Maurizio Gasparri (born 18 July 1956) is an Italian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

Career

Gasparri was born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to parents of

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...

origins. He was educated at the

Liceo Torquato Tasso The Liceo Torquato Tasso, better known as Liceo Tasso, is one of the oldest secondary schools in Rome, Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists ...

in the city. In his civilian life he worked as a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, becoming editor-in-chief of the ''

Secolo d'Italia ''Secolo d'Italia'' (; "Century of Italy") is a daily online newspaper in Italy, published since 1952, formerly supporting neo-fascism. In 2012, it ceased its print edition and continued as an online-only conservative publication. Political an ...

'', the daily paper of the post-fascist

Italian Social Movement The Italian Social Movement (, MSI) was a neo-fascist political party in Italy. A far-right party, it presented itself until the 1990s as the defender of Italian fascism's legacy, and later moved towards national conservatism. In 1972, the Itali ...

(MSI).

Political career

Gasparri was formerly a member of the MSI - where he was deputy secretary of the movement's

Youth Front Youth Front (; FJ) was a Spanish political youth organization and far-right militant group, sometimes considered a terrorist organization. History FJ emerged as a 1978 split of New Force, the main neofrancoist party in Spain at the time. The s ...

(''Fronte della Gioventù''; FdG) throughout the mid-1980s - and the

National Alliance National Alliance may refer to: Electoral alliances *National Alliance (Egypt) (2015) * National Alliance (Ireland) (2024 onwards) * National Alliance (Pakistan) (2002-2004) *Nation Alliance (Turkey) (2018-2023) Political parties and organizations ...

(AN). From 2001 to 2005 he served as the Minister of Communications in the

Berlusconi II Cabinet The second Berlusconi government was the 57th government of the Italian Republic and the first government of the XIV Legislature. It took office following the 2001 Italian general election, 2001 elections, and held office from 11 June 2001 until ...

. It was during his time in this role that he pushed for controversial amendments to the country's telecommunications legislation, known collectively as the ''legge Gasparri''. Following a weak showing in the regional elections of 2005, he was replaced in Berlusconi's third Cabinet by

Mario Landolfi Mario Landolfi (born 6 June 1959) is an Italian politician, served as a member of the parliament and minister of communications. Early life Landolfi was born in Mondragone, the province of Caserta, on 6 June 1959. Career Landolfi was a council ...

. Alongside

Ignazio La Russa Ignazio Benito Maria La Russa (born 18 July 1947) is an Italian politician who is serving as President of the Senate of the Republic (Italy), president of the Senate of the Republic since 2022 President of the Italian Senate election, 13 Octob ...

, Gasparri was considered a leader of the AN mainstream faction '' Destra Protagonista''. During the XVI legislature (2008–13), he was president of

The People of Freedom The People of Freedom (, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The PdL launched by Silvio Berlusconi as an electoral list, including and National Alliance, on 27 February for the 2008 Italian general election. The list was later t ...

(PdL) bloc in the Senate. He is against ''

jus soli ''Jus soli'' ( or , ), meaning 'right of soil', is the right of anyone born in the territory of a state to nationality or citizenship. ''Jus soli'' was part of the English common law, in contrast to ''jus sanguinis'' ('right of blood') ass ...

'',

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

and

LGBT adoption Same-sex adoption is the adoption of children or adults by Same-sex relationship, same-sex couples. It may take the form of a joint adoption by the couple, or of the adoption by one partner of the other's biological child or adult (stepchild ad ...

Obama controversy

In the wake of

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's election in November 2008, Gasparri declared on

RAI (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...

that "with Obama in the White House, perhaps

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

is happier". He was heavily criticized for his comments by the Italian Democratic Party.

Gallery

File:Giorgio almirante con fini.jpg, Gasparri (second from right) addressing the Youth Front in 1981, alongside

Giorgio Almirante Giorgio Almirante (27 June 1914 – 22 May 1988) was an Italian politician who founded the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement, which he led until his retirement in 1987. Early life Almirante was born at Salsomaggiore Terme, in Emilia Rom ...

(second from left),

Gianfranco Fini Gianfranco Fini (born 3 January 1952) is a retired Italian politician who served as the president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2008 to 2013 and Deputy Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006. He is the former leader of the far-right Italian ...

and Almerigo Grilz. File:Maurizio Gasparri (2001).jpg, Gasparri in 2001. File:Gasparri 2016.jpg, Gasparri campaigning on behalf of Alfio Marchini during the municipal elections in Rome in 2016.

Bibliography

* 1986 - ''Adolfo Urso: L'età dell'intelligenza'', ed. Settimo Sigillo * 2005 - ''Fare il futuro'', intervista a cura di Lucilla Parlato * 2007 - ''Il cuore a destra'', ed. Rubbettino

Notes

External links

Personal web site (Italian)
1956 births Living people Politicians from Rome Italian Social Movement politicians National Alliance (Italy) politicians The People of Freedom politicians Government ministers of Italy Deputies of Legislature XI of Italy Deputies of Legislature XII of Italy Deputies of Legislature XIII of Italy Deputies of Legislature XIV of Italy Deputies of Legislature XV of Italy Senators of Legislature XVI of Italy Senators of Legislature XVII of Italy Senators of Legislature XVIII of Italy Vice presidents of the Senate (Italy) 21st-century Italian politicians {{Italy-politician-ThePeopleofFreedom-stub