Benito Brossi

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State Portrait of Premier Brossi, 2170

**Benito Armando Brossi** (2098-2196) was a Romian politican who served as the Fifteenth Premier of Neo-Europe, from 2169 to 2171 as a member of the National Party.

## Early Life

Brossi was born to the working-class Romians **Antonio Brossi** (2076-2127) and **Francesca Iannucci** (2075-2171) as an only child, having a mostly working-class upbringing. When he was five years old, his parents divorced, with his father living in Sicily while his mother continued to live in Genoa. But, whern she eloped with a Punjabi millionaire a year later, it was up to his maternal grandparents, **Mario Iannucci** (2043-2126) and **Fiorella Iannucci** (2047-2161) to raise him in Tuscany. In this period, Brossi would develop an appreciation for Italian culture and traditions.

Brossi would initially work as a chef in various restaurants throughout the Tuscan region, eventually owning his own restaurant by 2130. There, he would be a charitable and welcoming host, and during the dark years of WWIII, when Romia was under the control of NESR, it represented a beacon of hope and morale. Furthermore, Brossi gave refuge to various anti-communist and anti-NESR campaigners. motivating his interest in politics.

## Early Political Career

Brossi decided to join the National Party following the Liberation of Romia, and ran in the 2151 Neo-European Commons elections for the Tuscany region, gaining a plurality for the seat. He was committed to his local community, as well as Neo-Europe as a whole.

He entered Premier Van Helsing's cabinet for the first time in 2163, becoming Minister for Education, and following a series of promotions became Vice-Premier in 2167.

## Post-Premiership

Brossi remained a Deputy of the Neo-European Commons until 2175, when he stood down, deciding to retire from politics. He did, however, criticise his successor, Alexander Miliband, in his response to the Scavravirus Pandemic and subsequent economic turmoil.

### Exile to Greater Louisiana

Following Ekrim Tekin's coup, Brossi was located and subsequently exiled to rural Greater Louisiana as a concsequence of Tekin's purge. As a significant political figure, and due to his old age, Tekin chose not to have him murdered, instead permitting Brossi and his wife to live out the rest of their lives in isolated, out of the way farmland.

## Death

Brossi died of natural causes at the age of 98 while still in exile.

## Personal Life

Brossi married the Francian **Jeanette Coulis** (2101-2194) in 2137. They had no children.

He has been a lifetime lover of dogs, owning over sixteen throughout his life. Brossi's posthumously released memoirs suggested his last dog, Riccia, was the one thing 'keeping him sane' after his wife died in his final years in Wichita.

In addition, he was a renowned cook, owing to his experience as a restauranteer earlier in life. During a state visit by Nordican Commissioner Annaliisa Lund in 2170, he personally prepared a traditional Tuscan banquet for his Nordican guests.

Brossi refused to speak to his mother for over sixty years, cutting contact with her until she reached out to him when he became Premier, telling him about her terminal illness. They reconciled, though she died in 2171. It is believed her death caused great strain on Brossi and was likely one of the factors in his poor performance in the Premiership Debates in the leadup to the election, thereby contributing to his electoral defeat.

## Legacy

Brossi has sometimes been called a 'footnote in history' due to his short and unremarkable term as Premier.

However, unusually, he had somewhat of a cult following during and immediately after his Premiership. While most likely satirical, his fans named him 'the Brossinator' (after Brossi himself coined the term in a controversial campaign) and created t-shirts, mugs and bags adorned with his face, and planted posters of him throughout Neo-Europe. Several 'Brossiphiles' even reportedly got tatoos of him on their bodies. While on a tour of Neo-Europe in early 2171, he received bags full of 'fan art' and merchandise, which he took with joy and decorated his main office in London. When asked of this obsession prior to the 2171 Premiership election, Brossi simply 'could not explain this wonderful charity,' but appreciated it nonetheless. This fanaticism continued even after he left office, with devotees wishing to meet him at every opportunity and the never-ending fanmail. Brossi's secretary had to release a statement for them to stop in 2176 after it reportedly 'put a strain on Benito. His office is full to the brim of homemade memorabilia. Please stop, for his sake.' They did not stop.

Even after Tekin's coup, people still wished to send him their creations. And, after he was exiled, his new address was accidentally leaked by an inexperienced technician, causing an influx of postage requests. The military intercepted all items before they reached Brossi, however.