I am not on Tiktok to meet teenage girls, says Berlusconi, as he plots route to power
SILVIO BERLUSCONI has joked that his recent foray into Tiktok is not an attempt to meet teenage girls.
Mr Berlusconi, 85, who established a reputation for making risque gags and holding so-called “bunga-bunga” sex parties when he was prime minister of Italy, launched himself on the social media platform earlier this month.
He is targeting the youth vote, as polls suggest 40 per cent of Italians, many of them young, remain undecided ahead of this month’s general election.
In his latest appearance, posted yesterday, the perma-tanned politician said: “I’m reaching out to everyone over the age of 18 – is it to ask you to introduce me to your girlfriends? As if! Instead I want to ask you to go out and vote, and to vote for Forza Italia.” His appearance has been described by some young Italians on social media as cringeworthy.
Mr Berlusconi’s third wife, Veronica Lario, left him after publicly accusing the veteran tycoon of consorting with young women, including television showgirls and a teenage model.
In 2015 he was acquitted of paying for sex with a Morocco-born teenage bellydancer, whose stage name was Ruby the Heart Stealer. His current girlfriend, Martina Fascina, is 32.
Despite his age and tarnished past, Mr Berlusconi leads a party that is likely to be part of Italy’s next government.
The election is expected to be won by a Right-wing coalition comprising Forza Italia , the League of Matteo Salvini and the far-right Brothers of Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni, who could be on the brink of becoming Italy’s first female prime minister.
During his debut on Tiktok, he joked that he was jealous of the youth and vitality displayed by young Italians.
The election on Sept 25 had to be called after the withdrawal over summer of several parties from a broad coalition led by Mario Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank.