Camillo Benso Count of Cavour vs Dragan Covic

Cavour was appointed Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia by King Victor Emmanuel II. He implemented economic reforms, modernized the army, and pursued a policy of diplomatic maneuvering to unify Italy under Piedmontese leadership.

Cavour sent Piedmontese troops to fight alongside Britain and France in the Crimean War. This participation gained Piedmont-Sardinia a seat at the Congress of Paris, where Cavour raised the Italian question, gaining international sympathy for unification.

Cavour secretly met with French Emperor Napoleon III at Plombi

Cavour provoked Austria into declaring war, leading to the Second Italian War of Independence. Franco-Piedmontese forces won key battles at Magenta and Solferino, resulting in the annexation of Lombardy and the unification of central Italian states under Piedmont.

Cavour oversaw the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy under King Victor Emmanuel II, with the first Italian parliament meeting in Turin. He died shortly after, but his diplomatic and political efforts had largely achieved Italian unification.

Covic was elected as the Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2002, serving until 2005. He focused on EU integration and economic reforms, representing the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

Covic served as Chairman of the Presidency in 2003-2004, a rotating position. He oversaw the country's progress toward EU candidacy and cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Covic was re-elected as the Croat member of the Presidency in 2014, serving until 2018. He continued to advocate for Croat rights and constitutional reforms, but faced criticism for ethnic polarization.