“Here I am, in front of you, wearing a shirt and a jacket for the first time in a month,” Berlusconi, 86, said via a pre-recorded video message at a congress of his Forza Italia party. Sitting behind a desk with a party banner, he thanks members for their support “which more than anything helped me overcome a very dangerous pneumonia”.
The former president was hospitalized in Milan on April 5 with a lung infection, after which doctors revealed he has leukaemia. He spent the first week and a half in intensive care before being transferred to a regular ward. His doctors confirmed last Wednesday that his condition was “stable”, but did not say when Berlusconi will be able to leave hospital.
The founder of Forza Italia remains the chairman of the party for the time being.