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David Sassoli
David Maria Sassoli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdaːvid maˈriːa sasˈsɔːli]; 30 May 1956 – 11 January 2022) was an Italian politician and journalist who served as the president of the European Parliament from 3 July 2019 until his death. Sassoli was first elected as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009.
David Sassoli was born in Florence in 1956 to Tuscan parents from Florence and Prato. His name "David Maria" was chosen by his father in honour of David Maria Turoldo, an Italian presbyter and theologian. He studied at the department of political science at the Sapienza University of Rome.
He began his career as a journalist at the newspaper Il Tempo in Rome, before collaborating with various newspapers and the news agency ASCA. His first national premiere was in 1985, when he interviewed the escaped left-wing terrorist Oreste Scalzone at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. That year he moved to the Roman editorial office of the daily Il Giorno, where he followed the main political and news events for seven years. During this period, he was a direct witness to fundamental historical events, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989, being one of the many that brought the wall down physically. He was enrolled in the register of professional journalists from 3 July 1986 on.
In 1992, he became a reporter for television news program TG3, and in the same period he collaborated with Michele Santoro for some programs such as Il rosso e il nero (lit. 'The Red and the Black') and Tempo reale (lit. 'Real Time'). In 1996, he hosted the program Cronaca in diretta (lit. 'Live coverage'). After a few years, he was appointed anchorman of TG1, where he became one of the most notable and popular journalists in the country. In 2007, when Gianni Riotta was appointed the new director of TG1, Sassoli became his deputy director. Sassoli was also a supporter of Articolo 21, liberi di... (lit. 'Article 21, free to...'), an Italian association which includes journalists, writers, directors, and lawyers, with the aim of promoting freedom of expression.
In 2009, Sassoli left his journalism career to enter politics, becoming a member of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and running in the 2009 European Parliament election, for the Central Italy district. On 7 June, he was elected member of the EP with 412,502 personal preferences, becoming the most voted for candidate in his constituency. From 2009 to 2014, he served as PD's delegation leader in the Parliament.
On 9 October 2012, Sassoli announced his candidacy in the primaries to become the centre-left's candidate as for the office of Mayor of Rome in the 2013 municipal election. He ended up in second place with 28 per cent of the vote, behind Senator Ignazio Marino, who received 55 per cent, and ahead of former minister of communications Paolo Gentiloni. Marino would be later elected mayor, defeating the right-wing incumbent, Gianni Alemanno.
In the European Parliament election of 2014, Sassoli was re-elected to the Parliament, with 206,170 preferences. The election was characterized by a strong showing of his Democratic Party, which received 41 per cent of votes.
On 1 July 2014 Sassoli was elected Vice-President of the European Parliament with 393 votes, making him the second most voted for Socialist candidate. In addition to his committee assignments, he was a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights.
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David Sassoli
David Maria Sassoli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdaːvid maˈriːa sasˈsɔːli]; 30 May 1956 – 11 January 2022) was an Italian politician and journalist who served as the president of the European Parliament from 3 July 2019 until his death. Sassoli was first elected as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009.
David Sassoli was born in Florence in 1956 to Tuscan parents from Florence and Prato. His name "David Maria" was chosen by his father in honour of David Maria Turoldo, an Italian presbyter and theologian. He studied at the department of political science at the Sapienza University of Rome.
He began his career as a journalist at the newspaper Il Tempo in Rome, before collaborating with various newspapers and the news agency ASCA. His first national premiere was in 1985, when he interviewed the escaped left-wing terrorist Oreste Scalzone at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. That year he moved to the Roman editorial office of the daily Il Giorno, where he followed the main political and news events for seven years. During this period, he was a direct witness to fundamental historical events, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989, being one of the many that brought the wall down physically. He was enrolled in the register of professional journalists from 3 July 1986 on.
In 1992, he became a reporter for television news program TG3, and in the same period he collaborated with Michele Santoro for some programs such as Il rosso e il nero (lit. 'The Red and the Black') and Tempo reale (lit. 'Real Time'). In 1996, he hosted the program Cronaca in diretta (lit. 'Live coverage'). After a few years, he was appointed anchorman of TG1, where he became one of the most notable and popular journalists in the country. In 2007, when Gianni Riotta was appointed the new director of TG1, Sassoli became his deputy director. Sassoli was also a supporter of Articolo 21, liberi di... (lit. 'Article 21, free to...'), an Italian association which includes journalists, writers, directors, and lawyers, with the aim of promoting freedom of expression.
In 2009, Sassoli left his journalism career to enter politics, becoming a member of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and running in the 2009 European Parliament election, for the Central Italy district. On 7 June, he was elected member of the EP with 412,502 personal preferences, becoming the most voted for candidate in his constituency. From 2009 to 2014, he served as PD's delegation leader in the Parliament.
On 9 October 2012, Sassoli announced his candidacy in the primaries to become the centre-left's candidate as for the office of Mayor of Rome in the 2013 municipal election. He ended up in second place with 28 per cent of the vote, behind Senator Ignazio Marino, who received 55 per cent, and ahead of former minister of communications Paolo Gentiloni. Marino would be later elected mayor, defeating the right-wing incumbent, Gianni Alemanno.
In the European Parliament election of 2014, Sassoli was re-elected to the Parliament, with 206,170 preferences. The election was characterized by a strong showing of his Democratic Party, which received 41 per cent of votes.
On 1 July 2014 Sassoli was elected Vice-President of the European Parliament with 393 votes, making him the second most voted for Socialist candidate. In addition to his committee assignments, he was a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights.