Berlusconi hits out at 5-Star:

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi signalled he was back in frontline politics on Wednesday, launching a broadside against the anti-system 5-Star Movement and predicting a surge in support for his party.

Berlusconi, who had open heart surgery last year, cannot run for office due to a 2013 tax fraud conviction. But he remains head of his Forza Italia arty and hopes the European Court of Human Rights will soon rule that he can be a candidate.

After months keeping a relatively low-profile, the billionaire businessman has upped his media presence during campaigning for local elections in which second-round run-off ballots are set for Sunday with Berlusconi’s centre-right bloc poised to make gains.

“Whether or not I can be a candidate, I am out on the campaign trail,” Berlusconi told one of Italy’s top talkshows on state television RAI. “I want to exceed the 20 percent threshold and think I can get past 30 percent.”

The latest EMG Acqua opinion poll published on Monday said Forza Italia was the third largest party in Italy on 14.1 percent, with 5-Star leading the pack on 28.4 percent and the ruling centre-left Democratic Party on 26.8 percent.

The fourth-placed party, Berlusconi’s old ally the Northern League, was seen winning 13.8 percent. The League, which wants to drop the euro currency, has moved increasingly to the hard right in recent years, leading to tensions with Forza Italia. (RTRS)