Italian PM's approval rating rises after attack
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Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi's approval rating rose 3 percentage points following the attack by a protester which led to his hospitalization last week, according to a national poll released on Monday.
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A man delivers a bouquet of flowers at the entrance of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's residence of Villa San Martino in Arcore December 18, 2009. Berlusconi is convalescing at the villa after being struck in the face by a man with a history of mental illness.[Xinhua/Reuters Photo] |
Consent for his center-right government and People of Freedom (PdL) party increased as well as a result of the citizens' expression of solidarity for the prime minister's personal drama.
Berlusconi was hospitalized on Dec. 13 after he was hit in the face with a souvenir replica of Milan's Dome thrown by a 42-year-old man with mental health problems at the end of a political rally.
He was released from hospital on Thursday and will spend part of his recovery at his villa outside Milan.
In the attack the premier suffered a broken nose, two broken teeth and facial abrasions and might undergo plastic surgery to erase the scars.
According to the poll, Berlusconi's personal approval rating rose to 48 percent this month after falling to 45 percent in November, its lowest peak since he took office in the spring of 2008.
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Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (C) reacts after being assaulted in Milan. Berlusconi was rushed to hospital after a man with a history of mental problems attacked him, knocking out two of his teeth, following a political rally in Milan Sunday. [Xinhua/AFP Photo] |
The premier's PdL party saw its approval rating jump four percentage points in one month to 48 percent and confirmed its position as the party with the most consent.
Since the attack, thousands of supporters and fans wrote Berlusconi emails wishing him a rapid convalescence.
An enormous banner read "Welcome back home" greeted the premier upon his arrival at his house. Several messages were posted along the villa's gates by ordinary people.
In a statement issued by his entourage, Berlusconi showed optimism and gratitude for all the support people had given him.
He said "I will remember two things about this experience: the hate shown by a few and the love demonstrated by many, many Italians."
In a voice message sent during a political rally on Sunday, Berlusconi pledged to "go on" with his political agenda and said the "campaign of hate" launched against him by the opposition was influencing "weak minds."
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