Gelmini Mariastella

Mariastella Gelmini (born in Leno on July 1, 1973) is an Italian lawyer and politician. Her political career began in 1998, when she was elected for Forza Italia to the City Council of Desenzano del Garda, serving as Council President until 2000. She later served as Councillor for Territory of the Province of Brescia (from 2002) and then for Agriculture (2004–2005). In 2005, she became Regional Councillor of Lombardy and Regional Coordinator for Forza Italia.

In 2006, she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, a position she held for four consecutive legislatures until 2022. She held two key ministerial positions:

Minister of Education, University and Research in the IV Berlusconi government (May 8, 2008 – November 16, 2011), promoting the so-called “Gelmini Reform,” which affected primary and secondary schools as well as universities, introducing measures such as the single-teacher system, restoring conduct grades, and modifying university evaluation procedures.

Minister for Regional Affairs and Autonomies in the Draghi government (February 13, 2021 – October 22, 2022).

She also held leadership roles within Forza Italia, including parliamentary group leader in the Chamber (2018–2021), city councillor of Milan (2016–2021), and President of the Garda Community (2015).

In July 2022, she left Forza Italia due to disagreements over the Draghi government crisis and joined the party Azione. In the 2022 general elections, she was elected Senator for Azione – Italia Viva. From October 28, 2022, to September 17, 2024, she served as deputy secretary and national spokesperson of Azione. In September 2024, she left Azione with other parliamentarians, co-founded the association “Centro Popolare”, and from October 30, 2024, joined the parliamentary group Civici d’Italia-UDC-Noi Moderati-MAIE-Centro Popolare in the Senate.