Italy's former Prime Minister De Mita dies at 94

By Alvise Armellini

ROME (AA) - Former Prime Minister Ciriaco De Mita, one of the most prominent members of Italy’s old ruling class, died on Thursday at the age of 94.

According to an aide, De Mita passed away in a nursing home in Avellino, southern Italy, where he was undergoing rehabilitation treatment after hip surgery in February.

De Mita’s career spanned more than six decades, peaking in the 1980s when he led the then-ruling Christian Democratic party (1982-1989) and the government (1988-1989).

His star waned with the 1992 ‘Clean Hands’ corruption scandals, which triggered the collapse of the party system that controlled Italy since the end of World War II.

De Mita, however, was not personally implicated.

He continued serving in the national parliament until 2008 and was a member of the European Parliament until 2014.

His last post was mayor of his hometown of Nusco in southern Italy, which he held from 2014 until his death.

In a statement, Prime Minister Mario Draghi expressed condolences and hailed his predecessor as a “protagonist of Italian parliamentary and political life” who was active “until the end.”