Cateno De Luca | |
|---|---|
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| Mayor of Taormina | |
| Assumed office 29 May 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Mario Bolognari |
| Leader of South calls North | |
| Assumed office 27 June 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Mayor of Messina | |
| In office 26 June 2018 – 14 February 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Renato Accorinti |
| Succeeded by | Federico Basile |
| Mayor of the Metropolitan City of Messina | |
| In office 26 June 2018 – 14 February 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Renato Accorinti |
| Succeeded by | Federico Basile |
| Mayor of Santa Teresa di Riva | |
| In office 9 May 2012 – 12 June 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Alberto Morabito |
| Succeeded by | Danilo Lo Giudice |
| Mayor of Fiumedinisi | |
| In office 27 May 2003 – 1 July 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Gino Totaro |
| Succeeded by | Alessandro Rasconà |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cateno Roberto Salvatore De Luca 18 March 1972 Fiumedinisi, Italy |
| Political party | ScN (since 2022) |
| Other political affiliations | DC (1986–1994) CCD (1994–2002) UdC (2002–2005) MpA (2005–2007, 2008–2010) SV (since 2007) Freedom (since 2024) |
| Spouse | Giusy Gregorio |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Messina |
| Occupation | Politician, manager |
Cateno Roberto Salvatore De Luca (born 18 March 1972) is an Italian politician who has been the mayor of Messina from 2018 to 2022 and the mayor of Taormina since 2023. He was also the mayor of Fiumedinisi, his hometown, from 2003 to 2011 and of Santa Teresa di Riva from 2012 to 2017.
De Luca began his career at the age of 18 in Christian Democracy (DC), the ruling party of post-war Italy. He often changed political parties, and switched between the DC's successors and other Christian-democratic parties, such as the Christian Democratic Centre (CCD) and the Union of the Centre (UdC), and regionalist ones, such as the Movement for Autonomy (MpA) and True Sicily (VS), which he founded as a split from the MpA in 2007. He also switched political alliances, at times allying with the centre-right coalition and at other times supporting the centre-left coalition or neither of the two largest blocs.
In 2022, De Luca founded his own national political party, South calls North (ScN), and was able to elect a deputy and senator to the Italian Parliament. He was a candidate for president of Sicily in 2012 and was the distant runner-up in 2022; that same year, he led ScN to become the largest party in Messina and the third-most voted party in Sicily. Due to his overbearing personality, De Luca is often nicknamed Scateno (English: Unleash) by the national and local press.