The Republic of San Marino, an enclave on Italian territory, on Friday elected the world’s first openly gay head of state, a fact that activists called historic.
Paolo Rondelli is one of the two captains regents, elected by indirect vote, who will preside over the micro-state of 34,000 inhabitants for the next six months, according to tradition. On Facebook, Rondelli stated that he will likely be “the world’s first head of state belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community”.
Marco Tonti, head of the Arcigay association in Emilia Romagna, the Italian region in which San Marino is located, hailed “a historic event”. “He is the first openly gay head of state and rights activist for the LGBTQIA+ community,” he said. “There are precedents among heads of government and ministers, but it is unprecedented in the world for a head of state,” he added.
In fact, several governments are or were led by openly homosexual personalities, including Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg since 2013, and the Icelandic Johanna Sigurdardottir (2009-2013).
Italian politicians, such as the Minister of Justice, Marta Cartabia, and Senator Monica Cirinnà , famous in the peninsula for her commitment to the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, participated on Friday in the inauguration ceremony of the two captains regents.
Rondelli is “a man of immense culture and great diplomatic and political experience. He fought for the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ people, not just in San Marino,” Cirinnà wrote on Facebook.
“It’s a historic day that fills me with joy and pride, because Rondelli will be, starting today and for the next six months, the world’s first head of state belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community.”
