Dario Lorenzin

{{Infobox officeholder |honorific-prefix = His Excellency |name = Dario Lorenzin |native_name = |native_name_lang = |honorific-suffix = |image = Leonel Fernández2010.jpg |imagesize = 250px |smallimage = |caption = Dario Lorenzin |office = 48^th President of Marirana |term_start = 28^th January 2008 |term_end = 28^th January 2013 |deputy = |primeminister = Maddalena Angiolillo
Giovan Boutros
Rosa Michelozzi |constituency = |predecessor = Roberto Vernizzi |successor = Giorgio Macciocchi |office2 = Speaker of the [[House of Councillors (Marirana)|House of Councillors |term_start2 = 9^th April 2018 |term_end2 = |president2 = Lorenzo Occhetto |predecessor2 = Paolo Rattazzi |successor2 = |office3 = 10^th Prime Minister of Marirana |term_start3 = 4^th June 1997 |term_end3 = 29^th May 1998 |president3 = Oliviero Michelozzi
Giordano Falcomatà |predecessor3 = Renato D'Ascanio |successor3 = Rosa Michelozzi |birth_date = (1952-12-23) December 23, 1952 |birth_place = Aquinas, Vittico, Marirana |death_date = |death_place = |restingplace = |restingplacecoordinates = |birthname = |citizenship = |nationality = |party =Positive Marirana |otherparty = Democratic Alternative (1987-2006) |spouse = Jill Dumont |partner = |relations = |children = Mario
Bella |residence = |alma_mater = University of Aquinas
University of Freeminster |occupation = Politician |profession = |cabinet = |committees = |portfolio = |religion = Solarian Catholicism |signature = |signature_alt = |website = |footnotes = }} Dario Lorenzin (born 23^rd December, 1952) is a Mariranan politician who currently serves as the Speaker of the House of Councillors. He served as the 48^th President of Marirana from 2008 to 2013 and previously served as the prime minister from June 1997 to May 1998. The founder of the liberal Positive Marirana party Lorenzin was previously a member of Democratic Alternative (AD).

A lawyer who studied in the Federation, Lorenzin became a public prosecutor in the 1990's where he became famous for spearheading detailed cases against corrupt officials in Montopoli. In 1997 he was tapped to become prime minister under the presidential administration of Oliviero Michelozzi where he was accused of using lawfare against corrupt officials and attempting to politicise the judiciary. He resigned from cabinet in 1998 after accusing president Giordano Falcomatà of tolerating corruption.

In 2006 Lorenzin left the Democratic Alternative over corruption allegations and formed the Positive Marirana party which soon became the dominant party of the centre-left. In anticipation for the 2008 election Lorenzin formed the Alliance of the Centre coalition which included Positive Marirana, the Socialist Party, Forza Marirana and the Union of Green Democrats - Ecological Alternative.

During the 2008 election Lorenzin attained 37.6% vote in the first round, before getting 54.3% against Giuseppe Rognoni in the second round. The Alliance for the Centre coalition won the 2008 legislative election enabling Lorenzin to govern with a majority. As president Lorenzin was forced to deal with a recession, reacting by cutting public expenditure and pursuing economic liberalisation. Lorenzin also launched a comprehensive anti-corruption crackdown and attempted to negotiate with insurgent groups, although talks broke down in 2011.

In 2010 Forza Marirana and the right-wing faction of the Socialist Party left the government after stalled economic reforms forming a coalition government with the Anti-Revolutionary Party and the Democratic Alternative; this forced Lorenzin to enter a state of cohabitation. Lorenzin criticised this development as leading to a "system of paralysis" and came to conflict with the executive, leading to government gridlock. He officially stepped down as president on the 28 January 2013 when his five year term ended to low approval ratings.

Lorenzin ran in the 2018 election for the presidency - however he attained only 4.2% of the vote and did not enter the second round. Lorenzin subsequently endorsed Lorenzo Occhetto for the presidency with Positive Marirana joining the left-wing Avanti Marirana! political coalition. He was appointed as the Speaker of the House of Councillors in 2018, the only person in Mariranan history having held the positions of prime minister, president and speaker.

He is considered a prominent member of the "third way" tendency in global politics, supporting economic and social liberalism.

Early and academic life

Lorenzin was born in 1952 in the city of Aquinas as the second son to a middle-class family, with his father's family having emigrated to Marirana from Werania in the 1860's whilst his mother was of Bahian descent. His father Emiliano was a journalist whilst his mother was a nurse. He attended a Catholic private school from the ages of 12 to 18 before being accepted into the prestigious University of Aquinas from 1970 studying History before dropping out and transferring to the University of Freeminster in 1972 to study law. He earned a bachelors degree from Freeminister in 1975 and a masters in 1977 in the legal profession.

In 1975 Lorenzin married a fellow law student, Jill Dumont, who was an Asterian citizen. Following their marriage in 1978 Lorenzin had his first child, Mario and in 1981 his second Bella.

Legal career

Following his graduation from university Lorenzin returned to Marirana moving to the city of Montopoli, where he became a municipal judge in the city of Montopoli. However he resigned from the court in 1978 after having his first child Lorenzin set up his own private law firm in the city.

In 1982 Lorenzin defended the court cases of dissidents who had been tortured by the than ruling military regime leading him to become a human rights lawyer on behalf of dissidents to the regime. Most famously in 1985 when he sought to bring to attention the case of the Nuovi V, a rock band in Marirana that was imprisoned by the regime for "spreading subversive messages". Lorenzin gained national attention over the case which infuriated the military regime. Amid international criticism Lorenzin was imprisoned in 1984 for "supporting seditious elements" and his lawyer licence revoked.

Lorenzin as a prosecutor in 1994.

Lorenzin's imprisonment meant he became one of the most high profile dissidents in the country. In 1987 president Ignazio Antoniotto officially pardoned Lorenzin as part of his liberalisation process. Lorenzin as a result was a founder of the social-liberal Democratic Alternative (AD) and subsequently campaigned for the Coalition for Democratic Action in the 1987 presidential and 1988 legislative elections. Despite being offered a parliamentary seat Lorenzin instead opted to return to the legal profession in order to campaign for former victims of the regime to receive compensation.

In 1992 following financial troubles with his legal firm Lorenzin became a public prosecutor in Montopoli. He soon garnered a reputation of being harsh on local corruption, actively investigation and prosecuting cases of fiscal corruption in the city. Lorenzin's critics accused him of lawfare, but his stringent anti-corruption crusade led to him to become the most popular public figure in the city.

During the 1998 election members of the Democratic Alternative approached Lorenzin to persuade him to run for president. Lorenzin refused the offer after deciding to accept the nomination to become prime minister.

Political career

Prime Minister

In June 1997 president Oliviero Michelozzi approached Lorenzin to become Prime Minister after the resignation of Renato D'Ascanio when the latter decided to run for the presidency. Lorenzin agreed on the condition to largely pick his own cabinet during the period between his inauguration as prime minister and the election of a new president in January 1998. In his first speech as prime minister Lorenzin promised to reduce corruption, continue economic liberalisation and modernise the political process.

Lorenzin at a cabinet meeting in March 1998.

Lorenzin soon proved himself to be an activist prime minister, proposing a series of economic reforms including liberalising foreign-direct investment and the creation of new division within the federal police force to combat drug traffickers. During the 1998 election Lorenzin endorsed the government candidate Giordano Falcomatà and after Falcomatà's victory in the election was retained as prime minister.

In 1998 Lorenzin proposed a wide reaching legal reform that would have placed far more power in the Attorney-General's hands in line with Falcomatà's "clean hands" anti-corruption programme. Lorenzin was soon accused of using the same lawfare tactics as he had done in Montopoli and of politicising the judiciary, albeit the government defended the proposals by stating they would serve more to clean up the judiciary of corrupt elements rather than politicise it. The proposal was defeated by the parliamentary assembly in May 1998, resulting in Lorenzin to submit his resignation as prime minister where he accused Falcomatà of undermining the government's own proposal and being "soft on corruption". Although offered to continue in cabinet, he returned to private law practice throughout the reminder of Falcomatà's term.

Lorenzin retired from his law practice in 2003 to run for the House of Councillors on the Democratic Alternative's list in the 2003 legislative election. He was elected on a proportional seat.

2008 election

Lorenzin campaigning during the 2008 election.