“Polarized public debate like no other”, “A great Italian”: world reacts to Silvio Berlusconi’s death | Silvio Berlusconi passed away

“He was a brave fighter. Goodbye, Silvio,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni responded in a video message on Twitter. “He was the first Italian prime minister I worked with and he remains in my memory as a striking and passionate politician,” writes Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. “The great fighter is gone,” said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

AC Monza, the football club owned by Berlusconi, has also responded. “It’s an emptiness that can never be filled.”

AC Milan, which was owned by the former prime minister from 1986 to 2017, is in mourning. “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Forever with us.”

The president of the Five Star Movement Giuseppe Conte calls Berlusconi “an entrepreneur and politician who wrote important pages of our history”. “He ignited and polarized the public debate like no other,” he adds. “Even those who faced him as a political opponent must admit that he never lacked courage, passion and perseverance.”

Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right governing party Lega, called for a minute’s silence this morning. The deputy prime minister and infrastructure minister also called Berlusconi “a great man and a great Italian” in a short message. He also canceled all public appointments for today.

“Silvio Berlusconi made history in this country,” said former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. “Many loved him, many hated him: everyone must recognize today that his impact was unprecedented.”

“Father, entrepreneur, MEP, prime minister, senator. He left his mark and will not be forgotten,” said Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament. Berlusconi sat in the hemisphere for about five years and in October 2022 was even the oldest MEP ever.