Silvio Berlusconi has thrown himself back into politics and will run in May's European Parliament elections after a court lifted a ban last year.

The 82-year-old former Italian prime minister said he was standing as a candidate for his centre-right Forza Italia party in Sardinia.

He told supporters on the Mediterranean island: "At my ripe old age, I have decided out of a sense of responsibility to go to Europe, which lacks a deep world vision."

He said he wanted to "bring my voice to a Europe that should change, a Europe that has lost profound thinking about the world".

Mr Berlusconi, who has made comebacks before from legal woes, personal scandals, heart trouble and political setbacks, was barred from running for public office for almost five years following a 2013 tax fraud conviction.


But last year, a court ruled he could run again, citing his good conduct.

In diretta dalla Sardegna, vi annuncio che ho deciso di presentarmi alle #Europee per portare la mia voce in un'Europa che va cambiata. Il #centrodestra unito è vincente: con i suoi valori e le sue idealità, è il futuro dell'Italia, dell'Europa e del mondo. pic.twitter.com/djBLEPGhnm — Silvio Berlusconi (@berlusconi) January 17, 2019

The media tycoon's political career was thought to be over when he left power amid national disgrace and a sovereign debt crisis in 2011.

But the politician's Forza Italia party, which has dominated Italian politics for 25 years, is now polling in single digits behind the League and the 5-Star Movement.

Mr Berlusconi said he wanted to stand in order to fight 5-Star, which has formed a coalition government with the billionaire businessman's traditional ally, the League.

"We need to change this government, which includes the 5-Star Movement that is led by people who have no experience and are incompetent," he said.

"The alliance (with the League) is not natural and I do not think it will last long," he added.

Mr Berlusconi campaigned for Forza in last March's national election but said his inability to stand as a candidate hurt its chances.

Italy's longest-serving post-war premier, said in 2018: "I have fought back against all the nastiness, all the attacks, all the lies that were thrown at me, from the Bunga Bunga to the minors and all the rest."

In a translated tweet on Thursday, he wrote: "I announce that I have decided to introduce myself to the Europeans to bring my voice to a Europe that must be changed.

"The united right-centre is a winner: with its values ​​and its ideals, it is the future of Italy, Europe and the world."