Paolo Vitelli, Azimut-Benetti’s chairman and CEO as well as one of the most important personalities in the Italian and international nautical sector, has been elected Deputy of the Italian Parliament, following the general election that took place from February 24-25. Vitelli, who had announced his political commitment to Italy’s outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti last January, was elected for the Piedmont region in the Parliament of the Italian Republic. Following the preliminary results, Vitelli declared: “I took the decision to enter politics because I wish to help my country. Italy has the urgent need for reforms, infrastructures, reduced taxation, labour policy etc., in order to relaunch the economy and the credibility of the country. Mario Monti is the best man to perform this important evolution of our society and I want to be close to him.”
Italians voted to determine the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 elective members of the Senate, the two houses of the Italian Parliament. According to preliminary results, the centre-left alliance led by the Democratic Party obtained a clear majority of seats in the Chamber of Deputies, while in the popular vote it narrowly defeated the centre-right alliance of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Close behind, the new anti-establishment Five Star Movement of comedian Beppe Grillo became the third force, ahead of the centrist coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti. No other party or coalition obtained sufficient votes to obtain any seats in the Chamber. In the Senate, no political group or party won an outright majority.
