Silvio Berlusconi marks the first anniversary of his triumphant return to office with surveys giving him an approval rating of over 65 per cent and predicting another sweeping victory for his party in next month’s European elections.
His critics admit he has an uncanny ability – despite or because of his wealth and jet-setting lifestyle – to connect with ordinary people.
April 2008
Berlusconi is returned to power for a third time. The election gives him a clear majority in both houses of parliament and marks the rout of the Communist party, giving it no representatives in parliament for the first time since world war II.
April 2008
Berlusconi makes a gun-shooting gesture at reporters in front of Vladimir Putin, a close ally who was the first foreign leader to see and congratulate the Italian premier after his election victory. The gesture did not go down well with Russian reporters who recalled the murder in Moscow of journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006.
May 2008
Berlusconi took his cabinet to Naples as the stinking chaos of mountains of uncollected garbage in the southern port city became a rallying cry for his centre-right coalition.
May 2008
Berlusconi chats in parliament with Mara Carfagna, a former model appointed minister of equal opportunities. Veronica Lario, the prime minister's wife who wants a divorce, demanded and got a public apology from her husband two years ago after he said he would marry Ms Carfagna if he did not already have a wife.
December, 2008
Berlusconi, who likes to appear in various guises, dons a railway man's hat at the inauguration of the high-speed Rome-Milan link.
March 2009
Berlusconi unveils his new People of Liberty party - a merger of his Forza -Italia, which first brought him to power in 1994, and the rightwing National Alliance led by Gianfranco Fini, who has publicly challenged Berlusconi's views on parliament.
March 2009
Berlusconi flanked by officials visits a new refuse incinerator at its inauguration. The incinerator at Acerra, near Naples, was opened by the prime minister with much fanfare and presented as a conclusive solution to Naples' perennial garbage problem. Few Italians seem aware that it is still not functioning.
April 2009
Berlusconi, to the annoyance of the American delegation, inserts himself into the group photo between President Obama and Russia's President Medvedev at the March G20 summit in London.The Italian prime minister says he wants to mediate better ties between the two powers.
April 2009
Berlusconi made several visits to the region of Abruzzo after the earthquake of April 6 that killed nearly 300 people. Police are investigating why many modern buildings also collapsed. The government says it hopes to get the 60,000 homeless back into houses within six months but critics say funds are inadequate.
Mr Berlusconi, with a picture of his wife, Veronica Lario, projected in the background, was asked about his marital problems when he appeared on an Italian TV show in May. Ms Lario has accused her 72-year-old billionaire husband of 'frequenting minors' and of promoting the political careers of TV showgirls. She has asked for a divorce.
