Berlusconi is back

The Berlusconi revival

Reborn as a “Bunga Bunga moderate” (a reference to the infamous sex parties he held while in office), according to a Foreign Policy headline, Berlusconi is attempting a pivot from populist to elder statesman.

That’s not to say he has morphed into Angela Merkel. His Forza Italia party is contesting the election alongside two far-right parties and he suggested recently that up to 600,000 migrants should be deported. But having been “outflanked” on the populist right by Five Star, “Berlusconi is presenting himself as a moderating force, because he has recognized that Italian politics itself has changed,” per Foreign Policy.

The other key players

Matteo Renzi (Democratic Party): Renzi resigned as Prime Minister in 2016 after losing a constitutional referendum and is leading a centre-left coalition this time around.

Luigi Di Maio (Five Star Movement): Now 31, he was just 7 when Berlusconi first became prime minister. He's a moderate by the standards of Five Star, an anti-establishment party that lacks clear ideology — and often bridges the traditional right-left political spectrum — but has been a highly disruptive force.

• Current Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who became prime minister after Renzi's resignation, is not a candidate.

Where things stand

Polls by coalition, per The Economist's poll tracker:

• Right-wing: 37%
• Center-left: 28%
• Five Star: 28%

Polls by party:

• Five Star (Di Maio): 28%
• Democrats (Renzi): 23%
• Forza Italia (Berlusconi): 16%
• Northern League (Matteo Salvini): 14%

Go deeper:

• Foreign Policy on Berlusconi's bounce-back.
• The New York Times on Italy's far-right.