Carlo Giovanardi

Carlo Giovanardi

Member of the Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 April 2008
Constituency	Emilia-Romagna
Minister for Relations with the Parliament
In office 11 June 2001 – 17 May 2006
Preceded by	Patrizia Toia
Succeeded by	Vannino Chiti
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 23 April 1992 – 28 April 2008
Constituency	Emilia-Romagna
Personal details
Born	(1950-01-15) 15 January 1950 Modena, Italy
Political party	New Centre-Right (since 2013) PdL (2009–13) PL (2008–09) UDC (2002–08) CCD (1994–2002) DC (before 1994)

Carlo Amedeo Giovanardi (Modena, 15 January 1950) is an Italian politician and member of the Senate, leader of the socially conservative wing of New Centre-Right party.

Political career

He graduated in jurisprudence, and did his military service in the Carabinieri. His political experience began in 1969, when he joined the Christian Democracy party (DC).

His first elected position was as a city councillor in Modena, followed by being a Christian Democrat member in the Regional Council of the Emilia Romagna. In 1992 he was elected as a member of the Chamber of Deputies and in the successive legislature on the Christian Democrat list. Subsequently he became an exponent and founding member of the Christian Democratic Centre (CCD).

He has been president of the parliamentary group of the Christian Democratic Centre and vice president of the Chamber of Deputies.

In the 2001 Italian elections, Giovanardi was elected Deputy representing Lecco for Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right coalition House of Freedoms, as part of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC).

From June 11, 2001 until May 2006, he was Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, in Berlusconi's second and third governments.

In the 2006 Italian general election he became Deputy representing the Veneto-2 constituency. He is President of the Committee for the Authorizations and President of the Parliamentary Committee for accusation procedures. He is also member of the Institutional Transactions Commission of the Chamber of Deputies.

Carlo Giovanardi and Emerenzio Barbieri were the leaders of one of the four factions in the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats, who want closer ties with Forza Italia and the other parties of the House of Freedoms coalition, including the Lega Nord. In the III National Congress the candidacy of Giovanardi for the leadership was supported by the 13.8% of delegates.^[1]

In 2008, Giovanardi left the UDC to found the short-lived Liberal Populars party, which merged into the broad centre-right party The People of Freedom (PdL) in 2009. After the split of PdL in 2013, Giovanardi joined the New Centre-Right party.

Controversies

Cremonini case

On Sunday 13 November 2005, a TV program report by Milena Gabanelli on Rai Tre^[2] said that the Italian company Cremonini had produced tinned meat that resulted in the death of a 12-year-old boy in Moscow because of food poisoning, and that the Cuban government had rejected Cremonini tinned meat made in Italy because it was in a bad condition. Carlo Giovanardi commented on the programme saying:

"I was amazed at the way that the Report programme tried to destroy the image of a great Italian company like Inalca of Modena... from the resurrection of the fear that consumers have for the mad cow to the supplies from abroad, from the collapse of other companies to the malicious connection of single episodes, everything has been lumped together to criminalize the companies in the group. The economic and moral damage for the company and for our country risk being incalculable: we’ll have to see who benefits from these programmes, who suggested them and who thinks they will profit financially on the national and international market, by weakening a dangerous competitor that could support world competition."^[3]

Inalca contributed^[4] to Giovanardi's electoral campaign in 2006.

Radio24 interview

In late December 2005, during an interview on Radio 24, he said "I am not employee of nobody if not of my constituents" and "In democracy everyone answers to his ideas and the constituents who have voted it".^[5] This was criticised by commentator Beppe Grillo because, Article 67 of the Italian constitution, says that "Every member of the parliament represents the nation and exercises its functions without mandate tie".^[6]^[7]

Drugs legislation

In January 2006, the "Legge Fini-Giovanardi" (Fini-Giovanardi law)was approved. The law developed with colleague Gianfranco Fini, restricted the use of drugs, especially cannabis, and strongly increased punishments also for consumers.

In May 2008, in an interview at the website of the Circles of Freedom, Giovanardi said, contrary to the constitutional provisions guaranteeing the freedom of expression of citizens, the intention to introduce a law that prohibits whatsoever anti-prohibitionist rally or event: "We say enough to the drug culture. And in order to do that we want to introduce a rule preventing propaganda, even indirect, to all drugs, including so-called "light drugs" [...] In addition to insist on prevention and education, and to have asked prefects and Quaestors to monitor and act with determination against these irresponsible initiatives, we are committed to find the most appropriate regulatory tools aimed to avoid that propaganda events such as three days in Bologna on hemp can be held freely. "^[8]

LGBT rights

Carlo Giovanardi has become famous for his positions against LGBT people and for that he was accused to be an homophobe.

On 20 September 2010, Giovanardi stated that in the countries they have been legalized adoptions of children by gay couples is "exploded the sale of boys and girls".^[9]

On 23 April 2011, Giovanardi argued against gay-friendly advertising by the Swedish company, IKEA, declaring: "The term family is used by multinational detrimental to the Italian Constitution, because it is meant only one formed by the marriage between man and woman." Ikea replies: "That founded on marriage is one of the families . We appeal to all types ."^[10]

On February 2012, during an interview with Radio 24, he likened a kiss between women in the audience who "pees on the street".^[11] Immediate reactions of some politicians, such as Rosy Bindi, according to which " Giovanardi never ceases to amaze for his lack of modesty and balance and for its smallness" and Paola Concia, which launches a mail bombing: "Write to him that homophobia is a disease".

On 25 January 2013, in an interview said that during Second World War there were few discriminations of gay people, not a real Holocaust".^[12]^[13]

On 21 January 2014 shows an amendment to protect any sexual orientation, not only so that homosexual and bisexual but also heterosexual, and among these is including pedophilia. The Five Star Movement announced its intention to report the matter to the Council of Europe.^[14] Subsequently, states that he mistakenly entered the term "pedophilia" in the text. The correct word was "pedofobia".^[15]

On the 25 January, in an episode of Porta a Porta, in response to a request made to him by Bruno Vespa, tells how his daughter in the past gone to South Africa, he is engaged to a black guy, rasta, perhaps gay and in addition, married to another man. Giovanfsardi specifies that he was very shocked by the news that his daughter gave him.^[16]

Dutch euthanasia laws

In a radio program aired on Rai Radio 1, on 17 March 2006 he said, "Nazi legislation and Hitler’s ideas are re-emerging in Europe via Dutch euthanasia laws and the debate on how to kill ill children." He added that it is eugenics to debate killing children "who are ill or have Down syndrome," and that "We could just as easily apply this to senior citizens."^[17]^[18] The Dutch prime minister, called Giovanardi's comments "scandalous and unacceptable'".^[19]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carlo Giovanardi.

References

Italian Chamber of Deputies
Preceded by Title jointly held	Deputy for Lecco 2001–2006	Succeeded by Title jointly held
Preceded by Title jointly held	Deputy for Veneto 2 2006–2008	Succeeded by Title jointly held
Italian Senate
Preceded by Title jointly held	Senator for Emilia-Romagna 2008 – present	Succeeded by Title jointly held
Political offices
Preceded by Patrizia Toia	Minister of Relations with Parliament 2001–2006	Succeeded by Vannino Chiti
Preceded by Fabio Gobbo, Enrico Letta, Ricardo Franco Levi, Enrico Micheli	Undersecretary to the Prime Minister 2008 – present Served alongside: Maurizio Balocchi, Paolo Bonaiuti, Michela Vittoria Brambilla, Aldo Brancher, Gianfranco Miccichè	Incumbent

Berlusconi II Cabinet (2001–2005)

Berlusconi Fini Follini La Loggia Pisanu Scajola Frattini Mazzella Baccini Stanca Tremaglia Prestigiacomo Buttiglione Bossi Calderoli Giovanardi Ruggiero Castelli Tremonti Siniscalco Marzano Moratti Maroni Martino Alemanno Lunardi Sirchia Urbani Gasparri Matteoli

Berlusconi III Cabinet (2005–2006)

Berlusconi Fini Tremonti La Loggia Caldoro Baccini Stanca Tremaglia Prestigiacomo La Malfa Calderoli Giovanardi Micciché Pisanu Castelli Siniscalco Scajola Moratti Maroni Martino Alemanno Matteoli Lunardi Storace Buttiglione Landolfi

Authority control	VIAF: 73171989