11 Facts About Gianni Cuperlo

Gianni Cuperlo attended the Francesco Petrarca lyceum, at which he first became interested in student politics.

In 1985, following graduation from the University of Bologna, Gianni Cuperlo moved to Rome, where he became a functionary of the FGCI.

Gianni Cuperlo was elected national secretary of that organization in 1988 and was thus at the helm during the Revolutions of 1989 which led to the dismantling of the greater part of the world communist movement.

Gianni Cuperlo was supportive of Communist Party of Italy leader Achille Occhetto and his transformation of the historic PCI to a new organization called the Democratic Party of the Left.

Gianni Cuperlo remained as the national leader of the new organization.

In 2001 Gianni Cuperlo was named to the governing National Secretariat of the new party, assuming the role of Director of Communications for the organization.

Gianni Cuperlo stood for election to the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian parliament in the elections of 2006 and 2008, and was elected both times.

At the time of his 2006 election, Gianni Cuperlo resigned as communications director of the Democratici di Sinistra to concentrate on parliament.

Gianni Cuperlo was a founding member of the Democratic Party, successor to Democrats of the Left, in 2007.

On 21 January 2014 Gianni Cuperlo resigned as chairman of the Democratic Party, stating disagreements with the party's direction as the reason.

Apart from his obvious affinity for politics, Cuperlo is interested in literature, being particularly fond of American contemporary writers, including especially Joe R Lansdale.