Tommas Bezzina
Tommas Bezzina | |
|---|---|
 Bezzina in 2019 | |
| President of Vitruvia | |
| Assumed office 26 February 2017 | |
| Deputy | Cointa Favaloro |
| Preceded by | Saladino Contessa |
| Spokesman of the Green Party | |
| In office 30 December 1999 – 31 October 2009 | |
| Mayor of Incudine | |
| In office 1 August 1996 – 6 April 1998 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tommas Luís Osvaldo Bezzina February 12, 1964 Precea, Luzela, Paretia |
| Citizenship | Vitruvio |
| Political party | Independent (since 2016) |
| Spouse | Eloisa Camillo (m. 1994) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parents |
|
| Alma mater | Univeristy of Castellu |
Tommas Bezzina (Estmerish pronounciation:tˈɑːməz bˈɛzɪnə, born February 12, 1964) is a Vitruvio politician and current President of Vitruvia. He previously served as a professor in economics and the classics at the Univeristy of Castellu and then as a spokesperson for the Green Party of Vitruvia after joining politics.
Bezzina was born in Precea, Luzela, to a Vitruvio father and a Luzelan mother who met on a student exchange program. He was born in February of 1964, where his parents given two options of citizenship. Ultimately, they chose Vitruvia.
He was a member of the National Council where he represented the Green Party of Vitruvia as a speaker from 30 December 1999 – 31 October 2009, he served as the leader of the party and parliamentary group during these years.
For the first time in the 2017 Vitruvian Presidential Election Bezzina ran as an independent politician with support from the Greens, where he finished first out of six in the first round before facing Erasmo Zaccheo of the Liberal Democratics in the second round, which he also went on to win. He was sworn into office on the 27th February 2017.
Bezzina has described himself as being a centrist liberal, and supporter of green and social liberalist political views. He is also open about his support for the Euclean Community and his hope for a Vitruvian entry into the organisation in the future.
Personal Life
Early Life
Tommas was born on the morning of the 12th of February 1964 in the Paretian capital of Precea to writer and journalist Stiliano Bezzina (of Vitruvio descent) and Lea Di Salvatore (of Luzelan descent). His parents had met in the summer of 1962 due to a foreign student exchange program between two universities that meant that the two came to meet. The day prior to his birth his father had flown from Incudine and arrived just in time. For the first two months of his life he lived alone with his mother in her flat in Precea while she awaited a visa to live in Vitruvia with Stiliano. Tommas relocated into Vitruvia and lived in Incudine for the remainder of his childhood. He was baptized in June of 1964 at the St. Nicholas' Church. His father was an active journalist but also a businessman and due to this was away for work for a lot of his childhood in foreign countries.
In 1975, after finishing primary school, Bezzina was switched to a prestigious grammar school at the Academic Grammar School of Ania, where he took his CGES in 1981. In 1982 his mother gained full Vitruvio citizenship. Bezzina managed to avoid the mandatory conscription of Vitruvia due to being deemed unfit in 1983 and after passing in 1984 he was excused due to exams. After that, he was never called for service due to his later professorship.
Education
Bezzina studied economics and the classics at the Univeristy of Castellu, obtaining a masters degree in economics in 1986, with his dissertation Bellezza cullettiva o gentrification : prublemi cù a so urganizazione (Collective beauty or gentrification: problems with it's organization). He was awarded the title of Dr. in 1988. He was notable on the University campus for being a leading member of the school's Environmentalist group.
Home Life
In 1994 he married Eloisa Camillo, an accountant and advisor from Incudine, and together they had 4 children between 1995 and 2006. Bezzina holds an overseas citizenship of Paretia.
Bezzina is publicly a fan of Vitruvian football team C.F. Incudine, as opposed to rival team Gemignani which are also based in the city. He is seen at games often, even at notable finals including the 2021 Cuppa di a Nazione Final.
Political Career
Joining Politics
Bezzina was a member of the Liberal Democratics from the late 1980's until 1997. He gained a high position in the party fast due to his close relations with spokesperson Sabazio Domenico. In 1996, the Incudine Mayoral Elections were going to be held and Bezzina was put forward by the party to represent them, with Bezzina resigning from all government positions to take the role in the election. He was elected as Incudine's mayor, beating Veriana De Vincentis in the final round of voting.
In April 1998 he resigned his role as Mayor after wanting to pursue parliamentary politics further.
Green Party
His interests following his time as Mayor of Incudine switched toward environmental politics. He was brought into the Green Party in 1998 by his former postgraduate, Esuperio Mottola, who was the spokesperson for the party at the time. He had been offered a high position in the party after impressing as the Mayor of Incudine, which he oversaw the early stages of the Vitruvian New Classical Movement. He has described his change in views as from "a blind anti-capitalist youth" to a "conservational left-liberal".
In early 1999 he was nominated by the Greens to go for the position as President of the Court of Justice, however he finished third behind Aristarco Formato and Fiore Rosario of the VPP. In the summer of 1999, the Greens saw significant losses in the 1999 Vitruvian legislative elections and in December Bezzina took over from Mottola as party Chairman and spokesperson after only a year. He remained in this position until October 2009, making him the longest-serving spokesperson in the history of the Green Party.
He was sucessful in all elections for the Greens, with each time getting a higher approval rating. In the 2002 elections he got 6.4% of the vote, in the 2006 elections he got 9.8% of the vote and in the 2008 elections he got 12.5% of the vote. However in October of 2009, Bezzina resigned as spokesperson of the Greens, leaving his position to Amatore Pera.
Parliamentary Member
In 1993, during the legislative elections, Tommas Bezzina was sworn into the lower house of the Council of the Republic, where he served until 2013. From 1999 to 2009 he was the parliamentary leader of the Green Party
Presedential Election
Build-up to the election
Since 2013, Bezzina was regarded as a strong candidate for the Presidency. The suspicions were confirmed in early 2016 when the Green Party reserved the domain "tb2016.vi". After the reservation, the "Bright Future, Vote Bezzina" campaign began.
Campaign
On March 14th 2016, the Green Party released a video message from Bezzina announcing his candidacy for the 2016 Vitruvian presidential election.
Bezzina ran as an independent candidate for the office as president of Vitruvia. Although some doubt to his claim for nonpartisanism arose due to being the longest Green Party politician Vitruvia has had (1999 to 2009), and was still an active member of the party following his resignition. To show his dedication to nonpartisanism, he officially left the Greens as of May 12th 2016. Despite this, the Green Party still supported him throughout his presidential campaign; funding the "Bright Future, Vote Bezzina" movement.
For the second repitition of the ballot, his movement had around 19,000 private donations which amounted to 2.9 million euclos. Part of Bezzina's reason for running as a non-partisan candidate was to be able to avoid an official requirement of approval from the Greens, as well as not having to disclose the campaign donations.
Election
In the preliminary round of the election, Bezzina ranked second of all the candidates with 23.9% of the votes behind rival Sigismondo Magnotta with 32.0%.
The second and final round of voting ended in an indecisive result, with the final result including postal votes was at 51.0% for Bezzina and 49.0% for Magnotta. The voter turnout was 74.3%. Tommas Bezzina was sworn to office.
On January 14th 0222, Bezzina announced plans to run for a second term in the 2022 Vitruvian presidential election as he was elidgible. He went on to win the election with 53.9% of the vote in August of 2022.
Inauguration
Tommas Bezzina was inaugurated as the President of Vitruvia on 26 February 2017. Following his inaugural speech, he met with the Favoloro Government for the first time.
Presidential Career
