".
    Berlusconi, who recently completed a community service sentence for tax fraud, said that his choice of leader must be someone with a "sufficient degree of charisma".
    As well, courage and a sense of public service are crucial in a world of cynical politicians, said Berlusconi, whose critics have accused him using political office to further his media empire.
    "You have to have courage...and exclude those who are in politics only for their own advantage," said Berlusconi.
    Berlusconi, also denounced "small" political parties as being too self-absorbed while "big" parties "normally look to the interests of citizens".
    "Small parties often identify with their small leaders," he added.
    Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing Northern League, on Friday rejected the idea of "heirs or dynasties" apppointed by Berlusconi to head a centre-right movement.
    "I don't think there's a blood right," to leadership, he said in response to Berlusconi's announcement that he would pick an heir. Berlusconi also denounced again the 2012 Severino law that saw him banned from office for six years for his criminal conviction, complaining that retroactive application of the law in his case was "a sacrilege".