Former neo-Fascist is Silvio’s main rival

HE has emerged from the fringes of a neo-Fascist party to position himself as the heir apparent to Premier Silvio Berlusconi.

Gianfranco Fini, a chain-smoking politician who once called Benito Mussolini the 20th century’s greatest statesman, has undergone a remarkable transformation to the centre of Italian politics, adopting liberal positions that have prompted jokes he’s the best leader the leftist opposition never had.

Recently, Fini has championed a series of causes traditionally associated with the left. He’s in favour of citizenship rights for immigrants, opposes the Church on issues such as assisted fertility and the right-to-die, and recently used an obscenity for racists that made front-page news.