Giuseppe Tatarella
Italian politician (1935–1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Giuseppe Tatarella (17 September 1935 – 8 February 1999), also known as Pinuccio Tatarella, was an Italian politician who served as deputy prime minister in the first cabinet of Silvio Berlusconi from 1994 to 1995.
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Giuseppe Tatarella | |
|---|---|
| |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Italy | |
| In office 10 May 1994 – 17 January 1995 | |
| Prime Minister | Silvio Berlusconi |
| Preceded by | Claudio Martelli |
| Succeeded by | Walter Veltroni |
| Minister of Communications | |
| In office 10 May 1994 – 17 January 1995 | |
| Prime Minister | Silvio Berlusconi |
| Preceded by | Maurizio Pagani |
| Succeeded by | Agostino Gambino |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 20 June 1979 – 8 February 1999 | |
| Constituency | Apulia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 September 1935 |
| Died | 8 February 1999 (aged 63) Turin, Italy |
| Party | |
Early life and education
Career
Tatarella was a lawyer and journalist.[3] He worked for the local branches of the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a neo-fascist party that was launched by Benito Mussolini's followers in 1946 based on his strong nationalistic ideals.[2][3] In the 1960s, he launched the weekly Puglia d'Oggi (Puglia Today).[1] In 1970, he became a member of the Puglia regional council.[1] In 1979, he was first elected to the Italian Parliament and retained his seat until 1999.[1][2] Tatarella was among the co-founders of National Alliance (AN) in January 1994.[4][5] He became one of its senior member.[3] The party was the continuation of the MSI.[3] He served as floor leader of the AN at the parliament for a long time.[6] In 1996, he took over the Il Roma, a Naples-based daily, and served as its editor until 1999.[1]
Tatarella was appointed deputy prime minister to the first Berlusconi government, which was the first right-wing cabinet of Italy after World War II, on 10 May 1994.[7][8] He also served as Minister of Post and Telecommunications.[9] Although he was one of four AN members in the same cabinet,[10] only Tatarella's appointment was regarded as significant,[11] and he was surnamed the minister of harmony.[12] Tatarella was in office until 1995. He also won his seat from Bari in the 1996 Italian general election.[13] In January 1997, he was named as the head of a parliamentary subcommittee.[14] It was one of four subcommittees that constituted a bicameral committee of Parliament set up to discuss the institutional reorganization of Italy.[14]
During his political career, Tatarella was often described and viewed as a fascist, which he denied. Tatarella said that he had joined the MSI not because he was nostalgic of Italian fascism but because it was the strongest anti-communist party.[15] He defined himself thusly: "I am a nationalist, a Catholic and a democrat."[1] Belgian minister Elio Di Rupo refused to shake Tatarella's hand during a meeting in Brussels when Tatarella was serving as deputy prime minister and ministry of posts and telecommunications.[16] It was due to the negative image of AN.[16]
