Berlusconi to 'make FI number one'

(ANSA) - Rome, October 13 - Ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi told MPs from his center-right Forza Italia (FI) party on Tuesday that he will give his all to make FI the number one party in Italy again.
    "I will commit to making Forza Italia the number one party once more," he said.
    "I will be actively in the field as party leader and I'm also willing to go back on television," said Berlusconi, who is banned from office for six years after the Supreme Court last year upheld his criminal conviction for 370 million euros in tax fraud at his Mediaset media empire.
    In the latest weekly poll out last Friday, FI was at 9.7%, against Premier Matteo Renzi's center-left Democratic Party (PD) at 35.1% and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) at 24.9%.
    Berlusconi's erstwhile coalition ally, the rightwing anti-immigrant Northern League, stood at 14%.
    Also on Tuesday, Berlusconi called on his followers to abstain from voting on the government's constitutional reform bill.
    He went on to say that Renzi's so-called Italicum electoral bill must be changed to award bonus seats to the winning coalition not party.
    This would play in favor of FI and other smaller parties, who would only be able to win if they run on coalition tickets.