Concern for Berlusconi, who would be suffering from leukemia

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, nicknamed "the immortal" for his longevity in politics, is in "stable" condition on Thursday, the day after his hospitalization, but the concern is great because he would be suffering from leukemia

Concern for Berlusconi, who would be suffering from leukemia

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, nicknamed "the immortal" for his longevity in politics, is in "stable" condition on Thursday, the day after his hospitalization, but the concern is great because he would be suffering from leukemia.

"We are all very concerned. I hope he will have the strength to resist this last blow which has a sinister name, leukemia," said Deputy Culture Minister Vittorio Sgarbi, a friend of Silvio Berlusconi.

Il Corriere della Sera, Italy's leading daily and generally considered very knowledgeable, also reported that he had been diagnosed with leukemia.

Paolo Russo, spokesperson for Berlusconi, assured for his part that he was not authorized to give information on the health of the leader of the conservative party Forza Italia, member of the ruling coalition, limiting himself to saying that "Il Corriere della Sera is the most respected newspaper in Italy".

The 86-year-old media mogul and senator, who has been in and out of hospital in recent years, was admitted to the cardiology unit of San Raffaele Hospital in Milan on Wednesday with respiratory problems.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, a senior Forza Italia official, said in the morning he had spoken to the tycoon's doctor.

"He told me that Silvio Berlusconi had had a quiet night and that his condition was stable," he said, adding that he had made phone calls to the leaders of his party.

According to the Ansa news agency citing sources around him, the octogenarian would have started chemotherapy on Wednesday to treat his leukemia.

Thursday morning, several members of his family, the only ones authorized to see him, went to the hospital located in the suburbs of the Lombard capital, in particular his brother Paolo, his eldest daughter Marina and his youngest son Luigi.

Silvio Berlusconi was rushed to hospital on Wednesday after complaining of breathing difficulties and low blood oxygen levels.

Last month, the billionaire leader had already spent four days in the same hospital, one of the most prestigious on the peninsula, for what Italian media called heart problems, before being discharged from hospital last Thursday.

"I have already started to work again (...) ready and determined to commit myself, as I have always done, for the country I love," he said in a message published on Friday on the networks. social.

On Sunday, he posted a picture of himself smiling in front of a sprawling bed of tulips at his lavish villa in Arcore in northern Italy.

After dominating Italian politics for decades, the "Cavaliere" now appears physically diminished during his rare public appearances.

The days of his infamous erotic "bunga bunga" parties with young starlets are well and truly over.

Forza Italia, credited with less than 10% in the polls, is part of the right-wing and far-right government coalition of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who on Wednesday tweeted to his ally his "sincere and affectionate wishes for a speedy recovery" .

Mr Berlusconi entered politics in 1994 and, for millions of Italians, he represents the golden age of the Italian economy. Despite a series of sex scandals and court cases that tarnished his image, he has held a special place in the hearts of many Italians ever since.

06/04/2023 13:29:18 -        Milan (AFP) -         © 2023 AFP