Francesco Rutelli

Infobox Prime Minister
honorific-prefix =Onorevole
name = Francesco Rutelli


imagesize = 150px
order = Minister of Culture and Tourism and Deputy Prime Minister
term_start = 17 May 2006
term_end = 8 May 2008
primeminister = Romano Prodi
predecessor = Rocco Buttiglione
successor = Sandro Bondi
order2 = 61st Mayor of Rome
predecessor2 = Franco Carraro
successor2 = Walter Veltroni
term_start2 = December 5 1993
term_end2 = May 2001
order3 = Member of the Chamber of deputies
constituency3 = XV - Lazio 1
term_start3 = April 21 2006
term_end3 =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1954|6|14|mf=y
birth_place = Rome, Italy
nationality = Italian
spouse = Barbara Palombelli
party = Democratic Party

Francesco Rutelli, MP (born June 14 1954) is an Italian politician, formerly Mayor of Rome, and former president of the centrist party Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy. He was the Minister of Culture and Tourism in the cabinet of Prime Minister Romano Prodi. In 2008 Rutelli ran unsuccessfully for a new term as Mayor of Rome after the resignation of Walter Veltroni.

Biography

Born in Rome, Rutelli was originally an artist. In the mid-1970s he took part in some collective exhibitions in Roman art galleries, where he showed his surrealist collages. He entered politics joining the Italian Radicals party, for which he was then elected secretary in 1980, aged 26. With the Italian Radicals, Rutelli championed libertarian and secular policies such as legalising abortion, the legalisation of cannabis and unilateral disarmament. First elected as deputy in 1983, confirming his office in 1987 and 1992, he then joined the Federation of the Greens in the late 1980s, becoming one of the party's leading figures, and embracing environmental campaigns.

He was then chosen as Ministry of Environment and Urban Areas in 1993, although he resigned after one day in the post. That same year, he was first elected Mayor of Rome as centre-left coalition candidate, defeating centre-right candidate Gianfranco Fini. He held the position until 2001.

He also served as European Deputy from 1999 to 2004. From the mid-1990s onwards his views appeared increasingly closer to the centre of the Italian political spectrum, accommodating policies normally associated with the Catholic Centre and the Vatican.

In 2001, he was defeated by Silvio Berlusconi in the general election as candidate premier for the centre-left Olive Tree coalition of parties. He was also one of the founders of the Democrats, which became part of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy. Rutelli led the party until merged into the Democratic Party on 14 October 2007.

Francesco Rutelli's role in the Daisy - a party with strong ties with Italian Christian heritage - is often considered a singular achievement after a fairly erratic journey within Italian progressive politics, mainly because of his past social-libertarian and green experiences.

In 2006 he was named Minister of Welfare and Cultural Activities in the of cabinet of Romano Prodi during Prodi's second term as Italian Prime Minister.

In February 2008 he announced his intention to run again as mayor of Rome leading a local centre-left coalition, but lost the local elections on 28 April 2008 against centre-right Gianni Alemanno.

Miscellaneous

*Rutelli is a supporter of Roman football club S.S. Lazio.
*Rutelli's wife, Barbara Palombelli, is a television journalist for the Italian broadcasting stations Rai and Mediaset (owned by the leader of the center-right party People of Freedom Silvio Berlusconi).

External links

* [http://www.rutelliroma.it Rutelli Roma 2008] - Francesco Rutelli's official web site as candidate running for Mayor of Rome 2008

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