MNI INTERVIEW: Forza Italia The Free-Markets Party - Polidori

--Market News Interview With Forza Italia Legislator Catia Polidori

--Forza Italia Deputy Says Party Only Protector of Free Market

--Berlusconi Party And Allies Aiming for Centre-Right Win In March Vote

By Silvia Marchetti

     ROME (MNI) - Forza Italia, the political party of former Italy premier

Silvio Berlusconi, is the only party able to ensure market-friendly policies and

it will protect small businesses were it to come to power after the March

elections, a leading party official told Market News.

     In an exclusive interview, Catia Polidori, a Forza Italia legislator and

the deputy trade minister in Berlusconi's last government, said the cornerstones

of the party's agenda are "less taxes and regulations for companies, but also

financial support to a restricted category of low earners".

     "Private property is under attack from various parties today, mainly the

anti-establishment 5 Star Movement, and Forza Italia is the saviour of economic

liberalism in Italy," said Polidori, a businesswoman herself and the former head

of Italy's small and medium enterprises lobby. 

     Berlusconi's party currently stands at around 15% in the polls, but some

suggest it could win up to 20%. 

     From its early days, Forza Italia's fate has been tied to the rise and

downfall of its founder, one of the main protagonists of Italy's so-called

Second Republic. 

--BERLUSCONI REDUX

     But after years in opposition, Forza Italia has recovered somewhat and has

re-built a new centre-right alliance with the populist Lega party, Fratelli

d'Italia and a minor rightist grouping. 

     Recent polls suggest the centre-right alliance is picking up support and

has a good chance of electoral success in  March. Whether or not Berlusconi is

appointed next prime minister depends largely on the timing of the European

Union Court of Justice verdict over his ongoing tax fraud appeal. 

     But the power of Forza Italy to lure swing voters lies in the still high

personal approval rating of its leader. 

     "Nothing has changed across the decades: Forza Italia continues to fight

for lower taxes on private property, less bureaucracy hampering investments and

for a set of clearer business regulations," said Polidori. 

     Polidori argued that the main challenge ahead for Italy was to protect its

small and medium enterprises that make up around 98% of the country's industrial

network and account for a large chunk of exports.

     "Few governments in the past have focused resources on these smaller

companies, preferring to help only the big, consolidated giants that are already

strong," she said.

--LIVING WAGE

     Another crucial priority for Forza Italia is guaranteeing a minimum

'dignity wage' to support lower earning workers, as social policies in favour of

the "weak" must go hand in hand with pro-growth reforms, argued Polidori. 

     "Helping businesses by reducing red-tape and lowering taxation, while

supporting social welfare are two sides of the same coin," she said. 

     According to Giorgio Orsina, director at the School of Government of

Rome-based LUISS University, the strength of Forza Italia lies in its

"continuity".

     "The party has never abandoned its traditional ideals which voters identify

with, it has never undergone major changes in policy that could undermine its

support," argued Orsina.

     What makes Forza Italia an "anomaly" on Italy's political stage is the

strong, longstanding link and identification with its founder and leader, Silvio

Berlusconi.

     "Berlusconi, both in bad and in good, has been around for over a quarter of

a century. And he's still fighting, despite being over 80. No other Italian

party has been this loyal to its values and leader, and this has always been

Forza Italia's winning asset", said Orsina. 

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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