De Luca, Vincenzo

Vincenzo De Luca (born 8 May 1949) is an Italian politician, former president of Campania and current mayor of Salerno. A member of the Democratic Party (PD), he also served as mayor of Salerno for more than 17 years, becoming one of the longest serving mayors in Italy. Often described as a populist politician, De Luca attracted national attention for his histrionic manner and incendiary tones, earning him a number of nicknames, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. De Luca began his political career during the 1970s in the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and later joined the PCI's successor parties. He was a member of Salerno's city council in the 1990s and served three terms as mayor, being appointed in 1993 and then directly elected later that year, serving in the position until 2015 (with a break between 2001-2006 when he was term-limited) to run for president of Campania. He was also a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2001 to 2008 and Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation from 2013 to 2014. After being elected in 2015, he was re-elected as president of Campania in a landslide victory in 2020. In 2026, he was again elected Mayor of Salerno.