Ferdinando Giugliano, Columnist

Italy's Got a Crush on Berlusconi (Again)

The phoenix of Italian politics rose again in Sunday's local elections.

June 13, 2017 at 2:56 PM UTC

Ferdinando Giugliano is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He was previously a member of the editorial board of the Financial Times.

Back in the fray.
Photographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg

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The most eye-catching result of Sunday's round of local elections in Italy was the poor showing of the Five Star Movement. The anti-establishment party that has shaken Italy's political system made it to the second round in only one of the main cities holding elections -- including Genoa, the home town of its founder, the comedian Beppe Grillo.

But the most interesting story coming out of Sunday's vote is not the alleged demise of Grillo but the comeback of the phoenix of Italy's politics, Silvio Berlusconi. His center-right coalition looks set to score a series of important wins in the second round, just months before Italy's forthcoming general election.