Marco Follini

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Marco Follini (born on 26 September 1954) is an Italian centre-wing politician.

Follini was born in Rome. He was National Secretary of the Democrats' Centre Union party until October 15, 2005. He was also Vice-Prime Minister of Berlusconi's second government, taking office up to April 2005.

Former member of the Christian Democracy party, he then joined the UDC, and became national party leader in 2002, succeeding to Pierferdinando Casini, after his election as President of the Chamber of Deputies. He unexpectedly resigned from his UDC leader position in October 15, 2005, following the approval of a new proportional electoral law by the House of Freedoms, stating this was not the electoral law he actually wished.

Elected in the 2006 general election as Senator, he continued to show his disagreement of Berlusconi's leadership in the House of Freedoms. Follini also showed clashes of opinions with the rest of his party in several other cases, supporting Giorgio Napolitano's candidacy in the presidential election and successfully campaigning in opposition to the constitutional reform approved by the House of Freedoms in 2005, then cancelled by a referendum.

On October 18, 2006, Follini officially left UDC, and announced the foundation of a new centrist movement, called Middle-of-the-Road Italy (Italia di Mezzo).