Achille Leone Occhetto (Italian pronunciation: [aˈkille okˈketto]; born 3 March 1936) is an Italian political figure. He served as the last secretary-general of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) between 1988 and 1991, and was the first leader of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), the parliamentary socialist successor of the PCI, from 1991 to 1994.
Achille Leone Occhetto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General Secretary of the Italian Communist Party | |
| In office 21 June 1988 – 3 January 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Alessandro Natta |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Secretary of the Democratic Party of the Left | |
| In office 8 February 1991 – 14 June 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Massimo D'Alema |
| Member of the Senate of the Republic | |
| In office 30 May 2001 – 27 April 2006 | |
| Constituency | Calabria |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 8 May 2006 – 28 March 2007 | |
| Constituency | Southern Italy |
| In office 25 July 1989 – 11 October 1998 | |
| Constituency | North-West Italy |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 5 July 1976 – 29 May 2001 | |
| Constituency | Palermo (1976–1992) Rome (1992–1994) Bologna (1994–2001) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 March 1936 Turin, Italy |
| Political party | SI (since 2017) |
| Other political affiliations | PCI (1953–1991) PDS (1991–1998) DS (1998–2007) SD (2007–2009) SEL (2009–2017) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and career
editOcchetto was born in Turin. He served as secretary of the Italian Communist Youth Federation, to which he had belonged starting from 1953, from 1963 to 1966. Subsequently, he was the regional secretary of the PCI in Sicily, where he distinguished himself for his war against any kind of mafia.
In 1986, Occhetto was appointed as national coordinator of the PCI and became its secretary in 1988, succeeding Alessandro Natta. Under his leadership, the party witnessed the collapse of both the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. He responded by declaring the Communist state experience over, and persuaded the PCI to dissolve and refound itself as a democratic socialist party, the PDS. This political shift, known in Italian politics as the Svolta della Bolognina (the name derives from the celebration of a partisan battle in World War II), during which he announced that the PCI would change its name, logo, and orientation, was accepted by approximately 70% of the members at the 20th National Congress held on 8 February 1991.
In 1994, Occhetto challenged and was defeated by Silvio Berlusconi in the 1994 Italian general election, leading the Alliance of Progressives; because of this loss, he resigned as party secretary. He returned to politics in the 2004 European Parliament election in Italy, being elected to the European Parliament on a joint ticket with anti-corruption campaigner Antonio Di Pietro; he immediately resigned and was replaced by Giulietto Chiesa. After the 2006 Italian general election, he returned to the European Parliament by taking up one of the seats vacated by an elected deputy, and sat as an Independent member of the Party of European Socialists group. In 2009, he joined the new left-wing formation Left Ecology Freedom. He is an atheist.[1]
Personal life
editOcchetto was married to the activist and former actress Elisa Kadigia Bove, with whom he had two sons, Malcolm and Massimiliano (both born in Sicily); he was later married to fellow party member Aureliana Alberici.[2]
Electoral history
edit| Election | House | Constituency | Party | Votes | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Chamber of Deputies | Palermo–Trapani–Agrigento–Caltanissetta | PCI | 67,134 |  Elected | |
| 1979 | Chamber of Deputies | Palermo–Trapani–Agrigento–Caltanissetta | PCI | 45,563 | Elected | |
| 1983 | Chamber of Deputies | Palermo–Trapani–Agrigento–Caltanissetta | PCI | 51,144 | Elected | |
| 1987 | Chamber of Deputies | Palermo–Trapani–Agrigento–Caltanissetta | PCI | 76,368 | Elected | |
| 1989 | European Parliament | North-West Italy | PCI | 533,077 | Elected | |
| 1992 | Chamber of Deputies | Rome–Viterbo–Latina–Frosinone | PDS | 143,905 | Elected | |
| 1994 | Chamber of Deputies | Bologna – Borgo Panigale | PDS | 52,997 | Elected | |
| 1994 | European Parliament | North-West Italy | PDS | 378,088 | Elected | |
| 1996 | Chamber of Deputies | Bologna – Borgo Panigale | PDS | 58,632 | Elected | |
| 2001 | Senate of the Republic | Calabria – Cosenza | DS | 49,596 | Elected | |
| 2004 | European Parliament | North-West Italy | IdV | 13,857 |  Not elected | |
First-past-the-post elections
edit| 1994 general election (C): Bologna – Borgo Panigale | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Coalition or Party | Votes | % | |
| Achille Occhetto | Progressives (PDS) | 52,997 | 59.8 | |
| Pier Ferdinando Casini | Pole of Freedoms (CCD) | 17,925 | 20.2 | |
| Anselmo Ruocco | National Alliance | 7,388 | 8.3 | |
| Maria Gualandi | Pact for Italy (PPI) | 7,133 | 8.0 | |
| Oliviero Toscani | Pannella List | 3,225 | 3.6 | |
| Total | 88,668 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | 91,571 | 95.0 | ||
| 1996 general election (C): Bologna – Borgo Panigale | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Coalition or Party | Votes | % | |
| Achille Occhetto | The Olive Tree (PDS) | 58,632 | 69.9 | |
| Gian Luca Galletti | Pole for Freedoms (CCD) | 25,293 | 30.1 | |
| Total | 83,925 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | 88,380 | 93.2 | ||
References
edit- ^ Maria Latella, "Occhetto: pecca chi vota i vecchi DC", Il Corriere della Sera, 28 January 1994, p. 2.
- ^ Biography|Achille Occhetto Archived 2014-08-12 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)