Fabio Mussi
 |
Fabio Mussi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Italian Minister of University and Research | |
| In office May 17, 2006 – May 8, 2008 | |
| Prime Minister | Romano Prodi |
| Preceded by | Letizia Moratti |
| Succeeded by | Mariastella Gelmini |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Minister of University and Research January 22, 1948 Piombino, Italy |
| Died | Minister of University and Research |
| Resting place | Minister of University and Research |
| Political party | Sinistra Democratica |
| Parent |
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Fabio Mussi (born January 22, 1948) is an Italian politician, minister of university and research in the Prodi II Cabinet. A former member of Italian Communist Party and then Democrats of the Left, he is currently a leading member of the Democratic Left party, of which he was the founding leader.
Career
Born in Piombino, Tuscany, he joined the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1966, being initially active at university level whilst studying at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa. In 1973, he graduated in Philosophy at the University of Pisa, (he never graduated at Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa) and soon joined its administrative staff. He also became a member of the PCI Central Committee in 1979, charged with cultural and propaganda tasks and an editor's position at Rinascita. He was regional secretary of the party in Calabria (1980-1984), and after that a member of the PCI National Directory. From 1986, he was co-editor of L'Unità.
Favorable to the turn towards democratic socialism in the PCI, he joined the Democratic Party of the Left, direct successor of the PCI, then become Democrats of the Left in 1998, also serving in the Italian Parliament from 1992 to 2008. Confirmed as deputy for his fourth time at the 2006 elections, Mussi then served as senior vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies and Minister for the University and Research in the Italian government.
During the 2007 Democrats of the Left convention, he headed the left-wing minority (the so-called correntone), which was opposed to the creation of the Democratic Party. During the convention he announced his opposition to join the brand-new party once it would be founded, and instead created a political movement called Democratic Left, of which he is the national coordinator. He left the leadership of his party following the party's defeat in the 2008 general election, as part of The Left - The Rainbow alliance, being replaced by Claudio Fava.
