Blood, Sweat and Tears

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In the ornate 16th century building that serves as his Rome headquarters, Silvio Berlusconi is decked out in his usual dark blue double-breasted, tailor-made suit and powder-blue shirt. Every hair is in place, shoes and socks are immaculate. This is the image Italy's richest man wants to present to the electorate: a dashing, well-groomed leader ready to cut taxes, fight crime, eliminate bureaucracy and create jobs. Accompanied by two press aides, Berlusconi listens intently and answers energetically, often leaning forward to make a point. He spoke with Rome correspondent Greg Burke. Excerpts from the interview:

TIME: Many people have said that your alliance with Umberto Bossi, the head of the Northern League, which is anti-immigration, constitutes a danger to Italian democracy.

Berlusconi: This is the left that's complaining, and not even all of the left, but just a part of it. This is the force of desperation. They know our margin of victory will be wide, and they're looking to demonize us. You know what percentage of Italians have confidence in me as a leader? Seventy-three percent. That's twice the figure for my opponent.

TIME: Bossi helped you win in 1994, but he also brought down your government. What's the price for his support this time?

Berlusconi: There's a program that all the leaders of my coalition, the Freedom Alliance, have agreed to. He will stick to that. It's not a price, it's devolution. We have a written agreement on devolution, which includes schools, health services and co-responsibility for public safety. We didn't even get around to talking about federalism in fiscal matters. Bossi has been very reasonable.

TIME: The Freedom Alliance's accord in Sicily with candidates from the Fiamma Tricolore, heir to the Italian Fascist Party, has caused an uproar.

Berlusconi: This is laughable. The left helped these people gather signatures so this could be used against us. Some people on the left have acknowledged that. There is no political accord. This is a local agreement made for practical reasons with a candidate who has already been in Parliament. I find this completely ridiculous if you look at our opponents. They have long been making strategic accords with communists.

TIME: Why did your campaign produce such a hagiography, 'Una Storia Italiana' ('An Italian Story'), about you?

Berlusconi: It was a way to counter the libelous things that have been written against me. We'll send it out to voters in some of the electoral districts that could go either way. Our lawyers will sue the authors of 'L'Odore dei Soldi' ['The Smell of Money', which attempts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Berlusconi's billions] and ask for punitive damages. Our guys were angry when that book came out. They could have done a book throwing dirt on the left, and there's a lot of dirt to throw. That's a thing we could have certainly done. But we decided to present our program to change Italy. We've listed the five strategies to improve the lives of Italians and the five missions to change the country. We want people to see that we can reach the ambitious goals we've set.

I've got six consulting firms working on a model to reform public administration, for example. I don't think any candidate for Prime Minister has ever presented such a complete program.

TIME: You've long been at odds with Italian judges, both in and out of the courtroom. Why?

Berlusconi: The left has infiltrated the magistrates' offices, and the magistrates use their investigations for political ends. Only 10 out of 100 Italians have confidence in the magistrates, but more than 70 out of 100 have confidence in Silvio Berlusconi. The magistrates lost their credibility. Can you believe I've been accused of ordering Mafia killings?

TIME: You claim the left deliberately failed to pass a conflict of interest law so they could use your business interests against you in the campaign, as they've done. Would a Berlusconi government enact conflict of interest legislation?

Berlusconi: We will make the law and I will abide by it. You have to remember, however, that the Prime Minister is not very strong in Italy. This is a parliamentary republic. We can issue a decree, but if it's not ratified by Parliament in 60 days it's no longer in effect.

TIME: A lot of Italians admire your entrepreneurial skills, but others still wonder how you became so rich so fast.

Berlusconi: My career has always been completely transparent. What I've done in real estate is there to see. I moved into television, then I bought [the soccer club] AC Milan. Everything I did is visible to all. Even soccer. It's blood, sweat and tears on the field.