Ciriaco De Mita

The Honourable Ciriaco De Mita
47th Prime Minister of Italy
In office 13 April 1988 – 22 July 1989
President	Francesco Cossiga
Preceded by	Giovanni Goria
Succeeded by	Giulio Andreotti
Minister of Industry, Trade and Craft
In office 7 July 1973 – 23 November 1974
Prime Minister	Mariano Rumor
Preceded by	Mauro Ferri
Succeeded by	Carlo Donat-Cattin
Member of the European Parliament for Southern Italy
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 June 1999
Mayor of Nusco
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 May 2014
Deputy of the Italian Parliament
In office 17 May 1963 – 28 April 2008
Constituency	XX - Campania II
Personal details
Born	(1928-02-02) 2 February 1928 Nusco, Campania, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Political party	Christian Democracy (1963–1994) Italian People's Party (1994–2002) The Daisy (2002–2007) Democratic Party (2007–2008) Union of Centre (2008–present)
Spouse(s)	Anna Maria Scarinzi
Children	4 children
Residence	Avellino, Campania
Alma mater	Catholic University of Milan
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Ciriaco Luigi De Mita (Italian pronunciation: [tʃiˈriːako luˈiːʤi de ˈmiːta]; born 2 February 1928) is an Italian politician. He served as the 47th Prime Minister of Italy from 1988 to 1989 and as Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2013.

Biography

Ciriaco De Mita with Jacques Delors, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Brian Mulroney, François Mitterrand, Helmut Kohl e Noboru Takeshita at 17° G7, Toronto 1988

Background and earlier career

De Mita was born in Nusco, in the Avellinese hinterland.

As a young man De Mita joined Christian Democracy and entered politics. He rose through the ranks of the party, becoming a member of its council in 1956, a member of Parliament in 1963 and a member of the Italian cabinet in 1973. During the next decade he served as Minister of Industry and then as Minister of Foreign Trade.

De Mita became chairman of the party in 1982 at a time when its power was declining. He was re-elected in 1986 with 60% support from the party.

Prime Minister of Italy

The Christian Democrats did well in the elections of 1987. De Mita waited a year to become Prime Minister, and then served as Prime Minister for a year, maintaining the party chairmanship. At the beginning of that service, on 16 April 1988, in Forlì, Red Brigades killed Senator Roberto Ruffilli, an advisor of De Mita.

Later political roles

De Mita returned in Parliament, after a lag of two years, in 1996 (and then re-elected in 2001 and 2006). He then joined the Italian People's Party and later Democracy is Freedom - The Daisy, party of which he is regional coordinator for Campania. He headed the Olive Tree's list in his region in 2006, and he participated in the transformation that coalition into a single party (the Democratic Party). Following an attempt by the chairmanship (presided by Walter Veltroni) at rejuvenating the ranks of the Democratic Party, De Mita was refused a place on the ballot for the 2008 general election, on the grounds that a total of 44 years and 9 months of active presence in the Italian Parliament was long enough and that more space was needed to be given to younger candidates. Offended by the decision, he left the party in retaliation, and joined the Union of the Centre. After the 2008 elections, De Mita was not elected at the Italian Senate, but he was nominated as the Campania coordinator of the party.

De Mita won a seat in the European Parliament in the June 2009 European election; at age 81, he was the oldest candidate to win a seat in that election.

On 25 May 2014 De Mita was elected as mayor of Nusco, his native town.

References

Political offices
Preceded by Mauro Ferri	Italian Minister of Industry 1973–1974	Succeeded by Carlo Donat-Cattin
Preceded by Gianmatteo Matteotti	Italian Minister of Foreign Trade 1974–1976	Succeeded by Rinaldo Ossola
Preceded by Title jointly held	Italian Minister without portfolio 1976–1979	Succeeded by Title jointly held
Preceded by Giovanni Goria	Prime Minister of Italy 1988–1989	Succeeded by Giulio Andreotti
Italian Chamber of Deputies
Preceded by Title jointly held	Member of Parliament for Benevento (1963–1987 ; 1992–1994) and for Ligury (1987–1992) Legislatures IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI 1963–1994	Succeeded by Title jointly held
Preceded by Ferdinando Schettino (Left)	Member of Parliament for Mirabella Eclano (1996–2006) and for Salerno (2006–2008) Legislatures XIII, XIV, XV 1996–2008	Succeeded by Title jointly held
European Parliament
Preceded by Title jointly held	Member of European Parliament for Southern Italy Legislatures: V, VII 1999–2001 2009–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Flaminio Piccoli	Secretary of the Italian Christian Democracy 1982–1989	Succeeded by Arnaldo Forlani