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Pier Ferdinando Casini’s contributions to Italian politics, particularly as a champion for centrism, have left a lasting impact.
Who Is Pier Ferdinando Casini?
Pier Ferdinando Casini is a prominent Italian politician who has made a significant impact on the political landscape in Italy.
Casini was born in Bologna on December 3, 1955, into a politically active family. His father, Tommaso, was a literature teacher and a Christian Democracy (DC) local leader, while his mother, Mirella, was a librarian. Casini was raised by two sisters and one brother.
Casini began his political career at a young age, following in his father’s footsteps. During his time at the University of Bologna, where he studied law and graduated in 1979, he joined the Christian Democracy party and was elected to the national directorate of the party’s youth wing.
Casini was elected municipal councillor in his birthplace of Bologna, which was recognised as an Italian Communist Party stronghold, in 1980.
Casini was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in the 1983 Italian general election at the age of 28, becoming one of the country’s youngest members of parliament. He rapidly became a close counsellor to Arnaldo Forlani, a major Christian Democracy party leader.
Casini was a member of the Massacres Commission, which investigated terrorist incidents in Italy during the Years of Lead. In the 1987 and 1992 general elections, he was re-elected, cementing his standing as a respected member of parliament.
Casini created the Christian Democratic Centre (CDC) in 1994, following a crisis in the Christian Democracy Party caused by corruption accusations. He was chosen party secretary and led the CDC in the 1994 general election when it formed a partnership with Forza Italia as part of the Pole of Freedoms coalition. Casini was elected in the Emilia-Romagna electoral district.
However, tensions between Casini and Berlusconi’s party grew, and in the 2008 general election, Casini publicly separated himself from the coalition, running on a centrist platform.
Casini’s political career took off after he was elected President of the Chamber of Deputies in May 2001. He was one of the youngest to hold this office, at 46 years old. Casini brought Pope John Paul II to the House of Deputies during his tenure, which was a historic occurrence.
Casini’s CDC united with other Christian democratic parties in 2002 to establish the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC), of which he was the de facto head until 2016.
Casini played an important role in different coalitions and alliances during his career, fighting for centrist ideas and attempting to provide an alternative to both the center-right and center-left parties.
He supported Mario Monti’s technocratic government, advocated for “No” in the 2016 constitutional referendum, and remained aligned with the center-left cabinet even after the UDC’s demise.
Casini’s political activities led to him being named honorary president of the Centrist Democrat International and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He has been a prominent participant in international politics, representing Italy on a worldwide scale.
Casini’s love of sports is evident in his support for Bologna F.C. 1909, the local football team, and Virtus Bologna, his hometown basketball team.
Is Pier Ferdinando Casini Engaged?
No, Pier Ferdinando Casini is not engaged, as she has been married and divorced on different occasions.
From 1982 to 1998, he was married to Roberta Lubich, with whom he had two children.
Casini married Azzurra Caltagirone, the daughter of entrepreneur Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone, in 2007, and they have two children. In 2016, the couple divorced.
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