Anna Finocchiaro

Born in Modica, Finocchiaro graduated in law in 1978, and she worked for the Banca d'Italia's branch in Savona before becoming a magistrate in Leonforte in 1982.^[1] She served as a magistrate until 1985, when she was appointed as a deputy public prosecutor at the court of Catania.^[1] She was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies as a member of the Italian Communist Party in 1987; she was elected to Catania's council in 1988.^[1] Finocchiaro was later a member of both the Democratic Party of the Left and the Democrats of the Left, and she was a founding member of the Democratic Party (PD) in 2007.^[1]

Finocchiaro served as Minister for Equal Opportunities in the first cabinet of Romano Prodi from 1996 to 1998.^[1] She stood for the Senate for the first time in the 2006 Italian general election; she was named as the group chair of the Olive Tree coalition following her election.^[1] Finocchiaro was named the leader of the PD in the Senate following the party's creation in 2007 and was reconfirmed as leader following the 2008 Italian general election.^[1] In 2008 she also stood unsuccessfully to be President of Sicily.^[1]

After being under investigation by the Italian courts for abuse of office and aggravated fraud, her husband was completely acquitted on all counts in 2018.^[2][3]