As Italy’s economy continues on its downward spiral, a new face emerged earlier this week as a potential contender to lead the southern European country: Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.
But the ebullient Ferrari president says that a run for the country’s top political office isn’t in the cards for him, even though remarks he made through his political think tank might indicate otherwise.
Using his position at Ferrari as a soap box of sorts, Montezemolo wrote a letter to Italy’s 40,000-member Italia Futura political think tank declaring that the country’s post-World War II government “has failed.”
“We need new faces and new ideas because the next elections will be of historic importance. The first thing that we are going to propose is the sale of the State’s assets and a reduction of the public debt,” Montezemolo’s letter said, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Italia Futura, or “Future Italy,” was founded by Montezemolo in 2009. Rumors about the 64-year-old’s presidential aspirations have circulated ever since.
“There is no way that the Italians want to see the same old faces, the politicians who have allowed the situation to become the way it is. That is why the next elections will not be a matter of routine. It will be a date with history, which must begin a new season in public affairs.
“In 2012, Italia Futura will work hard to achieve this by promoting the new ideas and new faces that Italy deserves. We will start working even harder at a grassroots level to create a strong, united network throughout Italy by June.”
But in a subsequent interview today with the sport-oriented paper, Montezemolo said that a jump into politics is not his intention.
“Going into politics? No I’m with Ferrari,” he told reporters at an event in Italy where the Fiat-owned high-performance automaker announced its 2012 Formula 1 car’s launch date.
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1.’Montezemolo says no…’ view
1.’Montezemolo’s presidential move…’ view
