I am the best: Berlusconi

Feb 26, 2011 |

IANS/RIA Novosti

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Rome: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has expressed confidence that he is the best possible national leader.

"I believe, no one can rule better than me," Berlusconi said during a press conference Friday when asked by a journalist about his government's future.

Berlusconi, 74, assumed the office of prime minister in 2008. The possibility to hold early parliamentary elections is currently under discussion in Italy.

He has repeatedly come under heated criticism for alleged involvement in prostitution and fraud scandals during his term in office.

Prosecutors, in the latest case, requested that Berlusconi stand trial on charges of patronising an underage girl for sex and abusing his powers to cover up the relationship.

Thousands of women protested across Italy last Sunday, chanting: "This country is not a brothel!"

According to a secret cable issued on the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks last year, Elizabeth Dibble, US charge d'affaires in Rome, described Berlusconi to be 'feckless, vain, and ineffective as a modern European leader', whose 'frequent late nights and penchant for partying hard mean he does not get sufficient rest'.

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