Franco Marini (9 April 1933 – 9 February 2021)[1] was an Italian politician and a prominent member of the centre-left Democratic Party.

Marini was born in San Pio delle Camere, in the Province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo).

After the centre-left Union victory in the 2006 Italian general election, Marini was elected as President of the Senate after three votes; he defeated Giulio Andreotti, the candidate of the House of Freedoms and his former party fellow during the Christian Democracy times, by 165 votes to 156, and succeeded Marcello Pera.

He asked Marini to attempt to form an interim government, which would work to reform electoral laws prior to a new election.

[3] Marini decided that his task was impossible on 4 February, after meeting with right-wing leaders Silvio Berlusconi and Gianfranco Fini, because he "could not find a significant majority on a precise electoral reform".