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 byRoberto Formigoni
Succeeded byAttilio Fontana
Federal Secretary of Northern League
In office
1 July 2012 – 15 December 2013
Preceded byUmberto Bossi
Succeeded byMatteo Salvini
Minister of the Interior
In office
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
Prime MinisterSilvio Berlusconi
Preceded byGiuliano Amato
Succeeded byAnna Maria Cancellieri
In office
10 May 1994 – 17 January 1995
Prime MinisterSilvio Berlusconi
Preceded byNicola Mancino
Succeeded byAntonio Brancaccio
Minister of Labour
In office
11 June 2001 – 17 May 2006
Prime MinisterSilvio Berlusconi
Preceded byCesare Salvi
Succeeded byCesare Damiano
Deputy Prime Minister of Italy
In office
11 May 1994 – 17 January 1995
Serving with Giuseppe Tatarella
Prime MinisterSilvio Berlusconi
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
23 April 1992 – 14 March 2013
ConstituencyLombardy
Personal details
Born
Roberto Ernesto Maroni

(1955-03-15)15 March 1955
Varese, Italy
Died22 November 2022(2022-11-22) (aged 67)
Lozza, Italy
Political partyNorthern League
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
SpouseEmilia Macchi
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Milan
ProfessionLawyer
Signature

Career

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Early political career

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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.[2]

Secretary of Varese and Minister of Interior

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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 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)

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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).[4] After the election on 24 February 2013, he became the ninth President of Lombardy.

Passion for music

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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]

Basic income

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On 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

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Shortly after the 2016 Normandy church attack, Maroni called on the Pope to "immediately proclaim" Jacques Hamel "St Jacques."[7]

Electoral history

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Election House Constituency Party Votes Result
1992 Chamber of Deputies Como–Sondrio–Varese LL 29,618  Y Elected
1994 Chamber of Deputies Varese LN 53,640  Y Elected
1996 Chamber of Deputies Lombardy 1 LN [a]  Y Elected
2001 Chamber of Deputies Varese LN 45,905  Y Elected
2006 Chamber of Deputies Lombardy 2 LN [a]  Y Elected
2008 Chamber of Deputies Lombardy 2 LN [a]  Y Elected
  1. ^ a b c Elected in a closed list proportional representation system.

First-past-the-post elections

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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

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  1. ^ La Repubblica
  2. ^ a b [1] Archived 11 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Prodi claims victory in Italy vote". China Daily. 11 April 2006. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  4. ^ "Roberto Maroni new leader of Italy's Northern League". BBC. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  5. ^ a b Warner, Bernhard (14 September 2006). "Right-winger sparks piracy debate". Variety. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  6. ^ Lombardy to experiment basic income, says Maroni, ansa.it; accessed 29 June 2015.(in Italian)
  7. ^ "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.