Berlusconi says none of his children seeks EU seats

PanARMENIAN.Net - Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said none of his children will run for the European Parliament in upcoming elections, according to the Associated Press.

Italian media has been full of speculation that one of his five children would run in the May elections to keep the Berlusconi name in voters' view. But Berlusconi told reporters Saturday that the reports "were all invention."

Speculation on the political prospects of Berlusconi's progeny was renewed this week when Italy's highest court confirmed his two-year ban from public office as part of his tax fraud conviction. The ruling appears to have quashed persistent reports that the three-time former premier would run himself, even though EU rules bar candidates convicted of financial crimes, the AP says.

Marina Berlusconi, the ex-premier’s eldest and a Mediaset executive, has frequently denied political aspirations.