Rita Borsellino

Rita Borsellino (Palermo, 2 June 1945 – 15 August 2018) was an Italian Sicilian anti-Mafia activist, politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Democratic Party. 

She was the sister of late judge Paolo Borsellino, killed by the Mafia in 1992.

Personal life and activism

Graduated in Pharmaceutics in 1967, after the death of her brother Rita Borsellino has become one of the most popular anti-mafia activists in Sicily, with many national and international campaigns with Arci and Libera (of which she is currently vice-president). Since 1998 she is also Chairman of "Associazione Piera Cutino - guarire dalla talassemia", a non-profit foundation that promotes medical research against thalassaemia.

2006 regional election

In 2005, some minor parties of The Union, mainly from the radical left wing, endorsed her as candidate for the primary election. She was then backed also by the Democrats of the Left, being eventually supported by all the coalition parties, except the Daisy (Margherita) who presented another candidate, University of Catania's Dean Ferdinando Latteri. In the primary election, held on December 4, 2005, she then defeated her competitor, and gained the candidacy of the Union for the Sicilian regional election held on 28 May 2006, where she lost to incumbent governor Salvatore Cuffaro. A few years later Cuffaro was found guilty of having helped the Mafia and was banned from public office.

Rita Borsellino is actually the most voted centre-left candidate at Regional Elections in Sicily ever, with more than a million of votes.

Later elections

In 2008 she ran for the Italian Senate as an independent with The Left – The Rainbow, but was not elected. In 2009 she headed the Sicilian Democratic Party list in the European elections, and subsequently became a Member of the European Parliament. On 4 March 2012 she ran in a centre-left open primary for the seat of Mayor of Palermo, but was defeated by independent candidate Fabrizio Ferrandelli.