Pier Ferdinando Casini (; born 3 December 1955) is an Italian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He served as

President of the Chamber of Deputies President of the Chamber of Deputies may refer to: * List of presidents of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies * List of presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia * President of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil) * President of the Chamber of Dep ...

from 2001 to 2006. Casini is the honorary president of the

Centrist Democrat International The Centrist Democrat International ( es, Internacional Demócrata de Centro) is a Christian-democratic political international. Until 2001, it was known as the Christian Democrat International (CDI); before 1999, it was known as the Christian D ...

and the

Inter-Parliamentary Union The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; french: Union Interparlementaire, UIP) is an inter-parliamentary institution, international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and coop ...

. From 1993 to 2001, he served as secretary of

Christian Democratic Centre The Christian Democratic Centre ( it, Centro Cristiano Democratico, CCD) was a Christian-democratic political party in Italy from 1994 to 2002. Formed from a right-wing split from Christian Democracy, the party joined the centre-right coalition, a ...

, while from 2002 until 2016 he was the leader of Union of the Centre. Being elected to the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

in 1983 for the first time, Casini is the longest-serving member of the parliament in Italy.

Early life and career

Casini was born in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

in 1955. His father Tommaso was an Italian literature teacher and a local leader of the

Christian Democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

(DC), while his mother Mirella was a librarian. Casini has also two sisters and one brother. After having attended the classical lyceum

Luigi Galvani Luigi Galvani (, also ; ; la, Aloysius Galvanus; 9 September 1737 – 4 December 1798) was an Italian physician, physicist, biologist and philosopher, who studied animal electricity. In 1780, he discovered that the muscles of dead frogs' legs ...

, in 1979 he graduated with a degree in

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continuo ...

. During these years he joined the Christian Democracy, like his father, and he was elected to the national directorate of the party's youth wing. In 1980, Casini was elected municipal councillor in his hometown, Bologna, a traditional stronghold of the

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy. The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI). ...

(PCI), the DC' historic rival.

Political career

Beginnings within the Christian Democracy

In the 1983 Italian general election, at only 28 years old, Casini was elected to the

, becoming one of the youngest members of the parliament. He run in the multi-member constituency of Bologna, gaining more than 34,000 votes. During his first years as deputy, he became a close advisor of

Arnaldo Forlani Arnaldo Forlani, (; born 8 December 1925) is an Italian former politician and statesman who served as the 43rd prime minister of Italy from 18 October 1980 to 28 June 1981. He also held the office of deputy prime minister, minister of Foreign A ...

, one of the most prominent leaders of the DC, head of the conservative faction of the party. When Forlani was elected secretary of the DC in February 1989, he appointed Casini in the national directorate of the party. In the 1987 Italian general election, he was re-elected with more than 52,000 votes and appointed vice president of the so-called "Massacres Commission", focused on the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Italy during the Years of Lead. In the 1992 election, Casini was once again elected in Bologna's constituency with 50,000 votes.

Leader of Christian Democratic Centre

In 1993, at the beginning of the secretariat of Mino Martinazzoli, the Christian Democracy was overwhelmed by investigations on ''

Tangentopoli ''Mani pulite'' (; Italian for "clean hands") was a nationwide judicial investigation into political corruption in Italy held in the early 1990s, resulting in the demise of the so-called " First Republic" and the disappearance of many Italian ...

'' corruption scandal and

mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

trial of the long-time Christian democratic leader,

Giulio Andreotti Giulio Andreotti ( , ; 14 January 1919 – 6 May 2013) was an Italian politician and statesman who served as the 41st prime minister of Italy in seven governments (1972–1973, 1976–1979, and 1989–1992) and leader of the Christian Democra ...

. The party suffered a serious consensus crisis, and Casini, together with

Clemente Mastella Mario Clemente Mastella (born 5 February 1947) is an Italian politician who has served as the mayor of Benevento since 20 June 2016. He is the leader of Union of Democrats for Europe, a minor centrist Italian party. He was Minister of Labour i ...

, took positions against Martinazzoli, leaning towards an alliance with

Forza Italia Forza ItaliaThe name is not usually translated into English: ''forza'' is the second-person singular imperative of ''forzare'', in this case translating to "to compel" or "to press", and so means something like "Forward, Italy", "Come on, Ital ...

(FI), a new conservative political party founded by the media magnate

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...

, the

Italian Social Movement The Italian Social Movement ( it, Movimento Sociale Italiano, MSI) was a neo-fascist political party in Italy. A far-right party, it presented itself until the 1990s as the defender of Italian fascism's legacy, and later moved towards national ...

(MSI) of

Gianfranco Fini Gianfranco Fini (born 3 January 1952) is an Italian politician who served as the president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2008 to 2013. He is the former leader of the far-right Italian Social Movement, the conservative National Allianc ...

and

Umberto Bossi Umberto Bossi (born 19 September 1941) is an Italian politician and former leader of Lega Nord (Northern League), a party seeking autonomy or independence for Northern Italy or Padania. He is married to the Sicilian Manuela Marrone, and has f ...

's Northern League (LN), aiming at forming a

centre-right coalition The centre-right coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-destra) is an alliance of political parties in Italy, active—under several forms and names—since 1994, when Silvio Berlusconi entered politics and formed his Forza Italia party. Despite ...

in opposition to the

centre-left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...

one built around the post-communist

Democratic Party of the Left The Democratic Party of the Left ( it, Partito Democratico della Sinistra, PDS) was a democratic socialist and social-democratic political party in Italy. Founded in February 1991 as the post-communist evolution of the Italian Communist Party, ...

(PDS). On 18 January 1994, along with other Christian democrats who opposed the party's transformation into the Italian People's Party (PPI), Casini founded the

(CDC). On the same day, he was appointed secretary of the party. In the 1994 general election, the CCD run in a joint list with Forza Italia as a member of the

Pole of Freedoms The Pole of Freedoms ( it, Polo delle Libertà) was a centre-right political and electoral alliance in Italy, launched at the 1994 general election by Silvio Berlusconi. Its counterpart in central and southern Italy was the Pole of Good Governmen ...

Northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...

and the

Pole of Good Government The Pole of Good Government ( it, Polo del Buon Governo) was a centre-right electoral, and later political alliance in Italy, launched at the 1994 general election by Silvio Berlusconi. Its counterpart in Northern Italy was the Pole of Freedo ...

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

, and gaining 27 deputies and 12 senators. Casini was elected in the closed list constituency of

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

. When Berlusconi's first government lost the support of Lega Nord, Casini did not support the newly formed technocratic cabinet of

Lamberto Dini Lamberto Dini CGMG (born 1 March 1931) is an Italian politician and economist. He was the Director General of Bank of Italy from 1979 to 1994, Minister of Treasury from 1994 to 1996, the 51st Prime Minister of Italy from 1995 to 1996, and Forei ...

. In the

1996 Italian general election The 1996 Italian general election was held on 21 April 1996 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. Romano Prodi, leader of the centre-left The Olive Tree, won the election, narrowly defeating Silvio Berlus ...

, Casini's CDC formed a joint list with

Rocco Buttiglione Rocco Buttiglione (; born 6 June 1948) is an Italian Union of Christian and Centre Democrats politician and an academic. Buttiglione's nomination for a post as European Commissioner with a portfolio that was to include civil liberties, resulted ...

United Christian Democrats The United Christian Democrats ( it, Cristiani Democratici Uniti, CDU) was a minor Christian democratic political party in Italy. The CDU was a member of the European People's Party from 1995 until 2002. History The party was started in 1995 by ...

(CDU). However, the election was characterized by a strong aftermath of the

centre-left coalition The centre-left coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-sinistra) is an political alliance, alliance of list of political parties in Italy, political parties in Italy active, under several forms and names, since 1995 when The Olive Tree (Italy), Th ...

, The Olive Tree, led by

Romano Prodi Romano Antonio Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician, economist, academic, senior civil servant, and business executive who served as the tenth president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He served twice as Prim ...

. Casini was elected with nearly 40,000 votes in the single-member constituency of

Maglie Maglie ( Salentino: ; Griko: , translit. ; la, Mallae) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy. History The Maglie area was settled as early as the Bronze Age and the early Iron Age, and befor ...

, in

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

region. From 1996 to 2001, he strongly opposed the centre-left governments which ruled the country.

President of the Chamber of Deputies

In 2001, Casini's CDC joined the

House of Freedoms The House of Freedoms ( it, Casa delle Libertà, CdL) was a major centre-right political and electoral alliance in Italy, led by Silvio Berlusconi. History The CdL was the successor of the Pole of Freedoms/Pole of Good Government and the Pole fo ...

alliance, once again led by Berlusconi. The

largely won the 2001 election and Casini was elected to the Chamber for

Pomezia Pomezia () is a municipality (''comune'') in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio, central Italy. In 2009 it had a population of about 60,000. History The town was built entirely new near the location of ancient Lavinium on land resulting ...

's district, with 56,000 votes. On 31 May 2001, he was elected

; at 46 years old, he was one of the youngest ever. On 14 November 2002, Casini was the protagonist of a historical event that never happened before: the visit of a Pope to

Palazzo Montecitorio The Palazzo Montecitorio () is a palace in Rome and the seat of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Italian Parliament. History The palace's name derives from the slight hill on which it is built, which was claimed to be the ''Mon ...

, the seat of the Chamber of Deputies. Casini and Senate's president,

Marcello Pera Marcello Pera (; born 28 January 1943
.) is an Italian

, invited Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

to the house. On 6 December 2002, the CDC formed, along with Buttiglione's UDC and

Sergio D'Antoni Sergio Antonio D'Antoni (born 10 December 1946 in Caltanissetta) is an Italian politician, syndicalist and sports manager, current President of CONI Sicilia. Biography Graduated in law, D'Antoni became a researcher at the University of Pale ...

European Democracy European Democracy ( it, Democrazia Europea, DE) was a minor Christian-democratic, centrist political party in Italy. History European Democracy was founded in 2001 by Sergio D'Antoni (former leader of the Italian Confederation of Workers' Tra ...

(DE), the

Union of Christian and Centre Democrats The Union of the Centre ( it, Unione di Centro, UdC), whose complete name is "Union of Christian and Centre Democrats" (''Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democratici di Centro'', UDC), is a Christian-democratic political party in Italy. Lore ...

(UDC). Casini, who was serving as the president of the Chamber of Deputies, could not be appointed secretary of the party and he would never be; however, from 2002 until 2016 when he left the party, Casini would be the most recognisable figure and ''de facto'' leader of UDC.

Leader of Union of the Centre

On 28 January 2006, Casini was elected president of the

Christian Democratic International The Centrist Democrat International ( es, Internacional Demócrata de Centro) is a Christian-democratic political international. Until 2001, it was known as the Christian Democrat International (CDI); before 1999, it was known as the Christian D ...

(IDC), succeeding

José María Aznar José María Alfredo Aznar López (; born 25 February 1953) is a Spanish politician who was the prime minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He led the People's Party (PP), the dominant centre-right political party in Spain. A member of the Fre ...

, a position that he held until July 2015. During the electoral campaign for the 2006 Italian general election, Casini hypothesized together with Gianfranco Fini, an alternative candidate for the position of Prime Minister, if UDC and Fini's National Alliance (AN) had reached a larger number of votes than those of Berlusconi's party. The UDC in fact inserted Casini's name in the new electoral symbol. However, the 2006 election was narrowly won by the centre-left coalition of Romano Prodi, who became the new Prime Minister. Tensions between UDC and House of Freedoms became clear on 2 December 2006, when the centre-right parties, united in opposition to Prodi's cabinet, nevertheless organized two different demonstrations: Berlusconi, Fini and Bossi led the protest through Rome, while Casini and other leaders of UDC spoke in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

. During these years, Casini was sometimes spoken of as a possible successor to Berlusconi himself as leader of the coalition. However, as the campaign for the 2008 general election began, Casini officially detached himself from Berlusconi's coalition, refusing to enter his new

People of Freedom The People of Freedom ( it, Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The PdL, launched by Silvio Berlusconi on 18 November 2007, was initially a federation of political parties, notably including Forza Italia a ...

(PdL) party, preferring to contest the election alone. In a speech to his party, Casini said that "not everyone is for sale", in a not so veiled statement about Berlusconi's political tactics. Casini ran on a purely 'centrist' platform, expanding the UDC into the Union of the Centre (UdC) along with

Savino Pezzotta Savino Pezzotta (born 25 December 1943) is an Italian politician and trade unionist. Trade unionist Pezzotta was a textile worker since 1959. In 1963, he joined the Italian Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions (CISL) and later became a trade un ...

White Rose The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a Nonviolence, non-violent, intellectual German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ...

. The election was won by the centre-right coalition and became Prime Minister once again. The Union of the Centre gained 5.6% of votes and Casini was elected in the multi-member constituency of

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

. After the election, Casini relaunched his plan for a new

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the l ...

party, as an alternative to both the PdL and the newly created

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. Casini long criticised the PdL for not being "Catholic" enough, particularly criticising Berlusconi, who once spoke of "anarchy of values" in describing the

catch-all A catch-all or catchall is a general term, or metaphoric dumping group, for a variety of similar words or meanings. Catch-all may also refer to: * Catch-all party, or big tent party * Catch-all email filter *Catch-all taxon Wastebasket taxon (a ...

nature of the PdL, and Gianfranco Fini, who was known for his social-liberal stance on stem-cell research,

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

and right-to-die issues, and explicitly wooed the "Christian democrats of the PD" to join him. EPP Congress 5125 (8098192718)

In the 2009 European Parliament election in Italy, the UdC won 6.5% of the votes, while in the 2010 regional elections, UdC chose to form alliances both with the centre-right and the centre-left (or stood alone) in different regions, depending on local conditions, losing ground everywhere but in those southern regions where it was in alliance with the centre-right. In December 2010, Casini was among the was a founding father of New Pole for Italy (NPI), along with Fini's newly born

Future and Freedom Future and Freedom ( it, Futuro e Libertà), whose full name was Future and Freedom for Italy (''Futuro e Libertà per l'Italia'', abbreviated to FLI), was a political party in Italy, comprising both liberal and national conservative elements. F ...

(FLI) and the

Francesco Rutelli Francesco Rutelli (born 14 June 1954) is an Italian journalist and former politician, who is the president of '' Anica'', National Association of Film and Audiovisual Industry, since October 2016. He also chairs the "Centro per un Futuro Sosteni ...

Alliance for Italy Alliance for Italy ( it, Alleanza per l'Italia; ApI) was a centrist political party in Italy. The party, which was described in its manifesto as "democratic, liberal, popular" as opposed both to " right-wing populism" and the " social-democratic ...

. The NPI's aim was to form a third distinct bloc from the centre-right and the centre-left. In November 2011, Berlusconi resigned as Prime Minister and

Mario Monti Mario Monti, (born 19 March 1943) is an Italian economist and academic who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 2011 to 2013, leading a technocratic government in the wake of the Italian debt crisis. Monti served as a European Commiss ...

formed a new technocratic government. Casini was a strong supporter of Monti's policies and, in the

2013 Italian general election The 2013 Italian general election was held on 24 and 25 February 2013 to determine the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 elective members of the Senate of the Republic for the 17th Italian Parliament. The centre-left alliance ...

, his party joined

With Monti for Italy With Monti for Italy ( it, Con Monti per l'Italia) was an electoral coalition of political parties in Italy, formed for the 2013 general election to support the outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti and his reform plans. Its platform was based ...

coalition, alongside FLI and Monti's

Civic Choice Civic Choice ( it, Scelta Civica; SC) was a centrist and liberal political party in Italy founded by Mario Monti. The party was formed in the run-up of the 2013 general election to support the outgoing Prime Minister Monti and continue his polit ...

(SC). The election resulted however in a huge defeat for the UdC, which obtained a mere 1.8% of the vote, eight deputies and two senators. Casini was elected in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for the first time, within the multi-member constituency of

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

Within the centre-left coalition

In 2013, Casini supported the grand coalition cabinet of

Enrico Letta Enrico Letta (; born 20 August 1966) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from April 2013 to February 2014, leading a grand coalition of centre-left and centre-right parties. Since March 2021, Letta has been secretary ...

and, in February 2014, the new centre-left government of

Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi (; born 11 January 1975) is an Italian politician who served as prime minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016. He has been a senator for Florence since 2018. Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva (IV) since 2019, having been ...

. In the run-up of the

2016 Italian constitutional referendum A constitutional referendum was held in Italy on 4 December 2016. Voters were asked whether they approved a constitutional law that amends the Italian Constitution to reform the composition and powers of the Parliament of Italy, as well as the d ...

, strongly supported by Renzi, the UdC chose to campaign for "No", while Casini was among the keenest supporters of "Yes". After the referendum, which saw a defeat of the "Yes" side, the UdC withdrew its support for Renzi. However, some UdC splinters, notably including Casini and minister Gian Luca Galletti, launched "Centrists for Italy" and confirmed their alliance with the

Angelino Alfano Angelino Alfano (; born 31 October 1970) is an Italian former politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 12 December 2016 to 1 June 2018. Alfano was Minister of the Interior from 28 April 2013 to 12 December 2016, serving in the g ...

New Centre-Right New Centre-Right ( it, Nuovo Centrodestra, NCD) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The party was launched on 15 November 2013 by a group of dissidents of The People of Freedom (PdL) who opposed the party's transformation into Forza Ita ...

, in support of the centre to centre-left cabinet. Renzi resigned due to the referendum's lost and

Paolo Gentiloni Paolo Gentiloni Silveri (; born 22 November 1954) is an Italian politician who has served as European Commissioner for Economy in the von der Leyen Commission since 1 December 2019. He previously served as prime minister of Italy from December ...

became the new Prime Minister. The new party was officially founded in February 2017 and named

Centrists for Europe Centrists for Europe ( it, Centristi per l'Europa, CpE) is a Christian-democratic political party in Italy. The party was launched, as Centrists for Italy (''Centristi per l'Italia'', CpI), by splinters from the Union of the Centre in December 2 ...

(CpE). In December 2017 the CpE launched the

Popular Civic List The Popular Civic List ( it, Civica Popolare, CP) was a centrist coalition of political parties in Italy. Its leader is Beatrice Lorenzin, minister of Health from 2013 to 2018 and member of Popular Alternative. History CP participated in the 2 ...

(CP), within the

, along with

Popular Alternative Popular Alternative ( it, Alternativa Popolare, AP) is a Christian democracy, Christian-democratic list of political parties in Italy, political party in Italy that was founded on 18 March 2017 after the dissolution of New Centre-Right (NCD), one ...

(AP),

Italy of Values Italy of Values ( it, Italia dei Valori, IdV) is a populist and anti-corruption political party in Italy. The party was founded in 1998 by former ''Mani pulite'' prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro, who entered politics in 1996 and finally left the par ...

(IdV),

Solidary Democracy Solidary Democracy ( it, Democrazia Solidale, DemoS) is a Christian-leftist political party in Italy. The party's early leader, Lorenzo Dellai has described it as a " Christian-social" party. DemoS is led by Paolo Ciani; several party members ...

(DemoS) and minor parties. The new leader of AP,

Beatrice Lorenzin Beatrice Lorenzin (born 14 October 1971) is an Italian politician belonging to the Democratic Party, former leader of Popular Alternative, and former Minister of Health from 28 April 2013 to 1 June 2018, in the governments of Enrico Letta, Ma ...

, was chosen as leader of the list too. In the

2018 Italian general election The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017. Voters were electing the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 elective membe ...

, the CP obtained a mere 0.5%, but Casini was re-elected to the Senate with nearly 122,000 votes from a single-seat constituency in

, thanks to the decisive support of the PD. In the

2022 Italian presidential election The 2022 Italian presidential election was held in Rome between 24 and 29 January 2022. The president of Italy was elected by a joint assembly composed of the Italian Parliament and regional representatives. The election process extended over mu ...

, Casini was considered one of the most reliable candidates but later asked to rule out his name and vote for the incumbent president

Sergio Mattarella Sergio Mattarella (; born 23 July 1941) is an Italian politician, jurist, academic and lawyer who has served as the president of Italy since 2015. A Christian leftist politician, Mattarella was a leading member of the Christian Democracy par ...

Personal life

In 1982, Casini married Roberta Lubich, with whom he had two daughters, Maria Carolina and Benedetta. The coupled divorced in 1998 and he started dating Azzurra Caltagirone, daughter of the famous Roman entrepreneur and publisher

Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone (; born 1943) is an Italian businessman. He controls the holding company Caltagirone S.p.A. with interests in cement manufacturing, real estate, construction and publishing (with Caltagirone Editore). As of 2015, C ...

, who he married in 2007 and with whom he has other two children, Caterina and Francesco. They divorced in 2016. Casini is a fan of

Bologna F.C. 1909 Bologna Football Club 1909, commonly referred to as Bologna (), is an Italian professional football club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna that plays in Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. The club have won seven top-flight titles, two Co ...

and

Virtus Bologna Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...

, respectively the football and basketball teams of his hometown.

Electoral history

First-past-the-post elections

Honours and awards

* : Honorary Grand Commander of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace o ...

(2003) * : Grand Cordon of the

Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay The Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay is a distinction of Uruguay created by Law No. 16300 and awarded by the Presidency of the Republic at the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to foreign personalities, by reason of the princip ...

(2003)

References

External links

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Casini, Pierferdinando 1955 births Living people Politicians from Bologna Italian Roman Catholics Christian Democracy (Italy) politicians Christian Democratic Centre politicians Union of the Centre (2002) politicians Centrists for Europe politicians Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy) Deputies of Legislature IX of Italy Deputies of Legislature X of Italy Deputies of Legislature XI of Italy Deputies of Legislature XII of Italy Deputies of Legislature XIII of Italy Deputies of Legislature XIV of Italy Deputies of Legislature XV of Italy Deputies of Legislature XVI of Italy Senators of Legislature XVII of Italy Senators of Legislature XVIII of Italy Candidates for President of Italy