Former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano Passed Away

Giorgio Napolitano was born in 1925 and served as President of the Italian Republic for two terms, from 2006 to 2015. Over the past few days, there have been reports of his critical health condition, which has remained unstable for many years. Napolitano was in the hospital for four months, and in the last hours, his condition deteriorated sharply.

“The life of Giorgio Napolitano reflected a significant part of the second half of the 20th century’s history, with its dramas, difficulties, goals, hopes,” said Sergio Mattarella, the current President of the Italian Republic. Napolitano was distinguished by his commitment to the communist movement and the fight against fascism, concern for the social and economic development of Southern Italy, and the protection of workers’ rights. Napolitano was a convinced Europeanist. He constantly worked to strengthen democratic values. All this allowed President Napolitano “to make a significant personal contribution to the social development of society, to the defense of peace and to the progress of Italy and Europe.”

Napolitano worked for 70 years in the Italian government. Since young age, he was in the ranks of the Communist Party and belonged to the democratic and reformist wing of the party. During his long political career, he held various positions, including head of the Italian Ministry of the Interior, as well as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, which he retained until his election as President of Italy.
A civil funeral service for the politician will be organized in the Senate building on September 24 and 25. The secular funeral ceremony starts on Tuesday at 11:30 (12:30 Moscow time) in the meeting room of the Chamber of Deputies, which the politician headed in 1992-1994. This has already happened with Pietro Ingrao, a famous Italian politician, a historical figure of the Italian Communist Party.