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ItalianjudgesruleBerlusconisextrialtocontinueduringelectoralcampaign
意大利前总理贝卢斯科尼性丑闻案１４日在米兰法院继续开庭，法官当天拒绝了贝卢斯科尼律师提出的在２月底意大利大选前暂停案件审理的请求。
律师表示，贝卢斯科尼目前正忙于率领中右联盟参加议会选举竞选，难以抽身参加法庭审理，同时也希望避免由于本案的审理而给竞选造成影响。法官对此回应说，“贝卢斯科尼现在不是意大利自由人民党的总书记，也不是中右联盟的总理候选人”，因此拒绝了贝卢斯科尼律师所提请求。
米兰检察院去年２月以贝卢斯科尼涉嫌滥用职权，并同未成年女性发生性交易等罪名正式向法院提出诉讼请求。据检方调查显示，贝卢斯科尼涉嫌和时年仅１７岁的摩洛哥女郎“鲁比”多次发生性交易行为，在“鲁比”因盗窃被米兰警方逮捕后，贝卢斯科尼还曾亲自致电米兰警方负责人要求放人。
意大利议会选举将于２月２４日至２５日举行，目前竞选主要在三方政治力量之间进行角逐。据泰克耐民意调查机构１３日的统计数据，由意大利民主党和左翼生态自由党等组成的中左联盟支持率为３７．８％，由自由人民党和北方联盟等组成的中右联盟支持率为２６％，以看守内阁总理蒙蒂为领袖的中间党派联盟支持率为１４．５％。
贝卢斯科尼２０１１年１１月迫于债务危机压力辞去政府总理职务。２０１２年１０月，７６岁的他宣布再度参加议会选举竞选。
Italian former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's sex trial was resumed on Monday after judgesrejected his lawyers' request to suspend it during the electoral campaign ahead of next month'svote.
Berlusconi's lawyers had requested the trial be suspended because Berlusconi would be "too busy" leading the center-right coalition's campaign ahead of the national election set on Feb. 24-25 toattend hearings.
They said that he also wanted to avoid the trial "influencing the campaign" having repercussions inthe media.
Berlusconi is accused of paying for sex with underage Moroccan-born cabaret dancer Karima el-Mahroug, better known by her nickname "Ruby Heartstealer", in 2010 and using his position toallegedly try to cover it up.
In the trial, dozens of showgirls have described sex parties at Berlusconi's houses. Both Berlusconiand el-Mahroug have denied having had sexual relations, but taped phone conversations and thetestimony of witnesses seem to indicate otherwise.
The 76-year-old billionaire media tycoon, who has faced multiple fraud and corruption trials, hasoften claimed that he was the victim of left-wing magistrates.
Berlusconi resigned in November 2011 from prime minister in disgrace sparked by the Ruby courtcase and others as well as fears that Italy could fall victim to the European debt crisis.
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The four-time premier is now leading the center-right coalition into vote amid controversy aboutthe group's failure to say who their candidate to head the government is.
He entered the campaign after announcing last October that he felt obliged to remain in politicsafter being "unjustly" convicted to four years in jail for tax fraud with the purchase of broadcastingrights by his Mediaset television company, although he will not have to serve any time in prisonuntil the definite sentence.
After his People of Freedom (PdL) party agreed a pact to revive its long-standing alliance with theNorthern League earlier this month, Berlusconi has gradually improved his alliance's opinion pollratings but is still far behind the center-left that is expected to win.
His pre-election encounter with one of his fiercest critics and talk-show host Michele Santoro lastweek attracted a 33.5 percent share of the prime-time audience, or 8.7 million viewers, the best-ever viewing figures for the La7 channel.
According to Sunday's polls of the Tecne research institute, Berlusconi's coalition was at 26 percent overall, up 1.6 percent compared to Saturday.
His center-left rivals, led by the Democratic Party (PD) leader Pier Luigi Bersani, fell 0.8 percentagepoints to 37.8 percent, while the centrist group of caretaker Prime Minister Mario Monti drop 1.3 points to 14.5 percent.
A separate survey published by the Ispo institute showed that the Berlusconi coalition was leadingwith 35.7 percent support in Lombardy, of which the capital city is Milan, considered a decisiveregion for national election because has more seats in the 315-member parliament upper house, orSenate, than any other region.
Should Berlusconi win the northern business region, that would make the next government moreunstable and likely force Bersani's alliance to seek a power-sharing deal with Monti's centrists, localanalysts said.
Berlusconi has repeatedly said that the center-right has the potential to win the election. OnMonday, he said that he prefers to be the next economy minister, rather than premier, as theposition of Italian prime minister is not so appealing to him because "does not carry real power." |
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发表于 2016-7-11 09:10:36