AP Photo

Imagine: over the past 17 years, since you formed and became leader of your country’s main political party, you have had 27 serious criminal charges brought against you. Despite your genius for denying everything and changing the law retrospectively to save your skin, some of those charges are still pending and carry big prison sentences. What’s more, since you became prime minister all sorts of articles and even books have been written claiming that your vast wealth was accumulated with the connivance of the Mafia.