Roberto Maroni

Roberto Maroni
Maroni in 2010.
President of Lombardy
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 February 2013
Preceded by Roberto Formigoni
Federal Secretary of Lega Nord
In office
1 July 2012  7 December 2013
Preceded by Umberto Bossi
Succeeded by Matteo Salvini
Minister of the Interior
In office
8 May 2008  16 November 2011
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
Preceded by Giuliano Amato
Succeeded by Anna Maria Cancellieri
In office
5 May 1994  17 January 1995
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
Preceded by Nicola Mancino
Succeeded by Antonio Brancaccio
Minister of Labour
In office
11 June 2001  17 May 2006
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
Preceded by Cesare Salvi
Succeeded by Cesare Damiano
Personal details
Born 15 March 1955
Varese, Italy
Political party Proletarian Democracy
(1975–1979)
Independent
(1979–1984)
Lega Lombarda
(1984–1991)
Lega Nord
(1991–present)
Alma mater University of Milan
Signature

Roberto Maroni (born 15 March 1955) is an Italian politician from Varese, current President of Lombardy since 2013. He is a leader of the Northern League (Italian: Lega Nord), a party seeking autonomy or independence for Northern Italy or Padania. Since 1992 to 2013 he was a Member of the Chamber of Duputies of the Italian Republic, always elected in Lombard constituencies. He was Interior Minister of the Italian Republic from 1994 to 1995 and from 2008 to 2011.

Career

In 1979, Maroni received a law degree with a dissertation in Civil Law, from the University of Milan. He became a lawyer after spending two years working as a Legal Affairs Manager for various companies.[1]

In 1990, he was elected Province Secretary of the Northern League in Varese. He also became a town councilor in Varese that year. Two years later, he was elected Chairman of the Northern League Parliamentary Group. He also entered the party's Federal Council and campaigned heavily for the Northern League prior to Berlusconi's first Cabinet.

He also served as Minister of the Interior during the first Silvio Berlusconi cabinet, from 1994 to 1995. He also served as Minister of Labour and Welfare from 2001 to May 2006 in Berlusconi's second and third cabinets.[1]

In April 2006, after Berlusconi narrowly lost his re-election bid to Romano Prodi, Maroni alleged problems with the election comparable to those in Florida during the 2000 Presidential election. "The level pegging is very similar to what happened in Florida. With one vote more or one vote less, you lose or you win," he said.[2]

After the 2008 electoral victory of the centre-right coalition in Italy, Maroni assumed the office of Minister of the Interior in the cabinet led by Silvio Berlusconi.

Following the forced retirement of Umberto Bossi due to his alleged involvement in a scandal, Maroni was elected Political Secretary of the Northern League at its Congress in Assago (on 30 June and 1 July 2012).[3] He currently leads a fierce opposition to Mario Monti's government with his party, the Northern League.[4] After the election of February 24, 2013, he became the ninth President of Lombardy.

Passion for music

In September 2006, Maroni told Vanity Fair that he downloads music illegally and thinks music should be "free and accessible to all".[5] He added that authors should still be able to stop their work from being widely distributed on the Internet. Maroni said his confession was intended to spark a discussion in Parliament about changing Italy's copyright laws, which are among the strictest in Europe.[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1
  2. "Prodi claims victory in Italy vote". China Daily. 11 April 2006. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  3. "Roberto Maroni new leader of Italy's Northern League". BBC. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  4. "Viceministri, Monti al lavoro sulle nomine La Lega: "Dal governo solo nuove tasse"". Repubblica.it. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Warner, Bernhard (14 September 2006). "Right-winger sparks piracy debate". Variety. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
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Political offices
Preceded by
Nicola Mancino
Italian Minister of the Interior
1994–1995
Succeeded by
Antonio Brancaccio
Preceded by
Cesare Salvi
Italian Minister of Labour
2001–2006
Succeeded by
Cesare Damiano
Preceded by
Giuliano Amato
Italian Minister of the Interior
2008–2011
Succeeded by
Anna Maria Cancellieri
Preceded by
Roberto Formigoni
President of Lombardy
2013–2018
Succeeded by
incumbent