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Giuseppe Sala | |
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![]() Sala in 2021 | |
Mayor of Milan | |
Assumed office 21 June 2016 | |
Preceded by | Giuliano Pisapia |
CEO of Expo 2015 | |
In office June 2010 –December 2015 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Milan,Italy | 28 May 1958
Political party | European Green Party |
Alma mater | Bocconi University |
Profession | Manager,politician |
Giuseppe "Beppe" Sala (born 28 May 1958) is an Italian manager and politician,currently mayor of Milan. He was CEO of Expo 2015 in Milan from 2010 to 2015. [1] He became mayor of Milan in 2016,supported by the centre-left coalition, [2] and he was confirmed for a second term in the 2021 municipal election.
In 2015,Milan hosted the Universal Exposition;the themes were technology,innovation,culture and traditions concerning food. [3] Participants in the Expo included 145 countries,three international organisations,several civil society organisations,several corporations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). [4] The participants were hosted inside individual or grouped pavilions. In June 2010 Sala was appointed CEO of the Expo,which led to the nickname "Mr. Expo" in the following years. [5]
The opening of the Expo on 1 May 2015 was marred by protests from anti-austerity activists,black bloc,and anarchists which caused criminal damage,resulting in the police using tear gas. [6] [7]
Expo also created some tensions with the Holy See and the Italian government;in fact Pope Francis condemned the concept of Expo,saying that it "obeys the culture of waste and does not contribute to a model of equitable and sustainable development". [6] As Vatican City invested €3 million to obtain its own pavilion at the event before his appointment to the papacy,Francis said that,although it is a good thing that the Church is involved in causes that battle hunger and promote cleaner energy,he stated that too much money was wasted on the Expo itself by Vatican City. [8]
On 22 March 2015,the incumbent mayor of Milan,Giuliano Pisapia,announced that he had chosen not to run for re-election in 2016 for a second term in office. Following Pisapia's decision,the ruling center-left coalition decided to call an open primary election to choose a new single mayoral candidate. [9]
Sala and three other people registered to be candidates in this election. [10] The other candidates were Francesca Balzani,the then deputy mayor of Milan,responsible for the Budget in Milan's municipal government and a former Member of the European Parliament; [11] Pierfrancesco Majorino,then responsible for Social Equalities in the municipal government of Milan; [12] and Antonio Iannetta,the former president of UISP.
The election took place on 6–7 February 2016 and Sala won with 25,600 and 42.3% of the vote. [13]
On 5 June,in the first round of the municipal election Sala gained 41.7% of first votes;on 19 June,in the second round,he defeated the centre-right candidate Stefano Parisi with 51.7% against 48.3%. [14]
On 16 December 2016,Sala suspended himself from office after learning that he was named in an investigation regarding the Expo 2015. [15] [16] He then retired that suspension a few days later.
On 7 December 2020,he chose to run for re-election in 2021.
On 11 March 2021,Sala joined the European Green Party,after years of political independence in the centre-left area. [17]
Sala won in October 2021 a second term with almost 60% of the total popular vote.