ROME — Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has anointed Stefano Parisi, a former internet executive and government economic adviser, as his political heir, giving him a mandate to relaunch Italy’s splintered centre-right.Parisi, 59, narrowly lost a mayoral election in Milan last month, impressing friends and foes alike with an upbeat campaign that came close to knocking the centre-left from power in the country’s financial capital.Looking to build on that experience, Parisi said last week he wanted to unite Italy’s disparate conservatives and has now secured the blessing of Berlusconi, who asked him carry out a profound review of his own Forza Italy (Go Italy!) party.Berlusconi, who is 79 and underwent major heart surgery in June, said on Tuesday that he wanted Parisi to "come up with a project to relaunch and renew the position of moderate Italians in the political sphere".After months of relative calm in the often turbulent world of Italian politics, tensions are once again bu...
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