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| Walter Veltroni | |
| |
| 62nd Mayor of Rome | |
|---|---|
| In office 1 June 2001 – 13 February2008 | |
| Preceded by | Francesco Rutelli |
| Minister of Culture and Deputy Prime Minister of Italy | |
| In office 17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998 | |
| Prime Minister | Romano Prodi |
| Preceded by | Antonio Paolucci |
| Succeeded by | Giovanna Melandri |
| Born | July 3 1955 Rome, Italy |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Flavia Veltroni |
| Profession | Politician |
| Religion | Atheist |
Walter Veltroni (born July 3, 1955) is an Italian politician and leader of the Democratic Party. He was Mayor of Rome from 2001 to 2008.
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Walter Veltroni was born in Rome. His father, Vittorio Veltroni, an eminent RAI manager in the 1950s, died only one year later.AteneOnline. Chi è Walter Veltroni. Non solo politico (Italian). Retrieved on 2007-07-01. His mother, Ivanka Kotnik, was the daughter of Ciril Kotnik, the Slovenian ambassador of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia at the Holy See who helped numerous Jews and antifascist to escape Nazi persecution after 1943. Veltroni joined the Federazione Giovanile Comunista Italiana (Italian Youth Communist Federation) at the age of 15, and was elected Rome city councilor in 1976 as member of the Italian Communist Party, serving until 1981. He was then elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in 1987. As a member of the Italian Communist Party\'s national secretariat in 1988, he played a leading role in the transformation into the Social-democratic Party it is today.
Veltroni, a professional journalist, was editor-in-chief of the newspaper of the Democratic Party of the Left (later the DS) L\'Unità from 1992 to 1996. He then successfully ran as vice-premier candidate, together with Romano Prodi, for the 1996 national election in Italy. In 1996 he joined the Bilderberg Group meeting. In 1998 he resigned, subsequent to his election as National Secretary of the Democrats of the Left. Despite his background as a journalist, he has been involved in controversial episodes related to freedom of expression. For example in 2001, after the late night show Satyricon aired an interview that discussed indictments on links between the right-wing leader and the mafia, Marco Travaglio reported that Veltroni dispatched a messenger menacing the closure of the show.Travaglio, Marco; Daniele Luttazzi. "Intervista a Daniele Luttazzi su La Repubblica", La Repubblica di Torino, 08/11/2001. Retrieved on 2007-06-22. (Italian) "Dopo quella puntata famosa di Satyricon, Veltroni mandò un emissario alla mia regista per dire che, se non la smettevamo di fare casino, ci chiudevano loro"
In 2001 Veltroni resigned as leader of the party after being elected Mayor of Rome. In May 2006 Veltroni was confirmed Mayor of Rome, easily defeating former Minister of Agriculture Gianni Alemanno, of National Alliance, obtaining an unprecedented 61.4% of the valid votes against the 37.1% achieved by his main opponent. The percentage of votes that supported Veltroni\'s second term in office was a record in local elections in Rome.
In 2005, as mayor of Rome, he met in Washington, during a visit to the United States, Illinois Senator Barack ObamaRome Mayor\'s Leadership Bid May Lead to Early Italian Elections, being one of his earliest supporters overseasVELTRONI A NEW YORK - Il politico prevale sull\' amministratore. He also wrote the preface to the Italian edition of The Audacity of Hope in 2007[1] and has been referred to as "Obama\'s European counterpart"Obama\'s European counterparts - "Los Angeles Times".
Veltroni is widely considered one of the most popular centre-left politicians in Italy and he has often been singled out for the leadership of the Democratic Party. In June 2007 DS leader Piero Fassino publicly asked Veltroni to run for the party leadership, offering support from all of his party. Several other Democratic Party leading members publicly stated their support for a possible candidacy of Veltroni. Furthermore, the strongest of his possible contenders, Pier Luigi Bersani, which polls showed as having a 50% support in center-north regions, Pd: Letta-Bersani volano nel Nord in sondaggi riservati - Il Sole 24 ORE. Retrieved on 2007-07-09. withdrawn to avoid a \'confusing candidacy\'.ANSA.it - PD: BERSANI, NON MI CANDIDO. Retrieved on 2007-07-09., RaiNews24 - Bersani rinuncia alla segreteria del Pd. "La mia candidatura avrebbe disorientato". Retrieved on 2007-07-09. Veltroni presented officially his candidacy for the leadership of the Democratic Party ad a rally in Turin on 27 June 2007. In this occasion he introduced the four key issues his programme would address: environment, generational pact, education, public security."Italy\'s Left Looks Beyond Prodi", The Guardian, 2007-06-27. Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
Walter Veltroni, Campidoglio
Veltroni was elected as the first leader of the newly-founded Democratic Party on October 14, 2007, winning an open primary with around 2.6 millions of votes, or 75.8%.Rome Mayor Set to Win Left\'s Leadership. Associated Press (2007-10-14). Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
Following the defeat of Prodi\'s government in a January 2008 Senate vote,Elisabeth Rosenthal, "With Flawed System Unchanged, Italy Sets Elections for April", The New York Times, February 7, 2008. Veltroni is leading the Democratic Party into the April 2008 general election. Veltroni resigned as Mayor of Rome on February 13 2008 to concentrate on the campaign.Steve Scherer, "Veltroni Resigns as Rome Mayor to Take on Berlusconi (Update1)", Bloomberg.com, February 13, 2008.
In 2003 he received a honoris causa degree in Public Services by the John Cabot University of Rome. In 2006 Veltroni received the title of Cavaliere di Gran Croce (Knight of the Great Cross) from President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. He has been criticised for his over-frequentation of Rome socialites and advised to focus on more practical problems. "La dolce vita revisited: Rome\'s new emperor", The Independent, 2007-07-09. Retrieved on 2007-07-09. .
Veltroni has written a number of books on various topics, such as music, social issues, fiction, biographies and, of course, politics.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Antonio Paolucci as Minister of Culture and Environment | Minister of Culture and Deputy Prime Minister 1996 - 1998 | Succeeded by Giovanna Melandri as Minister of Culture and Environment |
| Preceded by Francesco Rutelli | Mayor of Rome 2001 - 2008 | Succeeded by ? |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Massimo D\'Alema | Secretary of the Democrats of the Left 1998–2001 | Succeeded by Piero Fassino |
| Preceded by New Party | Secretary of the Democratic Party 2007 - present | Incumbent |
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