Roberto Formigoni
Roberto Formigoni has served the Italian Parliament as Senator representing the region Lombardia since 2013. He is a member of the New Centre-Right political party.
Roberto Formigoni was born in Lecco, Lombardia, on March 30th 1947.
Political Career
Roberto Formigoni began his political career early in Christian Democracy, through youth movements such as Gioventù Studentesca and Communion and Liberation (of which he became the unofficial political spokesman). In 1976, he founded the Popular Movement and was elected a deputy in both the European Parliament and Parliament of Italy. He was also the Vice-President of the European Parliament for five years and served as under-secretary for the Environment in the Italian government. In 1990, he garnered attention when he was involved in a mission to Iraq which successfully concluded with the freeing of some Italian technicians who were hostages of the local government. He later took part in the Oil-for-food programme for Iraq, buying 1,000,000 oil barrels. The move sparked controversy and linked him to alleged bribe scandals. In 1995, he and Rocco Buttiglione founded the United Christian Democrats party. In 1998, he moved to Forza Italia. He was elected President of Lombardy in 1995, re-elected in 2000 carrying over 62% of the approximately 3.5 million votes, in 2005 and 2010. On October 16, 2012, Formigoni announced the dissolution of the regional legislature after one of his commissioners, Domenico Zambetti of the People of Freedom, was arrested on accusations he bought votes from the 'Ndrangheta in 2010 and extorted favours and public building contracts, including construction tenders for the World Expo 2015 in Milan. A non-political administration ran Lombardy until early elections in 2013. Later that year he was elected to the Italian Senate. After the split of the People of Freedom, Formigoni joined the New Centre-Right party.
Education
Roberto Formigoni graduated in Philosophy from Università Cattolica in Milan and then studied Political Economy at Sorbonne University in Paris.
