That didn't take long. Only a year after being forced from office in the wake of economic collapse and prostitution scandals, and after vowing that his days as a national leader were over, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said that he will run for office again next year.
His decision comes on the heels of his party's abstention from a vote of confidence for Prime Minister Mario Monti on Nov. 6. Mr. Monti prevailed in that vote, but Italy once again has entered a period of uncertainty, the last thing it needs as it struggles to escape its economic predicament.
There was some confusion. On Nov. 12, Mr. Berlusconi said that if Mr. Monti became a right-of-center candidate for the premiership in the future, he would support him. But, on Nov. 10, Mr. Monti had said that, at the moment, he was not thinking of running in the coming general election.