Former Italian PM Andreotti dies

Former Italian PM Andreotti dies

Seven-time premier who presided over post-war political scene for decades dies at his home in central Rome aged 94. Last Modified: 06 May 2013 14:28

Giulio Andreotti was a key figure in the once-dominant Christian Democratic party [AFP]

Italy's former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti has died aged 94, according to Italian media reports. Andreotti, a shadowy seven-time prime minister who presided over the post-war political scene for decades, died at his home in central Rome, his relatives were quoted as saying on Monday. He  was a key figure in the once-dominant Christian Democratic party, but had suffered from ill health in recent years and was hospitalised in August 2012 with heart trouble. Andreotti lived in a luxurious apartment building facing the Vatican, with which he always enjoyed strong ties as a staunchly Catholic politician. "He was the engineer of this country's reconstruction" after World War II, Paolo Cirino Pomicino, a former minister under Andreotti, said on news channel Sky TG 24. "He had an international prestige that Italian politicians rarely enjoy," he said. But Riccardo Barenghi, a former editor of leftist daily Il Manifesto, said: "He takes many secrets to the grave with him." "For better or for worse, and above all for worse, he was a protagonist of our political life," he said.