EU Parliamentary Speaker David Sassoli dies

EU parliament president David Sassoli dies after hospitalisation The president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, died early Tuesday in hospital in Italy, his spokesman said on Twitter.

 

The 65-year-old Italian had been seriously ill in hospital for more than two weeks due to a dysfunction of his immune system. The former television newsreader had been in hospital since December 26 due to “a serious complication due to a dysfunction of the immune system,” Cuillo had said on Monday, announcing the cancellation of Sassoli’s official activities.

 

The European Parliament sits for a five-year term between elections, but the president of the body serves for half that time. After a three-decade career as an Italian journalist, starting out in newspapers then moving to television and becoming a nationally known anchor, Sassoli became a member of the European Parliament in 2009, and speaker in 2019.