Berlusconi confident of electoral victory in 2006
Silvio Berlusconi today said he was confident of being re-elected as Italy’s premier next year, and challenged polls that indicated he was lagging behind the centre-left opposition.
Speaking at a meeting of the centre-right governing coalition in Rome, the premier said he was sure he could win general elections due by mid-2006 by an “ample margin,” the ANSA news agency reported.
“I have fought many battles, and I’ve lost some, but I’ve never lost a war,” Berlusconi was quoted as saying.
Despite polls that have consistently put the centre-left ahead, Berlusconi said “reliable opinion polls” put his coalition on a level footing with the opposition.
Berlusconi also defended his leadership, which has been called into question in recent weeks by some allies, and said he was the only one capable of holding the coalition together.
