Silvio Berlusconi is expected to stage a vigorous return to the political fray on Saturday at a major rally which comes less than a week after a heart scare sparked talk of his exit from politics.
The Rome event, organised by three of the four parties in his House of Liberties alliance, will be Berlusconi's first big show of muscle since he lost to centre-left leader Romano Prodi in spring elections.
The demo, in a Rome square which traditionally hosts left-wing rallies, has been called as a protest against spending cuts and tax hikes in Prodi's 2007 budget.
"It will be an extraordinary demonstration by all those Italians who love freedom," Berlusconi said, adding that the centre-left government would have to "take notice".
But analysts say it will also be a chance for the 70-year-old politician to stamp his authority over a centre-right coalition whose support for him appears to have frayed since the election defeat.
"The real aim of the rally is to prop up Berlusconi's leadership and create the impression of a country in revolt against the government," Italy's best-selling daily, Corriere della Sera, said.
The centre right has laid on almost 4,000 coaches to bring in supporters, who will be waving flags and wearing T-shirts bearing messages such as 'The Devil Wears Prodi'.
Estimates of the numbers attending range between 250,000 and a million.
"We're marching in order show our support for Berlusconi, who is an irreplaceable reference point," said Sandro Bondi, coordinator of Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.
Berlusconi will go on stage at Piazza San Giovanni on Saturday after a week in the limelight. His three-day stay in hospital catapulted him back into the public eye after he had kept a relatively low profile since elections.
Last weekend's moment of physical weakness, seen by millions on TV, may have also sparked sympathy among supporters which will help boost crowd numbers at the rally, commentators noted.
His collapse unleashed a stream of speculation about what the opposition would do if Berlusconi was no longer on the scene and who his replacement could be.
That speculation was fueled by a recent interview in which he appeared to indicate that his zest for the rough-and-tumble of Italian politics was waning. This was later denied.
'NO ALTERNATIVES'.
Most analysts agree that for now there is no one in the centre-right camp who looks capable of taking over from Berlusconi, whose charisma remains unrivalled.
"Apart from Silvio no one else can hold such different parties together," admitted Northern League leader Umberto Bossi, one of the four main parties in the alliance.
One factor in the collapse of Berlusconi's first government in 1994 were the mass protest rallies that were organised against it. The former premier is sometimes accused of wanting to see Prodi fall in a similar situation.
He denied this on the eve of the demo, saying he was only hoping that "moderates" in the centre left would "wake up" and start to oppose policies inspired by left-wing ideology.
But Forza Italia bigwig Giulio Tremonti appeared to admit such thoughts were not far away. "Prodi will fall when it becomes clear he lacks support in parliament and in the country. A big, peaceful, democratic demo can help this happen".
Centre-left politicians played down the importance of Saturday's rally, while being careful to stress that such demonstrations were "part of democracy".
"It'll just be a show of affection for Berlusconi, not a show of strength for the centre right," said Udeur MP Mauro Fabris.
