"Lost their job in 2011" survivor - Berlusconi is the survivor !

[Californian Tony]

You should have waited for Edu and hughento before closing the round
Gaddafi could have won.

Hugh boycotted the round (his conception of what this survivor should be is probably not the same as that of most participants) and Edu's habit of constantly voting late gets a bit irritating...

I supported Gaddafi as well, but don't you think Berlusconi is a nice pick ? I personally was rather satisfied with the top 3.

[politicus]

A fine survivor Antonio.

I think DSK would have been a more interesting survivor. His fall from grace was totally unexcepted, whereas Berlusconi had it coming to him. But for some reason some people tought this was a "head of state" thing.
Among the head of state/government quintessential mad dictator Moammar Gadaffis downfall was much more spectacular, than the Bunga Bunga Mans deroute.

[Californian Tony]

I also thought DSK at least deserved to be in the top four. But Edu and others apparently had a different logic. But the members of the top 3 were all good picks and all could have made for fine winners. Ben Ali's downfall marked the start of the arab spring, arguably the most important event of the year. Gaddafi had ruled the country for over 40 years and was a worldwide infamous figure, and his fall involved a military intervention which saved the rebels from an assured slaughter, led to a month-long indecisive war, and finally ended up the way we know. Berlusconi's fall, while not exactly as important as Gaddafi's IMO, had an earth-shattering impact on Italian politics. I might have been announced, but it still triggered an amount of events which have transformed the country, ending a 17-year-long political cycle and starting a long phase of uncertainty.

[big bad fab]

Berlusconi is a good survivor too, because he was vanquished by markets and that was even clearer than in Greece. And, before, he seemed unbeatable... so, his quick fall was a fine event in 2011.

[Californian Tony]

Berlusconi is a good survivor too, because he was vanquished by markets and that was even clearer than in Greece. And, before, he seemed unbeatable... so, his quick fall was a fine event in 2011.

To be fair, the first signs of his demise were the massive electoral defeats of may-june 2011. He was clearly aging, losing its fantastic PR skills, failing to grasp the trends in public opinion, and desperately gripping to a political reality that was crumbling from everywhere. In short, he became a prisoner of the delusions of his past glory, at the exact moment when such glory was fading away. Had he been 2001's Berlusconi, and had Italy's public opinion been what it was in 2001, he would most probably have kept enough political capital to hold on despite the markets. Even though markets were the decisive factor, every shot he had taken beforehand (sex scandals, electoral debacles, near-collapse of his parliamentary majority) played a key role. At least, that's my reading of events.

[True Federalist]

Thing is, Berlusconi may yet end up reviving like a vampire who has had his stake removed.  Doubtful, but I won't say he's finished until they start putting the concrete atop his coffin.