European Parliament President David Sassoli dies at 65 | world News

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European Parliament spokesman, David Sassoli, announced his death at the age of 65.

Robert Coelho announced the news on Twitter, writing that Mr. Sassoli died at 1:15 a.m. on January 11 in a hospital in Aviano, Italy.

His office announced Monday that he had been there since December 26 “due to a serious complication caused by a malfunction of the immune system.”

Mr. Sassoli had been ill for several months but continued to work.

He was known for taking up the issue of immigrants who died crossing the Mediterranean and dissidents such as Alexei Navalny, who attacks the Russian government from his cell.

European Union Council President Charles Michel described him as a “loyal and passionate European. We really miss his human warmth, generosity, friendliness and smile.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter: “I am deeply saddened by the heavy loss of a great European and a proud Italian.

“David Sassoli was a compassionate journalist, a distinguished President of the European Parliament and, above all, a dear friend.”

And in a follow-up tweet she wrote: “Rest in peace David, my dear friend.”

Mr. Sassoli was born in Florence, Italy and in 2009 left the profession of journalism to become a member of the centre-left Democratic Party.

He successfully ran for the seat of the Central Italy region in the 2009 European Parliament elections and was elected Vice-President of the European Parliament in 2014.

EP_President, David Sassoli, died at 1.15 a.m. on January 11 at CRO in Aviano (PN), Italy, where he was taken to hospital. The date and location of the funeral will be announced in the next few hours.

– RobertoCuillo (@robertocuillo) Jan 11, 2022

After being re-elected in 2019, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats proposed Mr. Sassoli as the new candidate for the position of President of the European Parliament and was elected on 3 July, succeeding Antonio Tajani.

By assuming the position, he became the seventh Italian to hold the position and his term was due to expire this month.

Even if often overshadowed by Mrs. von der Leyen and Mr. Michel, Mr. Sassoli has led an institution that has become more powerful over the years and has become instrumental in charting the course of the European Union in many sectors, be it the digital economy, climate or Brexit. European Union.

Mr. Sassoli was married to Alessandra Vittorini and left behind two children.

He was initially admitted to hospital in Strasbourg in September 2021 with pneumonia and missed the EU case.

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