Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday resurrected the party with which he burst into politics 20 years ago, but the move deeply divided Italy’s political center-right.
A leadership meeting of People of Freedom (PDL), as the center-right party has been called since 2007, voted to change its name back to Forza Italia (Go Italy!).
Berlusconi said the revived party would support the government of Prime Minister Enrico Letta, as the PDL has done.
But the move caused a rift among his followers. PDL secretary Angelino Alfano and four other center-right government ministers boycotted the leadership meeting.
Political commentators said the return of Forza Italia was an attempt to sideline Alfano and the moderates and give more weight to hardliners, Reuters informs.
