Gabriele Tedeschi (1954-2023) was Prime Minister of Italy from 2009 to 2011 (preceding Francesco Crespino) and from 2018 to 2019 (succeeding Mario Federici and preceding Luciana Uliano).
Biography[]
Gabriele Tedeschi was born in Ancona, Marche, Italy in 1954, and he was involved in the Italian Socialist Party as a youth, becoming a member of its press corps. He later rose to serve as communications director of The Daisy and, in 2009, he was elected leader of the Democratic Party of Italy. That same year, he led the party to win 30.67% of the voote and 12 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, making the PD the largest party in the country. In the ensuing leadership election, he won the backing of the Italian Left, M5S, and his own party and defeated Lega Nord leader Liliana Sottini in a vote of 22-13, becoming Prime Minister.
First premiership[]
Under Tedeschi, the Chamber of Deputies narrowly approved an income tax in a vote of 19-14, created an anti-Mafia commission after a vote of 32-3 (proposed by Mario Federici), approved public housing in a vote of 32-1, approved retirement homes in a vote of 35-0, shot down an M5S attempt to impose prime ministerial term limits in a vote of 23-9, shot down an attempt to decrease the constitutional amendment threshold to 50% in a vote of 21-8, voted to keep the housing tax in a vote of 18-12, and voted 23-8 to retain European Union membership. In the general election of late 2009, the PD won the most amount of votes and seats with 31.88% and 13, respectively; Lega Nord placed in second with 20.59% of the vote and 8 seats, Forza Italia in third with 18.57% and 8 seats, M5S in fourth with 16.06% and 6 seats, and the Italian Left in sixth with 12.9% and 5 seats. With PD picking up two seats from Forza Italia and Lega Nord, respectively, Tedeschi won re-election in a vote of 21-16, defeating Sottini again. His government voted to fund agriculture research, defended the election threshold in a 19-14 vote, unanimously continued the anti-mafia commission, narrowly voted to abolish the income tax in a vote of 18-17, narrowly failed to approve party funding in a 14-15 vote, and voted 22-7 to approve a stamp duty. In the mid-2010 general election, PD and Forza Italia saw increased support, while M5S, Lega Nord, and Italian Left support slumped. The PD won 32.17% of the vote and 13 seats, Lega Nord won 20.13% and 8 seats, FI won 19.82% and 8 seats, M5S won 15.21% and 6 seats, and SI won 12.68% and 5 seats; the seat count remained unchanged. Tedeschi won another mandate to lead in a vote of 23-14, and the Chamber approved public libraries in a vote of 35-3, approved free primary education in a vote of 34-1, voted 19-16 to approve party funding, voted 21-15 to abolish the stamp duty (leading to economic downturn), voted 26-6 to approve a bus transport service, and voted 29-3 to approve road maintenance. The mid-2011 election saw the PD drop to 30.19% and 12 seats, Lega Nord dropped to 20.02% and 8 seats, FI dropped to 19.36% and 8 seats, M5S dropped to 14.8% and 6 seats, and SI rose to 15.63% and 6 seats. Tedeschi won yet another term as Prime Minister in a vote of 25-15, defeating Sottini again. The government approved a school bus tax in a vote of 23-9, failed to pass a party funding amendment to the constitution, voted 28-3 in favor of prime minister term limits, and failed to save the housing tax in a vote of 14-12. In the late 2011 general election, PD dropped to 27.69% and 11 seats, Lega rose to 21.79% and 9 seats, FI dropped to 16.32% and 7 seats, SI rose to 15.88% and 6 seats, and M5S rose to 18.31% and 7 seats. Tedeschi, term-limited by the new law, was forced to step down and allow for his successor as party leader, Francesco Crespino, to become the new Prime Minister.
Second premiership[]
Gabriele Tedeschi returned to the party leadership after Crespino stepped down as party leader, and, in 2018, her party became the second-largest party in the Chamber after M5S. Tedeschi then won the support of the SI, his own party, LN, and FI, and he was confirmed in a vote of 15-8. His government voted 12-7 to legalize prostitution and protected existing programs and taxes. In the mid-2018 election, M5S won 32.66% of the vote and 8 seats, followed by PD's 23.82% and 6 seats, SI's 17.92% and 4 seats, FI won 13.24% and 3 seats, and LN won 12.37% and 3 seats. Before the election, the Chamber voted 13-8 to approve Olympic games in the country. A week later, Tedeschi won 14 votes to Federici's 9 and won another term as Prime Minister. The new government approved vehicle emission limits in a vote of 13-7, and they then voted 11-8 to abolish the car tax. The Chamber then voted 17-3 to approve prime minister term limits, and, two weeks later, the early 2019 elections were held. M5S won 34.07% of the vote and 8 seats, PD won 22.64% and 5 seats, SI won 16.9% and 4 seats, FI won 14.38% and 4 seats, and LN won 12.02% and 3 seats. The ensuing leadership contest saw M5S leader Stefano Vizzini and PD leader Luciana Uliano tie with 10 votes each, preventing a new leader from being elected. Tedeschi, despite no longer being PD leader, remained in office as a caretaker Prime Minister. The Chamber narrowly voted down an airport tax in a 10-9 vote, voted to keep hte stamp duty, narrowly voted 10-9 to continue sex ed classes, voted 13-7 to establish a postal service, voted 14-7 to approve public housing, voted 15-6 t approve a tobacco tax, and they also voted 11-10 to pass a coffee tax. In late 2019, M5S won 33.68% of the vote and 8 seats, the PD won 20.71% and 5 seats, SI won 17.05% and 4 seats, FI won 17.17% and 4 seats, and LN won 11.39% and 3 seats. In January 2020, the Chamber voted 12-10 to confirm Luciana Uliano as Prime Minister over Stefano Vizzini, and Uliano became the new Prime Minister. He died in 2023 after returning to serving as a deputy.