He lived through important years of politics, holding leading roles in Sardinian institutions. Franco Rais, who died at the age of 86 , was born in Serramanna. After graduating in Economics and Business, he served as a senior official at the Ministry of Labor. The Socialist Party was his political home.
He served as councilor for the municipality of Cagliari from 1970 to 1975. Elected regional councilor from 1974 to 1987, from January 1977 to October 1978, he was councilor for Labor in the government presided over by Christian Democrat Pietro Soddu; from October 1979 to September 1980, he headed the Health Department in the government of Sandro Ghinami.
He was President of the Region from 4 December 1980 to 11 May 1982 and then President of the Regional Council from 31 May 1983 to June 1984. Elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1987, he decided to resign in 1991 after being appointed president. of the Sardinian Industrial Credit (CIS).
He is remembered by friends and fellow members of the Italian Socialist Party, as well as by his political adversaries of the time. Domenico Pili recalls a specific historical moment: "The news that Franco Rais has left us saddens me greatly. We spent our political life together in the Socialist Party since the early 1970s. In the 1979 regional elections, it was Duilio Casula who convinced us to form an electoral alliance (at that time, three preferences could be cast), and so the templates were printed in the order of candidates Rais, Pili, and Pirastu. Franco was elected, the most voted for, and I, second, just a few votes behind him. Salvatore Pirastu missed out by a few votes."
Another policy, closer to the citizens and the local community, was dominated by the attempt to normalize the relationship between the PSI and PCI to bring out the face of a united left: "A proposal was made," Pili recalls, "to form an autonomous unity government with DC-PCI-PSI-PSD'AZ-PSDI-PRI. Pietro Soddu was scheduled to be president of the government. The DC national secretariat vetoed it, the infamous Piccoli veto, which prohibited an alliance with the PCI. However, we decided to move forward, and we agreed with the other parties on a socialist regional presidency. Thus, Franco Rais was elected, with Andrea Raggio as councilor for Planning and Budget, me for Agriculture, Mario Melis for the Environment, Giorgio Carta for Labor, Emmanuele Sanna for Health, and so on. Franco, as president, was very capable and collaborative, inspiring everyone to work at an exceptional pace."
After his term as president of the CIS, he decided to retire from active politics. Franco Rais, until the very end, was an observer of Sardinia's social and economic dynamics and of interparty relations. He watched with regret and nostalgia as the PSI, which he had helped to build, faded away in the impetuous arrival of the Second Republic.
The mark and memory of his experience in institutions during crucial moments in Sardinian history remain.