Sicilian election victory indicates political comeback for Silvio Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi is set for a political comeback as his rightist bloc won in a Sicilian election, putting it in position for a national vote, which is due by May 2018.

The regional ballot, which was held on Sunday, was seen as a ‘trial’, with many of Sicily’s issues reflecting those of the country as a whole, including sluggish economic growth, high unemployment rates and an influx of migrants.

With 93% of the votes having been counted, a centre-right bloc, backed by Berlusconi, was running more than 5% ahead of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), with the centre left coming in third.

“Sicily, just as I asked, has chosen the path of real, serious, constructive change, based on honesty, competence and experience,” Berlusconi said in a video posted on Facebook.

Nello Musumeci, the centre-right’s candidate for governor of the island, had 39.9% of the vote, while M5S’s Giancarlo Cancelleri had 34.6%. The centre left’s Fabrizio Micari had just 18.5%.

The result puts Berlusconi back on the political map after years of scandals and graft allegations.

Though he cannot run for office due to a 2013 tax fraud conviction, Berlusconi hopes that the European court of human rights will overturn the ban, when his case is reviewed later this year.

Berlusconi returned after open heart surgery last year and actively campaigned in Sicily. Even if he is denied the chance to run, he has still proven that he is indeed an influential figure, should the centre right capture national power.

Former prime minister Mattero Renzi, head of the ruling democratic party (PD) has many critics inside the PD, after several vote setbacks over the years.

The anti-establishment M5S, on the other hand, vowed to reach national government next year, with its leader Luidi Di Maio declaring the PD “politically dead”.

Opinion polls suggest that the centre right will win next year’s national vote but a recent change to the electoral law is likely to stop any one bloc winning an absolute majority of seats, resulting in political gridlock.

Sicily is traditionally a centre-right stronghold, which was poached by the PD in 2012 thanks to splits in the conservative bloc. This time, Berlusconi reunited the coalition behind a widely respected leader with a far-right background.

Berlusconi’s allies, the Brothers of Italy and the Northern League, reaped rewards with anti-immigrant campaigns, suggesting this will remain high on the agenda for the national vote.