Pier Luigi Bersani

Pier Luigi Bersani ( born September 29, 1951 in Bettola ) is an Italian politician and party leader of the Social Democratic Partito Democratico (PD). He served as president of the Emilia -Romagna region and was Minister of Transport and Minister of Economy. Bersani was the top candidate of the center-left coalition in the parliamentary elections in Italy in 2013 on 24 and 25 February.

Life

Bersani comes from a family of craftsmen, his father was a car mechanic and gas station attendant. He holds a degree in philosophy at the University of Bologna and graduated from this with the predicate cum laude. He worked briefly as a teacher and then devoted himself full-time politics. Bersani refers to in debates like on his humble social origins.

Since 1980, he is married to Daniela Ferrari, who works as a pharmacist and comes from his birthplace. With her ​​he had two daughters.

Political career

Rise in Emilia -Romagna

Already in his youth he joined the Partito Comunista Italiano (later Democrats of the Left ). After the first local political experience in provincial Piacenza, he was elected for the constituency of Piacenza in the regional parliament of Emilia-Romagna. From 1990 to 1993 he was Vice President from 1993 and President of the Region, which is a stronghold of the left since the end of the war. In 1995 in Italy the regional presidents were directly elected for the first time, Bersani won for the democratic left the region with 54 percent of the vote. In his time as Regional President to Bersani intervened in national politics and was perceived as one of the hopes of the Italian left.

First offices in Rome

On May 18, 1996 Bersani was appointed by Romano Prodi as Industry Minister in his first cabinet, where he remained until December 22, 1999. After the fall of Prodi Bersani was from 23 December 1999 to June 3, 2001 Transport Minister in the center-left government of Massimo D' Alema and Giuliano Amato. In the 2001 parliamentary elections, in which the center-left parties were subject to a given coalition of Silvio Berlusconi, Bersani was first elected to the Left Democrats as MP for the constituency of Fidenza - Salsomaggiore Terme in the Chamber of Deputies.

To strengthen the economic competence of the Italian left, he founded the same year, together with Vincenzo Visco association Nuova Economia Nuova Società ( NENS ) to establish a study center that deals with the changing economic and social.

In the European elections in June 2004 Bersani stood as a political driving force of the Olive Tree coalition in the electoral district of northeast Italy. The Olive Tree alliance went nationwide with 31.08 percent emerged as the strongest force in the election. In his time as an MEP in Brussels Bersani was little European political lish active, he continued to focus on national politics in Rome.

Minister in the second Prodi government

In the parliamentary elections in Italy on April 9th and 10th 2006 Bersani was re-elected to the Chamber of Deputies. After the electoral victory of the center-left coalition L' Unione he was on 17 May 2006 to May 8, 2008 Minister of Economic Affairs in the second government of Romano Prodi. Bersani was responsible for various reforms, which privileges were curtailed by some professional organizations dominated professions such as lawyers, pharmacists, physicians, gas station attendants and newsagents and opened for competition. Bersani strengthened in this time his reputation as a pragmatic linker with economic competence.

Leader of the Democrats

Already in the founding of the Partito Democratico in October 2007 was Bersani as a possible candidate for the party presidency. However, he renounced in favor of his fellow party member of the Democrats of the Left ( Democrats of the Sinistra ), Walter Veltroni.

Following the resignation of Veltroni in February 2009 Bersani declared his candidacy for the party presidency, members and sympathizers of the party decided on 25 October 2009 in a primary election.

Bersani went as underdogs against the Acting Chairman Dario Franceschini in the election. He could but the vote, in which involved 3.1 million Italians, with 53.23 percent before Franceschini ( 34.27 % ) and the Senator Ignazio Marino win ( 12.49 %). Bersani was supported in intra-party election campaign among others, the former prime minister Massimo D' Alema, former Industry Minister Enrico Letta and the former Minister for Families and dedicated women's rights activist Rosy Bindi.

Fall of the Berlusconi government

After Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had to submit his resignation as a result of a vote defeat in the House of Representatives on 12 November 2011, Bersani made ​​strong because of the financial crisis in the country for the establishment of a government of experts, supported by a camp -wide coalition. This attitude brought Bersani also his opponents respect, since at this time the surveys of possible new elections a clear victory for the Democrats predicted. Given the dramatic financial situation of Italy, it could not be about party politics, argued Bersani, but only of "the land to save ."

Parliamentary elections in Italy in 2013

In November and December 2012, the center-left parties held from primaries to identify the top candidates for the 2013 parliamentary elections. Here, Bersani sat in the runoff election on December 2 against the mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, with 60.65 % of the vote through. On the ballot was attended by over 2.6 million Italians who did not have to be a member of a party.

In the parliamentary elections on 24-25. February 2013 entered Bersani as the leading candidate of the center-left alliance of consisting of Partito Democratico, Sinistra Ecologia Libertà and several small parties. This alliance was the strongest force in both chambers of Parliament. In the Chamber of Deputies, the center- left coalition came to 29.55 % of the votes cast (excluding the votes of Italians abroad ), in the Senate to 31.63 % (also excluding the votes of Italians abroad ). Due to peculiarities of the Italian electoral law Bersani has alliance with it only in the Chamber of Deputies has an absolute majority of seats and therefore can not govern on its own. On March 22, President Giorgio Napolitano Bersani commissioned to form a government. He did not succeed to form a majority government capable after six days of exploratory talks.

In the choice of a successor to the President Giorgio Napolitano to Bersani could not prevail with his candidates. In the first two rounds of voting failed jointly nominated by Bersani's center- left coalition of Silvio Berlusconi and the center- right coalition candidate Franco Marini. In the third and fourth ballot failed Romano Prodi, were the in the two chambers of parliament denied by Bersani bearing numerous voices. Bersani subsequently announced his resignation as leader of the PD. On 11 May 2013, was replaced by Guglielmo Epifani.

Curiosities

Due to his habit to speak in original metaphors (example: "We are not here to be wiped dry sea rock " as an appeal to their own people, to focus on sensible and pragmatic work), Bersani is a popular subject of satirists and comedians on television. Bersani commented this with self-irony. He agreed with his famous impersonator to perform the comedian Maurizio Crozza, in the satirical show Italy Country in which both provided a verbal duel with ad hoc devised metaphors.

Bersani has a reputation as a grassroots politician who meets the modern, media-oriented policy operation with skepticism. As a characteristic applies a photo before the Democratic convention in January 2012, which was seen in many Italian newspapers. It was taken by a tourist and shows Bersani, sitting alone with a glass of beer in a restaurant near the party headquarters and with pen and paper to write his keynote speech to the party conference.