Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on March 29 called for greater powers for his office as he formally took the helm of his latest political creation, a center-right party he boasts will win a majority of votes even without the help of conservative allies.

By acclamation of delegates, the media mogul was elected president of the People of Freedom party. The new party combines the conservative Forza Italia movement Berlusconi invented when he jumped into politics 15 years ago and the right-wing National Alliance of former neo-fascist leader Gianfranco Fini.

Three-time Prime Minister Berlusconi has been predicting that his party will win 51 percent of the votes at the polls. The next national election is due in 2013.

The 72-year-old media mogul's push for a stronger premiership comes with the political opposition's leadership in a shambles.