Lega Nord Piemont
Encyclopedia
Lega Nord Piemont is a regionalist
political party in Italy that is the regional section of Lega Nord in Piedmont
.
Its leader Roberto Cota
is the President of Piedmont since March 2010.
(Union Piemontèisa, UP), led by Gipo Farassino and Mario Borghezio
. This group, which took the name of Piedmontese Autonomist Movement (Moviment Autonomista Piemontèis, MAP) and soon later Autonomist Piedmont (Piemont Autonomista, PA), wanted to make an alliance with Lega Lombarda
of Umberto Bossi
, in contrast with UP leader Roberto Gremmo.
PA participated to the 1989 European Parliament election
as part of the coalition Lega Lombarda – Alleanza Nord
. In 1989–1990 it took part in the process of federating the Northern regionalist parties, ahead of the regional elections. In February 1991 it merged into Lega Nord, taking the current name, and since then it has been the regional section of that party in Piedmont.
In the 1996 general election
the party obtained its best result ever: 18.2%.
, federal secretary of Lega Nord, and started his own party, which was integrated into the Autonomists for Europe
in 2000.
Troubled by splits and loss of popular support (the party was reduced from the 18.2% of 1996 to 7.8% in three years), LNP entered in coalition with the centre-right Pole of Freedoms
. From 2000 to 2005 the party took part to the regional government
led by Enzo Ghigo (Forza Italia
), which included LNP long-time leader Gipo Farassino as regional minister of Culture, and Roberto Cota
was President of the Regional Council. In 2001 Cota was elected also national secretary of LNP.
The party has since then recovered. Between 2006 and the 2008 general election
the party doubled its share of vote from 6.3% to 12.3%. Subsequently Cota became floor leader of Lega Nord in the Italian Chamber of Deputies
. In the 2009 European Parliament election
LNP increased again reaching 15.7% of the vote, its best result since 1996.
Roberto Cota
was chosen as joint candidate for President by The People of Freedom
and Lega Nord. His opponent was incumbent President Mercedes Bresso
, a Democrat
.
The day after his bid was announced, Cota explained that it is time to rewrite the history of Italian unification
, that was led by the Kingdom of Sardinia
under the House of Savoy
. Cota underlined that Piedmont was once an independent state and told that even Camillo Benso di Cavour did not intend to unify the whole Italian Peninsula
and later favoured a federal reform of the new Kingdom of Italy
. For these reasons Cota, who is a republican and has no nostalgia of the House of Savoy, he says that his message will do well in Piedmont and that he will overcome the weakness of Lega Piemont (that usually gets far less votes than Liga Veneta
in Veneto
and Lega Lombarda
in Lombardy
). In Cota's view, most of his support will come from industrial workers, including those of Southern descent, and Catholics embarrassed by Bresso's secularism.
In March Cota was narrowly elected President over Bresso and LNP triplicated the number of its seats in the Regional Council from four to twelve. Conclusive for Cota's win were the strong showing of Beppe Grillo
's Five Star Movement, which gained 3.7% of the vote mainly from centre-left voters, and the Catholic vote that tilted to Cota, disappointing the Union of the Centre, allied with Bresso in the election.
.
The party is represented in the Italian Parliament by eight deputies and three senators, in the Regional Council of Piedmont by three regional deputies and in the European Parliament
by Mario Borghezio
and Oreste Rossi. Michelino Davico, a senator from Cuneo
, is Under-Secretary of the Interior in Berlusconi IV Cabinet
. In Piedmont two provinces, Cuneo
and Biella
, are led by Lega Nord members, Gianna Gancia and Roberto Simonetti respectively, while Massimo Giordano is Mayor of Novara
. Cota was floor leader of Lega Nord in the Italian Chamber of Deputies
.
, in rural and mountain areas. In the 2010 regional election
it won 25.3% in Cuneo
, 24.4% in Vercelli
, 21.6% in Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
, 21.1% in Novara
, 20.6% in Asti
and 20.2% in Biella
.
The electoral results of Lega Nord Piemont in the Region are shown in the table below.
Regionalism (politics)
Regionalism is a term used in international relations. Regionalism also constitutes one of the three constituents of the international commercial system...
political party in Italy that is the regional section of Lega Nord in Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
.
Its leader Roberto Cota
Roberto Cota
Roberto Cota is the leader of Lega Nord Piemont and a leading member of Lega Nord.After a degree in law, Cota joined the party in 1990. In 2000 he was elected to the Regional Council of Piedmont and was President of it until 2005...
is the President of Piedmont since March 2010.
Early years
The party was founded in April 1987 by spliters from Piedmontese UnionPiedmontese Union
Piedmontese Union was a regionalist political party active in Piedmont.It was founded in 1981 by Roberto Gremmo, a former member of the Italian Communist Party. The party was soon joined by well-known folk-singer Gipo Farassino, a former Communist too. In the 1985 regional election UP won 1.1% of...
(Union Piemontèisa, UP), led by Gipo Farassino and Mario Borghezio
Mario Borghezio
Mario Borghezio is an Italian politician from the Northern League. He is a Member of the European Parliament, and sits with the eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group. He is a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairsand of the Committee on Petitions...
. This group, which took the name of Piedmontese Autonomist Movement (Moviment Autonomista Piemontèis, MAP) and soon later Autonomist Piedmont (Piemont Autonomista, PA), wanted to make an alliance with Lega Lombarda
Lega Lombarda
Lega Lombarda is a regionalist political party active in Lombardy. Led by Giancarlo Giorgetti, the party is the second largest in the region....
of Umberto Bossi
Umberto Bossi
Umberto Bossi is an Italian politician, leader of the Northern League, a party seeking autonomy or independence for Northern Italy. He is married to Manuela Marrone and has four sons ....
, in contrast with UP leader Roberto Gremmo.
PA participated to the 1989 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 1989
The 1989 European Parliamentary Election was a European election held across the 12 European Community member states in June 1989. It was third European election but the first time that Spain and Portugal voted at the same time as the other members...
as part of the coalition Lega Lombarda – Alleanza Nord
Lega Lombarda – Alleanza Nord
Lega Lombarda – Alleanza Nord was an electoral alliance for the 1989 European Parliament election in Italy.It was composed by six regionalist parties representative of six Northern regions:*Lega Lombarda*Liga Veneta...
. In 1989–1990 it took part in the process of federating the Northern regionalist parties, ahead of the regional elections. In February 1991 it merged into Lega Nord, taking the current name, and since then it has been the regional section of that party in Piedmont.
In the 1996 general election
Italian general election, 1996
An early national general election was held in Italy on 21 April, 1996 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic...
the party obtained its best result ever: 18.2%.
Splits and recovery
In 1999 the party suffered a damaging split when Domenico Comino, at the time secretary of the party, left the party over disagreements with Umberto BossiUmberto Bossi
Umberto Bossi is an Italian politician, leader of the Northern League, a party seeking autonomy or independence for Northern Italy. He is married to Manuela Marrone and has four sons ....
, federal secretary of Lega Nord, and started his own party, which was integrated into the Autonomists for Europe
Autonomists for Europe
Autonomists for Europe is a minor regionalist, Christian-democratic and liberal Italian political party. Founded in 2000 by splinters of Lega Nord as a potentially dangerous competitor, is now a rather marginal force...
in 2000.
Troubled by splits and loss of popular support (the party was reduced from the 18.2% of 1996 to 7.8% in three years), LNP entered in coalition with the centre-right Pole of Freedoms
Pole of Freedoms
The Pole of Freedoms was a centre-right electoral alliance in Italy, launched at the 1994 general election by Silvio Berlusconi.The alliance was composed primarily of Forza Italia and the Lega Nord, but also included Christian Democratic Centre and the Union of the Centre...
. From 2000 to 2005 the party took part to the regional government
Politics of Piedmont
The Politics of Piedmont, Italy takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democracy, whereby the President of Regional Government is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the Regional Government...
led by Enzo Ghigo (Forza Italia
Forza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
), which included LNP long-time leader Gipo Farassino as regional minister of Culture, and Roberto Cota
Roberto Cota
Roberto Cota is the leader of Lega Nord Piemont and a leading member of Lega Nord.After a degree in law, Cota joined the party in 1990. In 2000 he was elected to the Regional Council of Piedmont and was President of it until 2005...
was President of the Regional Council. In 2001 Cota was elected also national secretary of LNP.
The party has since then recovered. Between 2006 and the 2008 general election
Italian general election, 2008 (Piedmont)
The Italian general election of 2008 took place on 13 April 2008 – 14 April 2008. The election was won in Piedmont by the centre-right coalition between The People of Freedom and Lega Nord, as it happened at the national level...
the party doubled its share of vote from 6.3% to 12.3%. Subsequently Cota became floor leader of Lega Nord in the Italian Chamber of Deputies
Italian Chamber of Deputies
The Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...
. In the 2009 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009 (Piedmont)
The European Parliament election of 2009 took place on 6-7 June 2009.The People of Freedom was the largest party in Piedmont, ahead of the Democratic Party and Lega Nord .-Results:Source:...
LNP increased again reaching 15.7% of the vote, its best result since 1996.
2010 regional election
For the 2010 regional electionPiedmontese regional election, 2010
The Piedmontese regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010, as part of Italy's big round of regional elections.The incumbent President of the Region, Mercedes Bresso of the centre-left Democratic Party, lost her seat to Roberto Cota, leader of Lega Piemont and floor leader of Lega...
Roberto Cota
Roberto Cota
Roberto Cota is the leader of Lega Nord Piemont and a leading member of Lega Nord.After a degree in law, Cota joined the party in 1990. In 2000 he was elected to the Regional Council of Piedmont and was President of it until 2005...
was chosen as joint candidate for President by The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy. With the Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties of the current Italian party system....
and Lega Nord. His opponent was incumbent President Mercedes Bresso
Mercedes Bresso
Mercedes Bresso is an Italian politician and former President of the Piedmont Region. She is a member of the Democratic Party . After her election as governor of Piedmont, she resigned from the office as Member of European Parliament. She is a Grand Officer of the Italian Republic...
, a Democrat
Democratic Party (Italy)
The Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election....
.
The day after his bid was announced, Cota explained that it is time to rewrite the history of Italian unification
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
, that was led by the Kingdom of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
under the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
. Cota underlined that Piedmont was once an independent state and told that even Camillo Benso di Cavour did not intend to unify the whole Italian Peninsula
Italian Peninsula
The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe , spanning from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname Lo Stivale...
and later favoured a federal reform of the new Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
. For these reasons Cota, who is a republican and has no nostalgia of the House of Savoy, he says that his message will do well in Piedmont and that he will overcome the weakness of Lega Piemont (that usually gets far less votes than Liga Veneta
Liga Veneta
Liga Veneta is a regionalist political party based in Veneto, combining Venetism and fiscal federalism. Liga Veneta is by far the largest party in Veneto and the party of Luca Zaia, President of Veneto since March 2010.It was the first party of its kind in Northern Italy, predating Umberto...
in Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
and Lega Lombarda
Lega Lombarda
Lega Lombarda is a regionalist political party active in Lombardy. Led by Giancarlo Giorgetti, the party is the second largest in the region....
in Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
). In Cota's view, most of his support will come from industrial workers, including those of Southern descent, and Catholics embarrassed by Bresso's secularism.
In March Cota was narrowly elected President over Bresso and LNP triplicated the number of its seats in the Regional Council from four to twelve. Conclusive for Cota's win were the strong showing of Beppe Grillo
Beppe Grillo
Giuseppe Piero Grillo, better known as Beppe Grillo , is an Italian activist, blogger, comedian, actor and politician, who also works in theatres and television.-Biography:Grillo was born in Genoa, Liguria....
's Five Star Movement, which gained 3.7% of the vote mainly from centre-left voters, and the Catholic vote that tilted to Cota, disappointing the Union of the Centre, allied with Bresso in the election.
Members
The current national secretary is Roberto CotaRoberto Cota
Roberto Cota is the leader of Lega Nord Piemont and a leading member of Lega Nord.After a degree in law, Cota joined the party in 1990. In 2000 he was elected to the Regional Council of Piedmont and was President of it until 2005...
.
The party is represented in the Italian Parliament by eight deputies and three senators, in the Regional Council of Piedmont by three regional deputies and in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
by Mario Borghezio
Mario Borghezio
Mario Borghezio is an Italian politician from the Northern League. He is a Member of the European Parliament, and sits with the eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group. He is a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairsand of the Committee on Petitions...
and Oreste Rossi. Michelino Davico, a senator from Cuneo
Cuneo
Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area...
, is Under-Secretary of the Interior in Berlusconi IV Cabinet
Berlusconi IV Cabinet
Berlusconi IV Cabinet has been the cabinet of the government of Italy from 8 May 2008 to 16 November 2011.As of July 2011, it was composed of 24 ministers, 4 deputy ministers and 39 under-secretaries, for a total of 67 members.-Sources:*...
. In Piedmont two provinces, Cuneo
Province of Cuneo
ayr is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ....
and Biella
Province of Biella
The Province of Biella is a province of Italy located in Piedmont. It was created in 1992 and its capital is the city of Biella.It has an area of 913 km², and a total population of 187,249...
, are led by Lega Nord members, Gianna Gancia and Roberto Simonetti respectively, while Massimo Giordano is Mayor of Novara
Novara
Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
. Cota was floor leader of Lega Nord in the Italian Chamber of Deputies
Italian Chamber of Deputies
The Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...
.
Popular support
The party has its stongholds in the outer provinces of PiedmontPiedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, in rural and mountain areas. In the 2010 regional election
Piedmontese regional election, 2010
The Piedmontese regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010, as part of Italy's big round of regional elections.The incumbent President of the Region, Mercedes Bresso of the centre-left Democratic Party, lost her seat to Roberto Cota, leader of Lega Piemont and floor leader of Lega...
it won 25.3% in Cuneo
Province of Cuneo
ayr is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ....
, 24.4% in Vercelli
Province of Vercelli
Vercelli is a province in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Its capital is Vercelli., it has an area of 2,088 km², and a total population of 176,829...
, 21.6% in Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
Verbano-Cusio-Ossola is the northernmost province in the Italian region of Piedmont. It was created in 1996 through the fusion of three distinct regions which had previously been part of the Province of Novara...
, 21.1% in Novara
Province of Novara
Novara is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Novara.It has an area of 1,339 km², and a total population of 365.156 . There are 88 communes in the province.-External links:*...
, 20.6% in Asti
Province of Asti
The Province of Asti is a province in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Asti. To the north west it borders on the province of Turin; to the south west it borders on the province of Cuneo. To the east it borders on the province of Alessandria, while in the south it...
and 20.2% in Biella
Province of Biella
The Province of Biella is a province of Italy located in Piedmont. It was created in 1992 and its capital is the city of Biella.It has an area of 913 km², and a total population of 187,249...
.
The electoral results of Lega Nord Piemont in the Region are shown in the table below.
| 1990 regional | 1992 general | 1994 general | 1995 regional | 1996 general | 1999 European | 2000 regional | 2001 general | 2004 European | 2005 regional | 2006 general | 2008 general | 2009 European | 2010 Regional |
| 5.1 | 16.3 | 15.7 | 9.9 | 18.2 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 5.9 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 6.3 | 12.6 | 15.7 | 16.7 |
Leadership
- National Secretary: Gipo Farassino (1987–1996), Domenico Comino (1996–1999), Bernardino Bosio (1999–2001), Roberto CotaRoberto CotaRoberto Cota is the leader of Lega Nord Piemont and a leading member of Lega Nord.After a degree in law, Cota joined the party in 1990. In 2000 he was elected to the Regional Council of Piedmont and was President of it until 2005...
(2001–present) - National President: Angelo Colli (1991–1992), Domenico Comino (1993–1994), Bernardino Bosio (1996–1999), Silvano Straneo (2000–2001), Oreste Rossi (2001–2004), Mario BorghezioMario BorghezioMario Borghezio is an Italian politician from the Northern League. He is a Member of the European Parliament, and sits with the eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group. He is a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairsand of the Committee on Petitions...
(2004–2011)