The Alpine Padanian Union (''Unione Padana Alpina'', UPA) is a Padanist and

separatist Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

active in

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The party emerged in March 2012 as a split from the

Padanian Union The Padanian Union (''Unione Padana'', UP) is a Padanian nationalism, Padanist and separatism, separatist list of political parties in Italy, political party active in Lombardy, Italy. The party emerged in November 2011 by the merger of Lega Padana ...

(UP): the provincial section of

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

, led by Giovanni Ongaro, left the UP over disagreements with party leadership. The UP had been formed in November 2011 by the merger of

Lega Padana Lombardia Lega Padana Lombardia (Padanian League Lombardy), briefly in 2008 part of the Lombardia Autonoma (''Self-Governing Lombardy'') coalition, was a Padanist and autonomist political party active in Lombardy, northern Italy, between 2001 and 2011. The ...

and other groups, including that of Ongaro. Riccardo Mazzoleni and Giovanni Ongaro were respectively elected secretary and president of the newly formed party. Cristiano Forte, a former provincial secretary of

Lega Lombarda Lega Lombarda (; abbr. LL), whose complete name is (), is a regionalism (politics), regionalist List of political parties in Italy, political party active in Lombardy. Established in 1984, it was one of the founding "national" sections of Lega ...

–

Lega Nord Lega Nord (LN; ), whose complete name is (), is a right-wing politics, right-wing, federalism, federalist, populism, populist and conservatism, conservative list of political parties in Italy, political party in Italy. In the run-up to the 201 ...

, was appointed deputy secretary.

Leadership

*Secretary: Riccardo Mazzoleni (2012–present) **Deputy-Secretary: Cristiano Forte (2012–present) *President: Giovanni Ongaro (2012–present)

References

2012 establishments in Italy Padanian nationalist parties Political parties established in 2012 Political parties in Lombardy Separatism in Italy Padanian independence activists {{Italy-party-stub