Rita Borsellino

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Rita Borsellino

Rita Borsellino (born 2 June 1945 in Palermo) is an anti-Mafia activist, Sicilian politician, and sister of the late judge Paolo Borsellino, killed by the Corleonesi in 1992 by a car bomb. She is currently Leader of the Opposition in the Sicilian Regional Assembly.

Graduated in Pharmaceutics in 1967, after the death of her brother Rita Borsellino has become one of the most popular anti-mafia activists in Sicily, and founded in 1995 Libera, a civil organization with the main goal to diffuse an anti-mafia culture among the youth Sicilians, of which she is currently vice-president.

In 2005, some minor parties of the The Union, mainly from the radical left wing, endorsed her as candidate for the primary election. She was then backed also by the Democrats of the Left, being eventually supported by all the coalition parties, except the Daisy (Margherita) who presented another candidate, University of Catania's Dean Ferdinando Latteri.

In the primary election, held in December 4, 2005, she then defeated her competitor, and gained the candidacy of the Union for the regional election of Sicily held on May 28, 2006, where she faced and lost to incumbent governor Salvatore Cuffaro in the election. Rita Borsellino is currently the leader of the opposition in the Regional Assembly.

Since 1998 she's also Chairman of "Associazione Piera Cutino - guarire dalla talassemia", a non-profit foundation that promotes medical research against thalassaemia.