Allies and foes alike praise Silvio Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi may have polarized Italy during his decades in the media and political spotlight, but the initial reaction to his death at age 86 on Monday was one of unity and praise, if sometimes grudging.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose government included Berlusconi’s party as a coalition partner, described him as “one of the most influential men in Italian history”. The Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, spoke of “an end to an era in Italian history” in which the former prime minister and media titan was an “undisputed protagonist in the life of the country”.

Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said he had conveyed condolences from Pope Francis, who is recovering from abdominal surgery, to Mr Berlusconi’s daughter, Elvira. The pope, said Mr Parolin, described Mr Berlusconi as a “leading figure in Italian political life who took on public responsibilities with energetic character”.

Mr Berlusconi’s unexpected move into politics in the 1990s polarized those who believed he was more interested in serving his own business interests than the country’s and those who saw Mr Berlusconi as a break with a corrupt and politically powerless class.

An investigation conducted by prosecutors in several Italian cities during those years swept away most of the political class that had ruled Italy since World War II, and Mr. Berlusconi stepped into the vacuum that had been created.

Even before entering politics, Mr. Berlusconi had revolutionized Italian viewing tastes through his three television channels, which carried more glamorous fare – including game shows and American soap operas such as “Dallas” and “Dynasty” – than those offered by the state broadcaster, RAI. They were the first private national channels available in Italy, and Berlusconi would continue to use them, and their stars, to support his political career.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, an old friend and member of Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, posted a photo on Twitter showing the two men at the start of their political careers some three decades ago. “Huge suffering. Just thank you president, thank you Silvio,” he wrote.

Even lawmakers who had spent a political career criticizing Berlusconi recognized his influence on Italian politics.

Although he opposed Mr Berlusconi “at the political level” in “harsh conflicts” for 30 years, former Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema said in a note reported by Italian news media that Mr Berlusconi made an “indisputable contribution” delivered. towards creating a new conservative bloc in Italy “linked to the European democratic system”.

Elly Schlein, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party, an incarnation of which Mr D’Alema once led, said in a statement that while “everything has divided us and separates us from his political vision”, the party said: “human respect for a person who was a key player in the history of our country.”

“The end of an era” was the headline of the daily La Repubblica, perhaps the largest newspaper most openly opposed to Berlusconi when he first entered politics in 1994.

Foreign leaders also expressed their condolences. Mr. Berlusconi had been a staunch defender of Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine, and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said in a message that Mr. Berlusconi had made an “invaluable contribution to the mutually beneficial Russo-Italian partnership.” This is reported by the ANSA news agency.

France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen Mr. Berlusconi recalled as “an atypical figure, with an extraordinary life and a brilliant career, who has unmistakably left his mark on Italian political life.”

AC Milan, the football team that won both national and European titles under Mr Berlusconi’s ownership, posted a tribute on its website: “Silvio Berlusconi, forever with us”, read it, and expressed his condolences “to the family of the unforgettable president .”

On its website, AC Monza, the football team that owned Mr. Berlusconi at the time of his death, wrote: “A void that can never be filled, forever with us. Thank you for everything, Chairman.”

Mr Nordio said in his statement that Mr Berlusconi would be remembered for “the debate around justice”, which Mr Berlusconi had always wanted to steer in a “liberal direction”, a reference to the clashes with the judiciary that accompanied the protracted legal battle Mr Berlusconi faced during his three decades in politics.

On Monday, Marcello Viola, the chief prosecutor of Milan, where Berlusconi conducted most of his trials, expressed his condolences to “a person who has marked the history of Italy”.

“This sense of human participation in the family’s grief and mourning must now prevail,” added Mr. Viola, quoted in comments by ANSA.

Gaia Pianigiani contributed reporting from Siena, Italy and Aureline Breeden from Paris.