Massimo D'Alema
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Massimo D'Alema (born on April 20, 1949 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian journalist and politician, a former prime minister and a former national secretary of the PDS, Partito Democratico della Sinistra. He was initially tipped to become the next President of the Italian Republic once the Chamber of Deputies reconvenes following Romano Prodi's win in the April 2006 elections, but D'Alema himself stepped back endorsing the official candidate of the centre-left coalition Giorgio Napolitano, who then became the 11th President of the Italian Republic.
In April 2006, just after elections, he was proposed as the future President of the Chamber of Deputies, but Communist Refoundation strongly demanded for Fausto Bertinotti to become the next President. After a couple of days of heated debate, D'Alema stepped back to prevent a fracture between political parties, an act applauded by his allies. He later went on to become Minister of Foreign Affairs in the new Prodi government.
Biography
Massimo D'Alema was born in Rome, the son of Giuseppe D'Alema, an esteemed communist politician. He is married to Linda Giuva, a professor at the University of Siena, and has two children, Giulia and Francesco.D'Alema first step in politics were in the 1970s as secretary of the Italian Federation of Young Communists (FGCI). He later became a notable member of Italian Communist Party, part of which later gave origin to his current party, Democrats of the Left. In the 1990s he became Head of the Italian government, after the "Tangentopoli" (or "Bribesville") scandals, as the leader of the "Olive Tree" leftist coalition.
In the internal life of his party, mostly during its transition from PCI to PDS, D'Alema stressed that its Communist leanings should be softened, or even replaced by an opening toward Roman Catholic forces, somehow leaving aside the Marxist provenance.
He has been the director of L'Unità, the official PCI's newspaper.
He was Member of the European Parliament for Southern Italy with the Democrats of the Left, part of the Socialist Group, and sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries and its Committee on Foreign Affairs, until he stood down following his election to the Chamber of Deputies.
In the recent-formed cabinet led by mr. Romano Prodi was appointed minister of foreign affairs and vice-prime minister. Because of this charge is expected to take parte in several question-time every week at the Chamber of Deputies
Education
- 1967: Secondary school-leaving certificate in classical subjects
- Did not complete studies in philosophy at the famed Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
- 1982: Professional journalist
Career
Party
- 1975-1980: National Secretary of the FGCI
- 1981-1986: Regional Secretary of the PCI in Apulia
- 1986-1989: Editor of the daily newspaper L'Unità
- 1986-1992: Member of the PCI/PDS national secretariat
- 1992-1994: Chairman of the PDS Members of Parliament
- 1994-1999: leader of the PDS-DS
- Chairman of the DS
- since 1996: Vice-Chairman of the Socialist International
Institutions
- 1970-1976: Town councillor of Pisa
- 1985-1987: Regional Councillor of Apulia
- 1987-2004: Chairman of the parliamentary group
- 1992-1994: Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy
- 1996-1998: Chairman of the committee for constitutional reform
- 1998-2000: Prime Minister
- since 2006: Minister of Foreign Affairs
Awards
- Supreme awards (from the Republic of Chile, South Korea, and Palestine)
- Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic
Books
Massimo D'Alema published eight books, half of which with Mondadori, which is owned by Silvio Berlusconi. He received criticism for this, as he is perceived by part of left-wingers to be too soft on Berlusconi, and the publishing of his books was seen by them as a kind of payback.
- Dialogo su Berlinguer ("Dialogue on Berlinguer"), with Paul Ginsborg, Giunti, 1994, ISBN 8809205456;
- Un paese normale. La sinistra e il futuro dell'Italia ("A normal country. The left wing and Italy's future"), Mondadori, 1995, ISBN 8804408472;
- Progettare il futuro ("Shaping the future"), Bompiani, 1996, ISBN 8845228835;
- La sinistra nell'Italia che cambia ("The left wing in the changing Italy"), Feltrinelli, 1997, ISBN 8807470136
- La grande occasione. L'Italia verso le riforme ("The great chance. Italy towards reforms"), Mondadori, 1997, ISBN 8804421614;
- Parole a vista ("Words on sight"), with Enrico Ghezzi, Bompiani, 1998, ISBN 884523777X;
- Kosovo. Gli italiani e la guerra ("Kosovo. Italians and war"), with Federico Rampini, Mondadori, 1999, ISBN 8804473029;
- Oltre la paura ("Beyond fear"), Mondadori, 2002, ISBN 8804512067.
External links
- [Personal website]
- [A biography in Spanish]
- [European Parliament biography of Massimo D'Alema] (incl. Speeches, Questions and Motions)
- [Declaration] of financial interests (in Italian;
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