Berlusconism

[7] According to his political opponents and business rivals, Berlusconism is only a form of demagogic populism, comparable to fascism, stressing the fact that Berlusconi declared his admiration for Benito Mussolini,[8] even though he criticised the racial Fascist laws and the alliance with Nazi Germany, referring to himself as pro-Israel.

[14] A strong reformism was added to these pillars, principally of the form of the Italian state and the constitution"[14] in favour of moving from a parliamentary system to a semi-presidential system,[24] a higher election threshold, the abolition of the Senate, the halving in size of the Chamber of Deputies, the abolition of the provinces and the reform of the judiciary, with separation of the careers between magistrates and magistrates's civil responsibility, by Berlusconi considered impartial.

[24] Berlusconi declared himself to be persecuted by the judiciary, having undergone 34 processes,[25] accusing them of being manipulated by the political left and comparing himself to Enzo Tortora as a victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Roger Cohen of The New York Times argued: "Widely ridiculed, endlessly written about, long unscathed by his evident misogyny and diverse legal travails, Berlusconi proved a Teflon politician.

[32] In The Daily Beast, Barbie Latza Nadeau wrote: "If Americans are wondering just what a Trump presidency would look like, they only need to look at the traumatized remains of Italy after Berlusconi had his way".