San Marino rarely makes headlines, that’s in the nature of things. The microstate high above Rimini has only 34,000 inhabitants, what should happen there? Well, there’s a lot going on right now.
A few days ago, San Marino became the first country in the world to have a self-confessed homosexual head of state: Paolo Rondelli, 58 years old, diplomat and well-known activist, is now Capitano Reggente. That’s what the head of state is called in Europe’s oldest republic, although it has to be made more precise here: There are always two Capitani Reggenti, they are nominated by the Consiglio Grande e Generale, the parliament. The other is named Oscar Mina, a Christian Democrat. They don’t have executive power, and six months later it’s the turn of the next.
Nevertheless, Rondelli’s appointment is a minor sensation. Until 2004, homosexuality was a crime on Monte Titano, the name of the mountain on which San Marino sits. Theoretically it said jail. Now you’re even a bit global avant-garde. Registered partnerships for homosexual couples have existed in San Marino since a referendum six years ago – 71 percent of those who voted were in favour. San Marino has also passed a law criminalizing discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation. Big neighbor Italy has been struggling with a similar project for a long time.
So the conversion in San Marino took less than two decades. Paolo Rondelli, chemical engineer, was a pioneer and champion. When he performed, he wore cufflinks in the colors of the rainbow, everyone knew about it. Formerly he was vice-president of the Arcigay association in Rimini. He made a career as a diplomat and was his country’s ambassador in Washington for many years. Rondelli has been in parliament since 2019. He belongs to the small social-democratic and ecological citizens’ movement RETE, Italian for network. The acronym actually stands for Rinnovamento, Equità, Trasparenza, Ecosostenibilità – in other words: renewal, equality, transparency, sustainability.
The Sanmarinesi and the Russians have always had a special relationship
The T has a special purpose. San Marino was long considered a tax haven, its banks as a hiding place, and a lot of money was laundered there. And since people have always gotten along well with Russia since the end of the Second World War, there is a lot of Russian money in the bank accounts. Relations between the two countries were excellent up until the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. A few years ago, the Russians thanked the Sanmarinesi for their support after the occupation of Crimea with a prominent visitor: Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, came and was received with full honors. He paced the Piazza della Libertà with the gesture of a patron and friend. The Russians also sent their vaccine to San Marino, Sputnik V, 37,000 doses of it, because Italy was reluctant to provide a quick supply. One always gladly turned to Russia when one was at odds with Italy again.
But now, for the first time, San Marino has given up its neutrality, which it believed to be sacrosanct. It supports the European sanctions against Russia, even if it hurts. A few weeks ago, no one would have thought that possible. In San Marino there are signs in Cyrillic script because many Russian tourists used to come to the “Titano”. They landed at Rimini’s Federico Fellini Airport – 30 minutes, then they were up. No Russians are expected this summer. Instead, refugees are coming from Ukraine. A lot has changed in San Marino, almost overnight. And Paolo Rondelli stands there like the symbolic figure for all small and large revolutions, at least for six months.