World News: Italian centre-right parties back Berlusconi for president; centre-left worried – Gulf Digital News

World News: Italian centre-right parties back Berlusconi for president; centre-left worried – Gulf Digital News

ROME - Italian centre-right parties confirmed on Friday they wanted Silvio Berlusconi to be the next president of Italy and said in a joint statement that they would seek wide support for him in parliament.

"The leaders of the coalition have agreed that Silvio Berlusconi is the right person to hold this high office at these difficult times," the centre-right chiefs said following a meeting at Berlusconi's Rome villa.

Italy's centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which has categorically ruled out backing Berlusconi as head of state, said it was "disappointed and worried" by the decision.

Voting among more than 1,000 parliamentarians and regional delegates begins on Jan. 24, with Berlusconi potentially standing in the way of Prime Minister Mario Draghi getting the prestigious post. 

Neither of the two main blocs has enough support to ram through a candidate for head of state and the PD has called on all parties to try to build consensus around a figure who is not as divisive as the 85-year-old Berlusconi.

The anti-system 5-Star Movement, which has the largest number of parliamentarians, reiterated on Friday that it could never support Berlusconi, who has been convicted of tax fraud and still faces trial tied to his "bunga bunga" sex parties.

"Today