Rome, May 28: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has resorted to a quote from fascist dictator Benito Mussolini to illustrate his democratic leadership.
“As prime minister, I have never had the feeling that I was in power,” he said at a news conference at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.
“I would venture to quote a phrase of someone who was considered a dictator, a great and powerful dictator: Benito Mussolini: ‘They say I have power. It’s not true … I only know that I can order my horse to turn right or left.'”
“Sometimes as a businessman, with 56,000 employees, sometimes I’ve had the feeling of being able to decide and be in control. But today in a democracy, I am in the service of everyone and anyone can criticize me and perhaps even insult me,” he said.
Berlusconi’s cryptic comment came in response to a question on whether his economic austerity measures threatened his popularity and could damage his chances in future elections.
——–Agencies