Letizia Moratti

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Mayor of Milan
Letizia Moratti
Image:Letizia Moratti after 2006 victory.jpg
In office 2006 – Incumbent
Preceded by	Gabriele Albertini
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Italian Minister of Education, University and Research
In office June 11, 2001 – May 17, 2006
Prime Minister	Silvio Berlusconi
Preceded by	Tullio De Mauro
Succeeded by	Giuseppe Fioroni as Minister of Education Fabio Mussi as Minister of University

Born	November 26 1949 (1949-11-26) (age 60) Image:Milano-Stemma.png Milan, Italy
Nationality	Image:Flag of Italy.svg Italian
Political party	Forza Italia
Spouse	Gianmarco Moratti
Profession	Politician

Letizia Brichetto-Arnaboldi Moratti (born 26 November 1949) is an Italian businesswoman and politician. She is the current mayor of Milan.

[edit] Biography

Moratti was born Letizia Brichetto-Arnaboldi in Milan. She is married to the oil magnate Gianmarco Moratti (brother of Massimo Moratti) and has two children.

She is a businesswoman who has worked in insurance and telecommunications. Between 1994 and 1996 she was president of the Italian state television company RAI. In 1999-2000 she was responsible for the growth of Rupert Murdoch's group in Europe.

From 2001 to 2006 she was Education Minister in the second and third Berlusconi cabinet. During her administration criticized reforms of the Italian school system and university teaching was passed.

She ran as a candidate for Mayor of Milan in the 2006 municipal election as the House of Freedoms candidate. She won the election, with over 52% of votes.

On 25 April 2006, while attending a public commemoration of the 1945 Liberation from Fascism and Nazism, she faced strong opposition from the crowd. She was booed and insulted, spat at and pushed. The fact that she was accompanying her disabled father, a former WWII prisoner of war who had experienced detention in a concentration camp, was of little avail. Given her right wing political allegiances - and the electoral support that she expects to receive from sectors of the extreme right - Moratti's participation in the commemoration was viewed by many in the crowd as the act of an opportunist, seeking to improve her image in view of the coming municipal elections.

A similar hostile reaction from the crowd was recorded a few days later, at the May Day celebration, on 1 May 2006 in Milan. Moratti and her entourage were booed out of the manifestation, in spite of having received a formal invitation from a representative of the from the three greater workers' unions. The leader of the centre-left coalition, then future head of the Italian government, Romano Prodi, took Moratti's side, and strongly criticised the crowd's insults towards her.

Many political experts see her potential candidate to the leadership of Forza Italia and competitor of Walter Veltroni in the next general election.

Political offices
Preceded by Tullio De Mauro	Italian Minister of Education University and Research 2001-2006	Succeeded by Giuseppe Fioroni as Minister of Education Fabio Mussi as Minister of University and Research
Preceded by Gabriele Albertini	Mayor of Milan 2006-present	Succeeded by Incumbent

v • d • e Berlusconi II Cabinet (2001 - 2005)
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	Image:Italy-Emblem.svg

v • d • e Berlusconi III Cabinet (2005 - 2006)
Fini \| Tremonti \| La Loggia \| Caldoro \| Baccini \| Stanca \| Tremaglia \| Prestigiacomo \| La Malfa \| Calderoli \| Giovanardi \| Miccichè \| Pisanu \| Castelli \| Siniscalco \| Scajola \| Moratti \| Maroni \| Martino \| Alemanno \| Matteoli \| Lunardi \| Storace \| Buttiglione \| Landolfi	Image:Italy-Emblem.svg