ROME—Former premier Silvio Berlusconi on Saturday bowed out of Italy’s presidential election set for next week, though he insisted he had nailed down enough voters to become head of state. Berlusconi, 85, said in a statement that after much reflection he had opted to “take another step on the path of national responsibility.” The media mogul asked his supporters not to vote for him. A lightning rod for political protests who survived sex scandals and a tax fraud conviction, Berlusconi said he doesn’t want his name to be the cause of “polemics or lacerations” that the country can’t afford in a pandemic. The prospect of him winning a 7-year term as president, a position that is supposed to provide a kind of moral compass to the nation and represent national unity, already prompted a protest earlier this month in Rome. Lawmakers in Parliament, as well as special regional electors, are …