Lega Nord

Lega Nord (Northern League, Italy) An alliance of northern Italian regional parties, its support rose rapidly in the vacuum caused by the breakup of the postwar Italian party system during the early 1990s, so that it became the largest political group in the 1994 Parliament, even though its strength declined slightly in the 1996 elections. Against the background of Italy's regional disparity in social and economic terms, its appeal is based on northern resentment against the redistribution of welfare and taxation from the prosperous north to the poor south. On 15 September 1996, the president of the Lega Nord, Umberto Bossi, proclaimed the ‘Republic of Padania’, with the aim of creating a rival state in Italy north of the River Po, complete with a separate government and administration. Although this was only supported by a minority, Bossi hoped to attract more support as the government failed to resolve its financial crisis on account of the insolvent south. A junior parner to Forza Italia in the House of Liberties coalition, the Lega Nord joined Berlusconi's government in 2001. However, the House of Liberties' victory was achieved by a dramatic growth of votes for Forza Italia, while the Lega Nord lost over 6 per cent of the total vote.