1. Walter Veltroni served as the first leader of the Democratic Party within the Italian centre-left opposition until his resignation on 17 February 2009.
18 Facts About Walter Veltroni
1. 2.
Walter Veltroni served as mayor of Rome from June 2001 to February 2008.
3.
Walter Veltroni was then elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1987.
4.
Walter Veltroni then ran as one of the leading members of The Olive Tree coalition in the 1996 Italian general election.
5.
For example, in 2001, after the late-night show Satyricon aired an interview that discussed indictments on links between the right-wing leader and the mafia, Marco Travaglio reported that Walter Veltroni dispatched a messenger menacing the closure of the show.
6.
In 2001, Walter Veltroni resigned as leader of the party after being elected mayor of Rome.
7.
The percentage of votes that supported Walter Veltroni's second term in office was a record in local elections in Rome.
8.
Walter Veltroni wrote the preface to the Italian edition of The Audacity of Hope in 2007, and has been referred to as "Obama's European counterpart".
9.
In June 2007, DS leader Piero Fassino publicly asked Walter Veltroni to run for the party leadership, offering support from all of his party.
10.
Walter Veltroni officially presented his candidacy for the leadership of the PD at a rally in Turin on 27 June 2007.
11.
In 2007, Walter Veltroni had some remarks against the Romanian immigrants, claiming that Italy has become "unlivable" since Romania joined the European Union, while before its entry Rome was "the safest city in the world", bringing accusations of xenophobia from the Romanian press.
12.
Walter Veltroni resigned as mayor of Rome on 13 February 2008 to concentrate on the campaign.
13.
Walter Veltroni was criticized for his over-frequentation of Rome socialites and was advised to focus on more practical problems.
14.
On 17 February 2009, following clashes within the party and only a day after a heavy defeat of the PD in the 2009 Sardinian regional election, Walter Veltroni announced his immediate resignation from his leadership post.
15.
On 28 September 2014, in Venice, Walter Veltroni officiated the wedding of George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin.
16.
In 2003, Walter Veltroni received an honoris causa degree in Public Services from the John Cabot University of Rome.
17.
Walter Veltroni won the America Award of the Italy-USA Foundation in 2009.
18.
Walter Veltroni has written a number of books on various topics, such as music, social issues, fiction, biographies, and politics.