Call for elections primes Berlusconi
Media mogul re-enters political arena
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Berlusconi, 71, has a lead of between nine and 15 percentage points, according to recent opinion polls.
But his main opponent, Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni, backer of the Rome Film Festival, invoked U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama's success.
"I don't believe either the doomsayers or opinion polls," Veltroni said. "Look at Obama -- three months ago, nobody would have bet on him; now look where he is."
The government of center-left economist Romano Prodi, who had narrowly defeated Berlusconi in 2006, collapsed last month after his coalition crumbled. The end of Prodi's 20-month stint as premier is considered good news for Berlusconi's Mediaset TV empire.
A media law on the outgoing parliament's agenda intended to cap advertising revenues for broadcasters and could have cost the Berlusconi-controlled conglom up to $1 billion, according to Mediaset VP Piersilvio Berlusconi.
With Berlusconi back in power Mediaset would once again operate in a comfortable legislative environment.
