Umberto Bossi

Umberto Bossi ( born September 19, 1941 in Cassano Magnago in the province of Varese ) is an Italian politician. He was co-founder in 1989 of the separatist Northern Italian regional party Lega Nord and until his resignation in April 2012 its chairman. He was twice elected as a representative of the Northern League to the European Parliament, was once a minister in two governments under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Political career

After cutting short her medical and law studies Bossi began his political career in the late 1970s after an encounter with Bruno Salvadori, leader of the movement for autonomy of the Aosta Valley ( Union Valdôtaine ). He was active even in groups that sought greater autonomy or independence for Northern Italy regions and was the beginning of the 1980s, co-founder of the Lombard autonomy movement Lega Lombarda. In 1987 he was first elected to the Italian Parliament and thus got its nickname " il SENATUR ".

In 1989, the Lega Lombarda Association under his leadership with other groups for Northern League party, whose chairman he remained until April 2012. In the same year he became a deputy in the European Parliament ( 1989 European elections ).

The key topic of the Northern League from the start was the transfer of powers to the Italian Government in the regions (see Devolution ). In addition, Bossi was known for his often harsh polemics against the government in Rome as the center of corruption, against the bureaucracy and the Italian south in general. To this he opposed the vision of an independent, northern Italian state " Padania " (cf. Padania ).

Beginning of the 1990s was a result of the collapse of the hitherto dominant parties of the first Italian Republic, the Lega Nord in the north to the mass party. After the election victory of right-wing parties in 1994 Bossi party joined the first government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. However, already at the end of Bossi deprived the maligned by him Berlusconi ( Bossi refers to him as " Berluscaz " from cazzo / "tail", or as " Berluskaiser " ) confidence and it came to overthrow the government.

In the years that followed reinforced Bossi in opposition its separatist aspirations. 1997 was a " padanisches Parliament " created, but that had no real skills. It was a Padanian ideology elaborated, the bonds held by the ancient Celts, and introduced a festival of the deified river Po, with its water Bossi every year at the source vial fills, to then empty into Venice from the sea, which the " symbolizing purity " of the North. Other highlights in the party program of the Northern League were the fight against immigration to Italy, often accompanied by controversial and racist actions, and against the European Union.

Before the parliamentary elections of 2001, Bossi allied again with Berlusconi resigned after the election victory of the center-right coalition Casa delle Libertà as minister for institutional reforms to the cabinet.

On 11 March 2004 Bossi suffered a heart attack and a stroke. After this health check and a long convalescence he finally declared not to be due to his health condition in the position to perform its governmental functions fully, and left on 19 July 2004 the government. His minister took office Roberto Calderoli. Bossi himself retired after his resignation intensified in the European policy back, ran in the same year for the Northern League in the 2004 European elections and was again a deputy in the European Parliament.

On 8 May 2008, he was named after the surprising success of his party in the early parliamentary elections Minister for Institutional Reform Party together with three other friends ( Maroni, Calderoli and Zaia ) once a member of Berlusconi -led government (Cabinet Berlusconi IV). With his resignation November 12, 2011, triggered by the euro crisis, the government was dissolved.

Early 2012 were investigations of the Prosecutor of Milan for embezzlement, fraud, money laundering and illegal party financing, among other things against the Treasurer of the Lega Nord, Francesco Belsito known, in which also the party affiliated union Sindacato Padano and the sons Bossi involved. On April 5, Bossi declared in the wake of his resignation from the leadership of the Northern League.

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