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