Italy’s foreign minister, who belongs to the Forza Italia party led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, said Thursday the latter’s condition was “stable” after he was admitted to intensive care.
The 86-year-old media mogul was admitted to the cardiology department of Milan’s San Raffaele hospital on Wednesday due to breathing problems.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told radio Rai Uno that he had spoken to Berlusconi’s doctor. He added: “He told me that Silvio Berlusconi had a good night and that his condition was stable.”
For its part, the newspaper “Il Corriere della Sera” (Il Corriere della Sera), without disclosing its sources, reported that Berlusconi had leukemia.
And Italian media reported that Silvio Berlusconi was transferred on an emergency basis on Wednesday after he suffered from breathing difficulties and low blood oxygen levels, putting strain on his cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
The billionaire who leads the right-wing Forza Italia party spent four days in the same hospital with heart problems last month before being discharged last Thursday, according to Italian media reports.
“I have already resumed work … ready and determined, as always, to dedicate myself to the country I love,” he said in a message posted Friday on social media.
On Sunday, he posted a photo of himself smiling in front of a large area planted with tulips at his villa in Arcore, northern Italy.
Having dominated Italian politics for decades, Berlusconi now appears physically weak on the rare occasions he appears in public.
Forza Italia is a member of the right-wing and far-right government coalition led by Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, which posted a tweet on Wednesday expressing “sincere and heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery” to its ally.
