Gerardo Bianco


Gerardo Bianco is an Italian politician.

Early life

Bianco was born in Guardia Lombardi, Campania in Italy.
Winner of a scholarship at the Augustinianum College of Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, he graduated in classical letters.

Career

Bianco has been Deputy from 1968 to 1994 and from 2001 to 2008, chairman of Christian Democracy in the Chamber from 1979 to 1983 and from 1992 to 1994, Vice-President of Chamber of Deputies from 1987 to 1990 and MEP from 1994 to 1999. He also served as Minister of Education in the Andreotti VI Cabinet.
In 1995 he opposed the People's Party's Secretary Rocco Buttiglione for his approach to the centre-right in the occasion of the regional elections, doing reject its decision by the national assembly. Finally, Bianco was elected Secretary of the PPI while Buttiglione founded a new party, the United Christian Democrats. He remained Secretary until 1997, the year he became president of PPI. He also was the director of the newspaper Il Popolo in 1995 and from 1999 to 2000.
In 2002 Bianco opposed the dissolution of PPI into The Daisy, so he joined the new party as independent. In 2004 he founded the movement Popular Italy, with the purpose of restoring an autonomous presence organized for democratic Catholics in Italy. In 2008 he refused to join the Democratic Party and he joined the mixed group.