MILAN, Jan 23 — Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been in Milan’s San Raffaele hospital since Thursday, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Sunday after the 85-year-old decided against running for president.

ANSA news agency reported earlier today that Berlusconi’s hospitalisation was related to routine medical checks.

A spokesperson for Berlusconi did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Yesterday Berlusconi said in a statement that he had decided against running for president ahead of a parliamentary vote beginning tomorrow.

Italy’s rightist coalition had asked him to run, but his bid was unlikely to be successful due to difficulties in mustering the broad support traditionally needed among more than 1,000 lawmakers and regional delegates.

The four-times prime minister had major heart surgery in 2016 and has survived prostate cancer. He has been repeatedly admitted to hospital over the past year after contracting Covid-19 in 2020. — Reuters