European Parliament President David Sassoli dies at 65
WASHINGTON: European Parliament President David Sassoli has died at a hospital in Italy, his spokesman said in a tweet on Tuesday (Jan 11).
No details were offered in the tweet by spokesman Roberto Cuillo beyond Sassoli's death at 1.15am on Tuesday in Aviano, a city in north-eastern Italy.
Sassoli had been hospitalised since Dec 26 as his immune system had been functioning abnormally, Cuillo said in a statement released the day before Sassoli's death.
“This hospitalisation was necessary because of a serious complication due to a dysfunction of the immune system,” Cuillo's statement said.
Sassoli, 65, was first elected at the European Parliament in 2009. He won another term in 2014 and served as the Parliament’s vice president. He had decided not to run for re-election when lawmakers vote to appoint their new president later this month.
The European Parliament, headquartered in in Strasbourg, France, represents the 450 million citizens of the European Unoin and refers to itself as “the heart of European democracy”. It is one of the seven branches of the European Union, and has more than 700 members directly elected by its member nations.