Berlusconi: My Party's Women 'More Beautiful'

Silvio Berlusconi, the favorite to win Italy's national elections April 13–14, said his rivals have poor taste in women and that their female politicians are uglier and less educated than women in his party.

"The left doesn't even have good taste when it comes to women," Mr. Berlusconi told Sky TG24 television in an interview yesterday. The women in his People of Liberty party "are more beautiful and moreover all have super degrees. When I say ours are better looking it's because when I look around in parliament, there really is no comparison."

This is not the first time Mr. Berlusconi has made controversial comments about women. Visiting the New York Stock Exchange in September 2003, he told investors to put their money in Italy because "the secretaries are beautiful, so at least you can take pleasure working there."