Teodoro Cordi (born 1939) was an Italian Democratic Party politician who served as President of Italy from 11 May 2009; he previously served in the Chamber of Deputies from 7 April 2008 to 11 May 2009.
Biography[]
Teodoro Cordi was born in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy in 1939, and he joined the Italian Socialist Party at the age of eighteen. He became an economist and worked for the Finance Ministry under Prime Minister Bettino Craxi; he also served as a Socialist deputy in the Chamber of Deputies and climbed the ranks of the party. Cordi continued his political career even after the dissolution of the PSI in 1994, affiliating with the Democratic Party of the Left due to his hardline socialist views, and later joining The Democrats from 1999 to 2002, The Daisy from 2002 to 2007, and the Democratic Party from 2007. Cordi became Secretary of the Democratic Party ahead of the 2008 general election; by then, he was a 69-year-old veteran of the Italian political left, and he was entrusted with leading the diverse Democratic Party.
Leader of the Opposition[]
Composition of the Chamber of Deputies after the April 2008 general election
On 7 April 2008, the Democratic Party became the largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, winning 32.02% of the vote and 17/54 seats in the Chamber after running an anti-corruption campaign. The conservative The People of Freedom party placed in second with 27.75% of the vote and 15/54 seats, followed by Lega Nord with 13.2% and 7/54 seats, Italy of Values with 12% and 7/54 seats, the Union of the Center with 11.3% and 6/54 seats, and the Movement for the Autonomies with 3.72% and 2/54 seats. Cordi attempted to form a coalition government, winning the support of Italy of Values, but PdL leader Crescenzia Bellante won the support of 27 deputies from her PdL, the MpA, Lega Nord, and the Union of the Center; Democratic Party deputy Garimberto Dugo crossed party lines to support Bellante, while UdC deputy Oderico Pasqualone voted for Cordi. As the leader of the largest opposition party, Cordi became Leader of the Opposition.
During his time as opposition leader, Cordi and his party supported initiatives to establish public housing, public education, press freedom, the legalization of prostitution, and other liberal causes, although the Democratic Party was on the losing side of bills to transform the Italian government into a "strong presidency" one (which Cordi opposed) and the implementation of capital punishment. Nevertheless, Cordi's party took advantage of an economic downturn to run a successful blame campaign against the PdL which widened the gap between the PD and the PdL at the April 2009 general election, the Democratic Party again placing in first, this time with 34.8% of the vote and 19/54 seats, while the PdL fell to 24.6% and 13/54 seats. In the ensuing presidential election, Cordi defeated Bellante by a margin of 24.3% to 22.3%, aided by Union of the Center protests against Bellante's government. Due to the introduction of a "strong presidency" system, Cordi assumed the presidency rather than the premiership once in power, and the leader of the PD in the chamber, Venustiano Tiso, became Prime Minister, now a largely powerless position.
Presidency[]
The composition of the Chamber at the start of Cordi's presidency
Cordi entered the presidency with a 36.64% approval rating, but he also inherited an economy of €53 million with a weekly decline of €3 million. Cordi's government responded by passing a consumption tax by a 37-9 margin, a coffee tax by a 33-10 margin, the legalization of prostitution by a 38-6 margin, and the introduction of a travel visa program by a 34-8 margin; the Chamber also voted 38-4 in favor of a food control program.