Published January 13, 2015
Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is inviting defectors from his party to at least back his shrunken center-right power base to oppose his enemies on the left.
Abandoning his characteristic defiance after setbacks, the media mogul reached out Saturday to Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, who broke ranks a day earlier to form his own "New Center-Right" party.
In his first public reaction Saturday, Berlusconi urged that Alfano's group join with his own forces to oppose their center-left rivals.
Berlusconi was addressing supporters of his recreated Forza Italia party, the name of the movement he founded 20 years ago to launch himself into politics.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/reeling-from-schism-berlusconi-invites-allies-who-split-from-his-party-to-form-moderate-bloc