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
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 38) Avellino, Italy
Other political affiliations	M5S (2009–2022) IC–IpF (2022) Independent (2022–present)
Domestic partner	Alessia D'Alessandro (since 2023)
Children	1
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Luigi Di Maio (born 6 July 1986) is an Italian politician. He has been serving as the EU Special Representative for the Gulf region since June 2023.

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, and Minister of Labour and Social Policies from 2018 to 2019. He was also a Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies.

From 2017 to 2020, Di Maio was the leader of the Five Star Movement. This was a political party that wanted to change how things were done. In 2022, Di Maio left the Five Star Movement. He started his own political group called Together for the Future. This group did not do well in the 2022 election.

Early Life and Education

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

Di Maio went to high school and then started university. He studied engineering first, then law. However, he did not finish university.

Before becoming a politician, he worked as an apprentice journalist. He also tried working as a web designer. Later, he sold water at a stadium in Naples.

Political Journey

Di Maio started his political journey in 2007. He helped create a group called "Friends of Beppe Grillo". This group later became the Five Star Movement (M5S) in 2009. The Five Star Movement was founded by the famous comedian Beppe Grillo.

In 2010, Di Maio ran for a local council election. He received the most votes among his party's candidates. However, he did not get elected that time.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In the 2013 election, Di Maio was chosen to run for the M5S. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies when he was only 26 years old. This made him the youngest Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies on March 21, 2013.

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

The 2018 General Election

Di Maio in May 2018

In September 2017, Di Maio was chosen as the Five Star Movement's candidate for Prime Minister. He also became the political head of the party. He won with over 82% of the votes from party members.

Before the 2018 general election, Di Maio talked about holding a vote to leave the Euro currency. He also suggested changing Italy's relationship with NATO.

In the 2018 election, the Five Star Movement received the most votes. However, no single party or group won enough seats to form a government alone. This situation is called a hung parliament.

After the election, Di Maio tried to form a government with other parties. There were many discussions and negotiations. Eventually, the Five Star Movement and the League party agreed to work together.

On May 21, 2018, Di Maio and the League's leader proposed Giuseppe Conte to be the new Prime Minister. Conte was a law professor. He was asked to form a new government.

However, there was a disagreement about one of the ministers. The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, did not approve of a proposed finance minister. This led to Conte giving up his chance to form a government at that time.

After more talks, the Five Star Movement and the League finally reached an agreement. They formed a new government with Giuseppe Conte as Prime Minister. The controversial minister was given a different role.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister (2018–2019)

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 minister roles. He was the Minister of Economic Development and the Minister of Labour and Social Policies.

As a minister, he introduced a program called "citizens' income." This program aimed to help poor people and families. It provided them with a basic income and help to find jobs. This was a major promise of the Five Star Movement.

In August 2019, the other Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, tried to remove Prime Minister Conte. This caused a political crisis. On August 20, Prime Minister Conte resigned.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2019–2022)

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

After Conte resigned, the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party decided to form a new government together. Di Maio was initially against this idea. However, they eventually agreed to keep Conte as the head of the new government.

On September 5, Di Maio was sworn in as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This was a very important role in the new government.

On January 22, 2020, Di Maio resigned as the leader of the Five Star Movement. This happened because of growing criticism about his leadership choices.

In early 2020, Di Maio supported the nationwide lockdown in Italy. This was done 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

In September 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 fishermen were freed.

In February 2021, Prime Minister Conte resigned again. Mario Draghi, a former head of the European Central Bank, was asked to form a new government. On February 13, Di Maio was confirmed 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 Ukraine and Russia in February 2022. He worked to find a peaceful solution. When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Di Maio strongly condemned the attack. He called for strong international actions against Russia.

In 2022, there were disagreements within the Five Star Movement. Di Maio and Giuseppe Conte, the new leader, had different views. Di Maio supported the government's approach to the war in Ukraine. Conte was more critical.

On June 21, Di Maio and several other politicians left the Five Star Movement. They started their own political group called Together for the Future. Di Maio said they had to choose which side of history to be on. He felt the Five Star Movement was making it hard for Italy.

The 2022 General Election

On August 1, 2022, after Prime Minister Draghi resigned, new elections were called. Di Maio formed a new political alliance called Civic Commitment. However, in the election, he lost his seat in Parliament. After this, he stepped down from leading Civic Commitment.

After Government Roles

Di Maio with the European Commissioner Janez Lenarčič in 2023

After the election defeat, Di Maio decided to step back from Italian politics. On May 15, 2023, he was chosen as the Special Representative of the European Union for the Persian Gulf region.

His job is to help build a stronger partnership between the European Union and countries in the Gulf. He officially started this role on June 1, 2023. In January 2025, his role was confirmed for two more years.

Personal Life

In 2023, Di Maio started a relationship with Alessia D'Alessandro. She was also a candidate for the Five Star Movement in 2018. They have a son named Gabriel, who was born 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

See also

In Spanish: Luigi Di Maio para niños