Luigi Di Maio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Luigi Di Maio
Di Maio in 2023
EU Special Representative for the Gulf
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 June 2023
Commissioner	Josep Borrell Kaja Kallas
Preceded by	Office established
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 5 September 2019 – 22 October 2022
Prime Minister	Giuseppe Conte Mario Draghi
Preceded by	Enzo Moavero Milanesi
Succeeded by	Antonio Tajani
President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
In office 17 November 2021 – 20 May 2022
Preceded by	Péter Szijjártó
Succeeded by	Simon Coveney
Deputy Prime Minister of Italy
In office 1 June 2018 – 5 September 2019 Serving with Matteo Salvini
Prime Minister	Giuseppe Conte
Preceded by	Angelino Alfano (2014)
Succeeded by	Antonio Tajani (2022) Matteo Salvini (2022)
Minister of Economic Development
In office 1 June 2018 – 5 September 2019
Prime Minister	Giuseppe Conte
Preceded by	Carlo Calenda
Succeeded by	Stefano Patuanelli
Minister of Labour and Social Policies
In office 1 June 2018 – 5 September 2019
Prime Minister	Giuseppe Conte
Preceded by	Giuliano Poletti
Succeeded by	Nunzia Catalfo
Leader of the Five Star Movement
In office 23 September 2017 – 22 January 2020
Preceded by	Beppe Grillo
Succeeded by	Vito Crimi
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 15 March 2013 – 13 October 2022
Constituency	Campania 1 (2013–2018) Naples–Acerra (2018–2022)
Personal details
Born	(1986-07-06) 6 July 1986 (age 39) Avellino, Italy
Other political affiliations	M5S (2009–2022) IC–IpF (2022) Independent (2022–present)
Domestic partner	Alessia D'Alessandro (since 2023)
Children	1
Signature

Luigi Di Maio (born on July 6, 1986) is an Italian politician. Since June 1, 2023, he has been the EU Special Representative for the Gulf region.

Before this, Di Maio held several important roles in the Italian government. He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2019 to 2022. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Economic Development, along with Minister of Labour and Social Policies, from 2018 to 2019. He was also the Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies.

From September 2017 to January 2020, Di Maio was the leader of the Five Star Movement (M5S). This party was founded by Beppe Grillo. In June 2022, Di Maio left the M5S. This happened because of disagreements with Giuseppe Conte about supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion. He then started his own political group called Together for the Future (IpF). This group was later dissolved after not doing well in the 2022 Italian general election.

Early Life and Education

Luigi Di Maio was born in Avellino, Italy, in 1986. He is the oldest of three brothers. His father, Antonio, worked in real estate and was a local councilor. His mother was a teacher of Italian and Latin.

Di Maio went to a classical high school. After that, he started studying engineering at the University of Naples Federico II. He later switched to law. However, he did not graduate from university.

In 2007, he became an apprentice journalist. He also tried working as a webmaster. Later, he sold water at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples.

Political Journey

In 2007, Di Maio helped start a political group called "Friends of Beppe Grillo". This group was a step towards the Five Star Movement (M5S), which was officially founded by the comedian Beppe Grillo in October 2009.

In 2010, Di Maio ran in the local council elections in Pomigliano. He received the most votes among candidates from his party. However, the party did not get enough votes for him to be elected.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In the 2013 election, Di Maio was chosen as a candidate for the M5S. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies at 26 years old. On March 21, 2013, he became the youngest Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies.

In 2017, Beppe Grillo announced that he would not be the candidate for prime minister in the 2018 election. Luigi Di Maio was seen as the most likely person to become Italy's next prime minister. He was known as a more practical and "governmental" politician within the Five Star Movement.

Leading the Five Star Movement

In September 2017, Di Maio was elected as the Prime Ministerial candidate and Political Head of the M5S. He won with over 82% of the votes.

Before the 2018 general election, Di Maio talked about holding a vote to leave the Euro currency. He also suggested leaving the NATO alliance.

In the 2018 election, the M5S became the party with the most votes and seats in Parliament. However, no single party or group won enough seats to form a government on its own. This led to a situation called a hung parliament.

Di Maio in May 2018

After the election, Di Maio tried to form a government. On May 9, 2018, he and Matteo Salvini from the League party asked for more time to agree on a government plan. They eventually agreed on a plan and proposed Giuseppe Conte as the new Prime Minister.

However, Conte's first attempt to form a government failed. This was because President Sergio Mattarella did not agree with Salvini's choice for Minister of Economy. After more talks, M5S and the League finally agreed to form a new government. This time, Paolo Savona, the person Mattarella had disagreed with, became Minister of European Affairs instead. Conte became Prime Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister

Di Maio with U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton at the White House in 2019

On June 1, 2018, Di Maio became Deputy Prime Minister. He also took on two important ministerial roles: Minister of Economic Development and Minister of Labour and Social Policies.

As a minister, he introduced the "citizens' income" program. This program provided financial help and job search support to poor people and families. It was a key promise of the M5S.

In August 2019, the government faced a crisis. Matteo Salvini, the other Deputy Prime Minister, called for a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Conte. This happened because of growing disagreements within the government. On August 20, Conte resigned.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Di Maio with the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in October 2019

After Conte's resignation, the Democratic Party (PD) and the M5S decided to form a new government together. On September 3, M5S members voted to approve this agreement. On September 5, Di Maio became the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the new government.

On January 22, 2020, Di Maio resigned as the leader of the M5S. This was due to increasing criticism of his leadership.

In early 2020, Di Maio supported the government's decision to impose a nationwide lockdown to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

In November 2018, an Italian aid worker named Silvia Romano was kidnapped in Kenya. On May 9, 2020, Prime Minister Conte announced she had been freed.

Di Maio in 2020

On September 1, 2020, two Italian fishing boats and their crews were held by the Libyan Coast Guard. Prime Minister Conte and Minister Di Maio worked to get them released. On December 17, 2020, the eighteen fishermen were freed.

In February 2021, Giuseppe Conte resigned as prime minister. Mario Draghi, a former head of the European Central Bank, was asked to form a new government. On February 13, Di Maio continued his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs in Draghi's government.

Di Maio with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in 2021

During the Russo-Ukrainian crisis, Di Maio visited Kyiv in February 2022 to meet with Ukraine's foreign minister. He also met with Russia's foreign minister in Moscow. He stated that Italy was committed to finding a peaceful solution. When Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Di Maio strongly condemned Russia's actions.

In 2022, disagreements grew within the M5S between Conte and Di Maio. They had different views on government policies and military aid to Ukraine. On June 21, Di Maio and several other politicians left the M5S. They formed a new political group called Together for the Future (IpF). Di Maio said they had to choose which side of history to be on.

2022 General Election

On August 1, 2022, after Prime Minister Draghi resigned, a snap election was called for September. Di Maio and Bruno Tabacci formed a new centrist alliance called Civic Commitment (IC). In this election, Di Maio lost his seat in Parliament. After leaving his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he resigned from the leadership of Civic Commitment.

After Government Roles

Di Maio with the European Commissioner Janez Lenarčič in 2023

After the election defeat, Di Maio stepped back from Italian politics. On May 15, 2023, he was chosen as the Special Representative of the European Union for the Persian Gulf. His role began on June 1, 2023. His goal is to build stronger partnerships with countries in the Gulf region. In January 2025, his role as Special Representative was confirmed for two more years.

Personal Life

In 2023, Di Maio started a relationship with Alessia D'Alessandro. She was a candidate for the M5S in the 2018 election. The couple had a son named Gabriel in September 2024.

Electoral History

Election	House	Constituency	Party		Votes	Result
2013	Chamber of Deputies	Campania 1		M5S	–	Y Elected
2018	Chamber of Deputies	Campania 1 – Acerra		M5S	95,219	Y Elected
2022	Chamber of Deputies	Campania 1 – Fuorigrotta		IC	41,743	N Not elected

Election Results by Constituency

See also

In Spanish: Luigi Di Maio para niños