Rome ( CNN ) -- Italy 's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Saturday he would run again as his country 's leader , signaling a return to the limelight for the nation 's most flamboyant politician . The billionaire resigned as prime minister just over a year ago at the height of his country 's debt crisis , bringing to an end an 18-year era in which he dominated Italian politics . Profile : Italy 's most colorful political figure . Since then , Italy has been run by an unelected , technocratic government headed by economist Mario Monti . Monti plans to step down after passage of a national budget and stability measures , Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said in a statement Saturday after meeting with Monti . `` The prime minister does n't consider it possible to further carry out its mandate and thus he expressed his intention to resign , '' it read . The statement referenced comments made this week by the secretary of Berlusconi 's party , who said that the party considers `` Monti 's experience concluded . '' If Monti resigns before the new year , elections could be held as early as next February , a few months earlier than the natural end of the legislature . In a message posted on his website and Facebook page , Berlusconi said : `` I 'm besieged by my people that are requesting that I get back in the battlefield leading the People of Freedom , PDL party . '' He said the center-right coalition had searched for a new leader , but there was no one to replace him . `` I return to politics with despair and out of a sense of responsibility , '' he said . But , he added , `` I enter the race to win . '' When he resigned in November 2011 , Berlusconi said he did not intend to run for office when elections were held again . But the 76-year-old 's intention to return to frontline politics has been rumored in the months since . In October , a Milan court sentenced Berlusconi to four years in prison for tax evasion . However , under the Italian legal system , he and his fellow defendants have the right to appeal their sentence twice , in the appeals court and a higher court . Also , because the case dates to July 2006 , the statute of limitations will expire next year , meaning there is a good chance none of the defendants will serve any prison time . Through the years , Berlusconi has been accused of embezzlement , fraud and bribery , but the tax evasion case marked the first time he had been convicted of an offense . Berlusconi also faces trial on charges that he hired an underage prostitute and later tried to pull strings to get her out of jail when she was accused of theft . The woman involved in the long-running case is Moroccan dancer Karima el Mahroug , nicknamed `` Ruby the Heart-stealer . '' CNN 's Livia Borghese reported from Rome , and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London .
Prime Minister Mario Monti plans to step down after passage of a budget , stability measures . ` ` I return to politics with confidence and out of a sense of responsibility , '' said Silvio Berlusconi . The 76-year - old says he is entering the race to reelection . He resigned in November 2011 amid a national economic crisis .