Former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano dies aged 98 | EUROtoday

Issued on: 23/09/2023 – 07:28

1 min

Renowned for his moderation and statesmanship, Napolitano was considered a guarantor of stability in a time of persistent turbulence in Italian politics.

The former Communist Party chief served as head of state in quite a few governments between 2006 and 2015.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni supplied her cupboard’s “deepest condolences” to Napolitano’s household.

The nation’s present president, Sergio Mattarella, stated Napolitano had led “important battles for social development, peace and progress in Italy and Europe”.

And Pope Francis, in a telegram to Napolitano’s widow, paid tribute to a person he described as having devoted his profession to preserving the “unity and harmony” of his nation.

Born in 1925 beneath Mussolini’s rule, Napolitano joined a communist resistance group on the age of 17, earlier than becoming a member of the social gathering in 1945 and being elected to parliament in 1953.

After the dissolution of the Communist Party, Napolitano rose to the highest of Italian politics with the Democratic Party of the Left.

He was elected president in 2006 and served as head of state throughout a interval of persistent political instability.

Despite his plan to retire after his first time period in 2013, inconclusive legislative elections compelled Napolitano again into workplace till his resignation in 2015.

(AFP)