Mino Martinazzoli

Summary

Fermo "Mino" Martinazzoli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfermo ˈmiːno martinatˈtsɔːli]; 3 November 1931 – 4 September 2011) was an Italian lawyer, politician and former minister. He was the last secretary of the Christian Democracy party and the first secretary of the Italian People's Party founded in 1994.

Mino Martinazzoli
Mayor of Brescia
In office
5 December 1994 – 14 December 1998
Preceded byPaolo Corsini
Succeeded byPaolo Corsini
Minister of Defence
In office
22 July 1989 – 27 July 1990
Prime MinisterGiulio Andreotti
Preceded byValerio Zanone
Succeeded byVirginio Rognoni
Minister of Justice
In office
4 August 1983 – 1 August 1986
Prime MinisterBettino Craxi
Preceded byClelio Darida
Succeeded byVirginio Rognoni
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
12 July 1983 – 22 April 1992
ConstituencyBrescia–Bergamo
Member of the Senate
In office
22 April 1992 – 14 April 1994
In office
25 May 1972 – 12 July 1983
ConstituencyBrescia
President of Province of Brescia
In office
10 May 1970 – 22 June 1972
Preceded byErcoliano Bazoli
Succeeded byTarcisio Gitti
Personal details
Born
Fermo Martinazzoli

(1931-11-30)30 November 1931
Orzinuovi, Italy
Died4 September 2011(2011-09-04) (aged 79)
Brescia, Italy
Political partyDC (till 1994)
PPI (1994–2002)
UDEUR (2004–2011)
Alma materUniversity of Pavia

Biography edit

Martinazzoli studied at Collegio Borromeo in Pavia, where he received a law degree. He then became a lawyer.

In the years 1960–1970s he assumed official roles in Brescia's DC, and became president of the province (1970–1972). He was also elected in the Italian Senate, after which he became Minister of Justice in 1983, a position he held for three years. In 1986–1989 he was president of DC's deputies. In 1989–1990 he was Minister of Defence, but resigned (together with other ministers of DC's left wing) after the approval of a law which strengthened Silvio Berlusconi's monopoly over private TV channels in Italy.

In 1992, when Democrazia Cristiana was being wiped out by the Tangentopoli bribery scandal, Martinazzoli, generally respected as an honest and competent man, was elected national secretary. Despite his efforts, the political crisis which followed the corruption scandals forced him to dissolve DC in 1994. Martinazzoli then founded a new party, based on similar ideals, known as the Italian People's Party (1994–2002) (Partito Popolare Italiano; PPI), whose name recalled that of the ancestor of DC, which was founded in the early 20th century by Luigi Sturzo.

In the new majoritarian system, Martinazzoli's party placed itself in the center, between the left (which included the heirs of the Italian Communist Party) and the new Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, which had allied with the northern regionalist party, Northern League, and the post-fascist National Alliance. His will not to ally with any of them caused numerous politicians (such as Pierferdinando Casini and Clemente Mastella) to leave PPI and form the Christian Democratic Centre, which supported Berlusconi. At the 1994 elections, Martinazzoli formed a center alliance known as Pact for Italy, including PPI and other democratic centre forces. However, the result of the election was disappointing, with PPI obtaining 11%, some one third of DC's consensus before its dissolution. In the same year, he accepted to run as mayor of Brescia for the new centre-left coalition, The Olive Tree, winning the final ballot and acting as mayor until 1998. In 2000 he lost the competition with Roberto Formigoni for the presidency of Lombardy.

After PPI was dissolved in 2002, Martinazzoli migrated to Mastella's UDEUR (2004), being appointed as its president. He resigned in 2005.

He died on 4 September 2011, at the age of 79.[1]

Electoral history edit

Election House Constituency Party Votes Result
1972 Senate of the Republic Brescia DC 84,749  Y Elected
1976 Senate of the Republic Brescia DC 90,708  Y Elected
1979 Senate of the Republic Brescia DC 90,137  Y Elected
1983 Chamber of Deputies Brescia–Bergamo DC 45,208  Y Elected
1987 Chamber of Deputies Brescia–Bergamo DC 70,895  Y Elected
1992 Senate of the Republic Brescia DC 66,206  Y Elected

Notes edit

  1. ^ Brescia, è morto Mino Martinazzoli

Sources edit

  • Valle, Annachiara (2009). Uno strano democristiano. Milan: Rizzoli.
Political offices
Preceded by Italian Minister of Justice
1983–1986
Succeeded by
Preceded by Italian Minister of Defence
1989–1990
Succeeded by
Preceded by Italian Minister of Reforms and Regions
1991–1992
Succeeded byas Minister of Regions
Party political offices
Preceded by Secretary of the Italian Christian Democracy
1992–1994
Position abolished
New political party Secretary of the Italian People's Party
1994
Succeeded by