Roberto Ernesto Maroni (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto maˈroːni]; 15 March 1955 – 22 November 2022)[1] was an Italian politician from Varese and a past President of Lombardy. He was the leader of the Northern League, a party seeking autonomy or independence for Northern Italy or Padania. From 1992 to 2013 he was a Member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Republic, always elected in Lombard constituencies. He served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Italian Republic in the Berlusconi I executive, from 1994 to 1995. He was Interior Minister of the Italian Republic from 1994 to 1995, and from 2008 to 2011. He was Labour Minister of the Italian Republic from 2001 to 2006.
Roberto Maroni | |
|---|---|
 Maroni in 2010 | |
| President of Lombardy | |
| In office 18 March 2013 – 26 March 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Roberto Formigoni |
| Succeeded by | Attilio Fontana |
| Federal Secretary of Northern League | |
| In office 1 July 2012 – 15 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 10 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 |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Italy | |
| In office 11 May 1994 – 17 January 1995 Serving with Giuseppe Tatarella | |
| Prime Minister | Silvio Berlusconi |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 23 April 1992 – 14 March 2013 | |
| Constituency | Lombardy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Roberto Ernesto Maroni 15 March 1955 Varese, Italy |
| Died | 22 November 2022 (aged 67) Lozza, Italy |
| Political party | Northern League |
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Spouse | Emilia Macchi |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Milan |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Career
editEarly political career
editIn 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.[2]
Secretary of Varese and Minister of Interior
editIn 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 Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's first Cabinet.
He also served as Minister of the Interior during the first 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.[2]
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.[3]
After the 2008 electoral victory of the centre-right coalition in Italy, Maroni assumed the office of Minister of the Interior in the Berlusconi IV Cabinet.
Secretary of Lega Nord and President of Lombardy (2013–2018)
editFollowing 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).[4] After the election on 24 February 2013, he became the ninth President of Lombardy.
Passion for music
editIn 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]
Basic income
editOn 12 May 2015, Maroni announced that his intention to introduce a basic income, as a pilot project, "to ensure all families in the region have enough money to be able to pay for basic necessities". He also said that the plan was to use 220 million euros from the European Social Fund (ESF) for the initiative.[6]
Terrorism
editShortly after the 2016 Normandy church attack, Maroni called on the Pope to "immediately proclaim" Jacques Hamel "St Jacques."[7]
Electoral history
edit| Election | House | Constituency | Party | Votes | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Chamber of Deputies | Como–Sondrio–Varese | LL | 29,618 |  Elected
| |
| 1994 | Chamber of Deputies | Varese | LN | 53,640 | Elected
| |
| 1996 | Chamber of Deputies | Lombardy 1 | LN | –[a] | Elected
| |
| 2001 | Chamber of Deputies | Varese | LN | 45,905 | Elected
| |
| 2006 | Chamber of Deputies | Lombardy 2 | LN | –[a] | Elected
| |
| 2008 | Chamber of Deputies | Lombardy 2 | LN | –[a] | Elected
| |
- ^ a b c Elected in a closed list proportional representation system.
First-past-the-post elections
edit| 1994 general election (C): Varese | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Coalition | Votes | % | |
| Roberto Maroni | Pole of Freedoms | 53,640 | 61.4 | |
| Angelo Guerraggio | Alliance of Progressives | 16,221 | 18.5 | |
| Pier Maria Morresi | Pact for Italy | 11,507 | 13.2 | |
| Luigi Federiconi | National Alliance | 6,060 | 6.9 | |
| Total | 87,428 | 100.0 | ||
| 2001 general election (C): Varese | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Coalition | Votes | % | |
| Roberto Maroni | House of Freedoms | 45,905 | 57.8 | |
| Lorenzo Carabelli | The Olive Tree | 28,853 | 36.3 | |
| Remigio Benelli | Italy of Values | 4,721 | 5.9 | |
| Total | 79,479 | 100.0 | ||
References
edit- ^ La Repubblica
- ^ a b [1] Archived 11 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Prodi claims victory in Italy vote". China Daily. 11 April 2006. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ "Roberto Maroni new leader of Italy's Northern League". BBC. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ a b Warner, Bernhard (14 September 2006). "Right-winger sparks piracy debate". Variety. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Lombardy to experiment basic income, says Maroni, ansa.it; accessed 29 June 2015.(in Italian)
- ^ "One person detained in Normandy church attack investigation. An Italian politician is urging Pope Francis to put the slain French priest, Fr Jacques Hamel, on a fast track to sainthood". The Catholic Herald. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
