SAN MARINO ELECTS NEW GOVERMENT

UNCLAS FLORENCE 000054 STATE FOR EUR/WE CHRISTOPHER JESTER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR SM SUBJECT: SAN MARINO ELECTS NEW GOVERMENT REF: A) FLORENCE 0047; B) 07' FLORENCE 0004 ¶1. The new San Marino Government was sworn in on December 3, ¶2008. Following the results of the November general elections (Reftel A),the Parliament elected a Center-Right coalition government formed by the Christian Democratic Party (PDCS),the Popular Alliance (AP),the Freedom Party (LDL),and the Union of Moderates (USDM) which has a Parliamentary majority of 35 seats out of 60. Antonella Mularoni, from the Popular Alliance, was elected to be the first woman in San Marino's history to serve as Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs, the cabinet's top position, replacing Fiorenzo Stolfi of the Party of Socialists and Democrats. Gabriele Gatti (PDCS) who served as Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs from 1988-2002 was named Secretary of Budget and Finance. ¶2. The composition of the new cabinet is the following: SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND POLITICAL AFFAIRS, AND FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING: Antonella Mularoni (AP) SECRETARY OF INTERIOR AND CIVIL PROTECTION: Valeria Ciavatta (AP) SECRETARY OF BUDGET AND FINANCE: Gabriele Gatti (PDCS) SECRETARY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE: Marco Arzilli (LDL-We Sammarinesi) SECRETARY OF JUSTICE, INFORMATION, AND RESEARCH: Augusto Casali (LDL-New Socialist Party) SECRETARY OF PUBLIC EDUCATION, CULTURE AND YOUTH POLICIES: Romeo Morri (USDM-People's Party) SECRETARY OF HEALTH, SOCIAL SECURITY, AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS: Claudio Podeschi (PDCS) SECRETARY OF LABOR: Gian Marco Marcucci (PDCS-Europopulars) SECRETARY OF TOURISM, SPORTS, AND ECONOMIC PLANNING: Fabio Berardi (PDCS-Arengo e Libert`) SECRETARY OF TERRITORY, ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE: Gian Carlo Venturini (PDCS) ¶3. On the day of her election Mularoni stated that her government's priorities will be the signing of a new economic cooperation agreement with Italy, the updating of the 1991 RSM-Italy convention on financial and monetary matters, and the ratification by Italy of the 2002 bilateral agreement against double taxation. In his congratulatory message, Italian Fomin Frattini welcomed San Marino's intention to assign a high priority to "re-launching relations with Italy" and expressed his desire to meet soon with Mularoni to discuss ways to increase bilateral relations. (Note: the San Marino Government has been facing a potentially serious confrontation with Italy on financial matters following a scandal that involved Italian and San Marino banks a year ago. The scandal led to the arrest of several people and the resignation of the Chairman of San Marino Central Bank (reftel B). In addition, San Marino needs to harmonize certain financial rules in order to avoid increased costs for San Marino exporting companies prior to the entering into force of new EU regulations on January 1, 2009. The inability of the last Center-Left government to resolve the problems of the country's financial relationship with Italy was the major issue in the electoral campaign.) ¶4. Biographic information on the new Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs: Antonella Mularoni was born in San Marino on September 27, 1961. She graduated in Law from the University of Bologna in 1986, and qualified to practice as a lawyer and notary public in 1987. From 1986-87 she was Political Secretary to the Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning. From 1987-90 she was the Director of the Office for relations with associations of San Marino nationals living abroad of the Department of Foreign Affairs, serving also as Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic to the Council of Europe from 1989-90. In 1991 Mularoni returned to law practice and in 1993 she was elected to the Great and General Council (San Marino Parliament) where she served until 2001 as President of the Popular Alliance (of which she had been a co-founder) Parliamentary Group, and as a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on foreign affairs, emigration and immigration, information, transport and telecommunications, security and public order. She also served as a member of the Special Parliamentary Committee responsible for drafting the new Code of Criminal Procedure and of the National Group in the Inter-Parliamentary Union. On November 1, 2001 Mularoni was elected to serve as San Marino Judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, a position she maintain until September 2008, when she resigned to run in the electoral campaign for the San Marino Parliamentary elections. She speaks Italian, English and French fluently, as well as German and Spanish. She is not married. COUNTRYMAN