Giorgio Napolitano
Giorgio Napolitano, a former member of the Italian Communist Party, was elected Italy’s eleventh president on May 10, 2006. Napolitano dissolved the Italian Parliament in early 2008 after the Italian Senate issued a no-confidence vote for Romano Prodi.
Fast Facts
- Birthdate: June 29, 1925
- Birth place: Naples, Italy
- Elected President of the Italian Republic in 2006
- Graduate of Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (University of Naples Federico II)
- Joined the Italian Communist Party in 1945
- Elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in 1953
- Acted in his early years
- Author of several books
Early Life
Born in Naples on June 29, 1925, Napolitano spent his early years as an aspiring actor and performed in several productions at the Teatro Mercadante. His love of the arts caused rumors to circulate that he authored poetry titled Pe cupià ’o chiarfo under the pseudonym of Tommaso Pignatelli1. Napolitano adamantly denies the claim.
Life in Politics
Napolitano graduated in 1947 from Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (University of Naples Federico II). During World War II, he was active in the Italian resistance movement fighting against Germany and Fascism. It wasn’t until 1953, when he was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies, that his political career began. At the time, he was an active member of the Partito Comunista Italiano (Italian Communist Party), an association he held until the party’s dissolution in 1991. After the party disbanded, Napolitano joined the Democratic Party of the Left, now the Partito Democratico, or Democratic Party.
He held several roles as an elected official, including President of the Chamber of Deputies and Minister of the Interior. As the latter, he collaborated with Cabinet Minister Livia Turco to author the Turco-Napolitano2 law on immigration, which passed in 1998. Napolitano has been a strong supporter of European integration.3 In 2005, he was named “Senator for Life,” one of the greatest honors in Italian politics.4
Mr. President
Napolitano’s political savvy and personal character earned the respect of his colleagues. On May 10, 2006, at age 80, he became the first ex-communist elected as the President of the Italian Republic. He came out of retirement to accept the position. During his tenure, Napolitano has faced many challenges, but the biggest has involved Romano Prodi. When Prodi lost a confidence vote in early 2008, Napolitano was forced to dissolve the Italian Parliament on February 6.5 Under his instructions, an interim government was formed until the April re-election of Silvio Berlusconi.
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