Lega Toscana
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Lega Toscana (), whose complete name is (), is a regionalist
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
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
. Established in 1987, it was one of the founding "national" sections of
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 ...
(LN) in 1991 and became the regional section of
Lega per Salvini Premier Lega (), whose official name is Lega per Salvini Premier (, LSP or LpSP), is a right-wing populist political party in Italy, led by Matteo Salvini. The LSP is the informal successor of Lega Nord (, LN). The LSP was established in December 20 ...
(LSP) in Tuscany since 2020. The party is currently led by Luca Baroncini.


History

The party was founded in 1987 as the Movement for Tuscany (''Movimento per la Toscana'', MpT) and its first leader was Mario Forconi. In 1988, under the leadership of Tommaso Fragassi, the party changed name to Tuscan Alliance (''Alleanza Toscana'', AT).
Riccardo Fragassi Riccardo is a male given name, Italian version of Ricardo or Richard. It also may be a surname. It means "Powerful Leader". It may refer to: People A–L * Riccardo Antoniazzi (1853–1912), Italian violin maker * Riccardo Bacchelli (1891–1985 ...
, ''Leghismo'', Agemina,
Sesto Fiorentino Sesto Fiorentino (), known locally as just Sesto, is a commune in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, central Italy. History The oldest known human settlement in the area dates from the Mesolithic (c. 9,000 years ago). The Etruscan ...
1992
La Storia , Lega Nord Toscana
Naz-toscana2.leganord.org (2013-01-24). Retrieved on 2013-08-24.
AT participated to the
1989 European Parliament election The 1989 European Parliament election was a held on June Wednesday 15 to Sunday 18 across the 12 European Union member state in June 1989. It was the third European Parliament election but the first time that Spain and Portugal voted at the sam ...
within the coalition
Lega Lombarda – Alleanza Nord Lega Lombarda – Alleanza Nord (''Lombard League – Northern Alliance'') was an electoral alliance for the 1989 European Parliament election in Italy. It was composed of six autonomist parties of six Northern regions ( Italian league movement): ...
. In 1989–1990 it took part in the process of federating the northern regionalist parties, ahead of the 1990 regional elections. In February 1991 the AT was merged into
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 ...
(LN), taking the current name, and since then it has been the regional section of that party in Tuscany. In the
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
and 1994 general election
Riccardo Fragassi Riccardo is a male given name, Italian version of Ricardo or Richard. It also may be a surname. It means "Powerful Leader". It may refer to: People A–L * Riccardo Antoniazzi (1853–1912), Italian violin maker * Riccardo Bacchelli (1891–1985 ...
was elected to the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...
(in 1992 along with
Gianmarco Mancini Gianmarco is an Italian masculine given name. Its English equivalent is "John Mark" and it is short for "Giovanni Marco". Notable people with the name include: * Gianmarco Bellini (born 1958), Italian Air Force officer * Gianmarco Cavagnino (bor ...
), while his father Tommaso resigned from secretary because he rejected the alliance between the LN and the centre-right
Pole of Freedoms The Pole of Freedoms () was a centre-right political and electoral alliance in Italy, launched at the 1994 general election by Silvio Berlusconi. Its counterpart in central and southern Italy was the Pole of Good Government, both forming the f ...
. In 1995, when the alliance was dissolved, Riccardo Fragassi left the party in opposition to that break-up and formed the Tuscan Federalist Alliance (AFT) instead. He would return into the fold ten years later. The leader of the AFT were Riccardo Fragassi (secretary) and Renzo Del Carrìa (president), a former president of the LNT (1992–1994). Riccardo Fragassi eventually re-joined the LNT and spoke at the Lega Nord's federal congress June–July 2012. The party's new secretary, Simone Gnaga, was elected to the Chamber in the 1996 general election. A right-winger, he would too leave in 1998 in order to join
National Alliance National Alliance may refer to: Electoral alliances *National Alliance (Egypt) (2015) * National Alliance (Ireland) (2024 onwards) * National Alliance (Pakistan) (2002-2004) *Nation Alliance (Turkey) (2018-2023) Political parties and organizations ...
. Between 1998 and 2006 the party was led by Vincenzo Soldati, a member of the party's
libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
wing. The party was then led by commissioner Luca Rodolfo Paolini, national secretary of Lega Nord Marche, from 2006 to 2008, when Claudio Morganti was elected national secretary. In the 2008 general election the party elected a deputy, Paolini himself, after almost ten years of no representation in the
Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament () is the national parliament of the Italy, Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1848–1861), the Parliament of the Kingd ...
. In the
2009 European Parliament election The 2009 European Parliament election was held in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Member of the European Parliament, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected to represent s ...
Morganti was elected MEP. In the 2010 regional election the party won 6.5% of the vote, its best result so far, and entered the Regional Council for the first time, with four councillors. Despite these electoral results, Morganti's leadership was openly contested by many party members. In April 2011 Dario Locci, a regional councillor, left in protest. In September 2011 Morganti resigned from secretary and was replaced by commissioner Giovanni Fava. The move was not enough for Locci, who made no return, and another group of disgruntled members, including regional councillor Marina Staccioli, who left the party to form Tuscan Identity in December. The splinter party was led by president
Giovanni Iadicicco Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...
and three coordinators ( Andrea Asciutti, Federico Meanti and Marina Staccioli); Staccioli would later defect to the
Brothers of Italy Brothers of Italy (, FdI) is a National conservatism, national-conservative and Right-wing populism, right-wing populist political party in Italy, that is currently the country's ruling party. After becoming the largest party in the 2022 Ita ...
). In October 2012 the two remaining regional councillors of the party, Antonio Gambetta Vianna and Gian Luca Lazzeri, responded to the emphasis posed by the new federal secretary
Roberto Maroni Roberto Ernesto Maroni (; 15 March 1955 – 22 November 2022) 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 Pa ...
on the
North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
and the establishment of a Padanian
euroregion In European politics, the term Euroregion usually refers to a transnational co-operation structure between two (or more) contiguous territories located in different European countries. Euroregions represent a specific type of cross-border regio ...
by changing the denomination of their group from "Lega Nord Toscana" to "
More Tuscany More Tuscany (''Più Toscana'', PT) is a regionalist political party in Italy active in Tuscany, Italy. The party was formed in October 2012 by a group of splinters from Lega Nord Toscana (LNT) led by Antonio Gambetta Vianna, a former president ...
". Vianna and Lazzeri were soon expelled from the party, which was left without regional councillors. In April 2013 also Morganti was expelled from the party. These internal clashes resulted in a dismal result in the 2013 general election, during which the LNT garnered a mere 0.7% of the vote. In April 2013, after a long transition under the supervision of Fava, a new national congress was held and
Manuel Vescovi Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...
was elected new national secretary. In the 2015 regional election the LNT obtained its best result so far in a regionwide election by jumping from 6.5% of 2010 to 16.2%, while its candidate for president, anti-
Euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...
economist Claudio Borghi, who was endorsed also by
Brothers of Italy Brothers of Italy (, FdI) is a National conservatism, national-conservative and Right-wing populism, right-wing populist political party in Italy, that is currently the country's ruling party. After becoming the largest party in the 2022 Ita ...
, came second with 20.0% of the vote. In the 2016 local elections the party won
Cascina Cascina () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italy, Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about southeast of Pisa. Cascina is located on the left shore of the Arno River, on a markedly plain ter ...
(
Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
), its first large municipality in the region: Susanna Ceccardi obtained 28.4% in the first round and 50.3% in the run-off, while the party got 21.3%. In the 2018 general election the party won 17.4% of the vote in Tuscany. In the subsequent 2018 local elections the party ran well in several races, especially in
Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
and
Massa Massa may refer to: Places Italy *Province of Massa and Carrara, province in the Tuscany region of Italy * Duchy of Massa and Carrara, controlled the towns of Massa di Carrara and Carrara * Roman Catholic Diocese of Massa Marittima-Piombi ...
where two of its members, Michele Conti and
Francesco Persiani Francesco Persiani (born 29 November 1965) is an Italian politician. A member of Lega, he is the mayor of Massa since June 2018. In March 2023, he resigned after the city council passed a motion of no confidence but was re-elected in May 2023. ...
. respectively, were elected mayors. In the
2019 European Parliament election The 2019 European Parliament election was held in the European Union (EU) between 23 and 26 May 2019. It was the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) we ...
the party reached a record 31.5% of the vote, while in the 2020 regional election, with Ceccardi as the centre-right candidate for president, it stopped at 21.8% (Ceccardi won 40.5%). Following the formation of
Lega per Salvini Premier Lega (), whose official name is Lega per Salvini Premier (, LSP or LpSP), is a right-wing populist political party in Italy, led by Matteo Salvini. The LSP is the informal successor of Lega Nord (, LN). The LSP was established in December 20 ...
and the 2019 federal congress of the LN, after which the latter became practically inactive, in February 2020 the LNT was re-established as Lega Toscana per Salvini Premier in order to become the regional section of the new party. The founding members of the new LR were Ceccardi, Tiziana Nisini, Elisa Montemagni, Jacopo Alberti and Elena Vizzotto. After that, the party was successively led by Mario Lolini and, since 2023, Luca Baroncini. In the 2023 regional congress, Baroncini was elected secretary by obtaining around 60% of the vote, while his opponent Luca Tacchi won around 35%.


Popular support

Lega Nord Toscana has been one of the weakest national sections of the federal party and had received only low digits until the 2015 regional election, in which it obtained its best result so far (16.2%). The party was particularly strong in the provinces of
Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...
(20.2%),
Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
(19.1%) and
Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and a ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the province of Grosseto and the main city of the Maremma region. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the ...
(18.9%). The electoral results of Lega Nord Toscana in the region are shown in the tables below.


Leadership

*Secretary: Mario Forconi (1987–1988), Tommaso Fragassi (1988–1994), Simone Gnaga (1994–1998), Vincenzo Soldati (1998–2006), Luca Rodolfo Paolini (commissioner 2006–2008), Claudio Morganti (2008–2011), Giovanni Fava (commissioner, 2011–2013),
Manuel Vescovi Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...
(2013–2018), Susanna Ceccardi (commissioner 2018–2019),
Daniele Belotti Daniele is an Italian male given name, the cognate of the English name Daniel. Danièle is also a French female given name, an alternative spelling of Danielle. The name "Daniel" originates from the Hebrew Bible and is associated with the prophet ...
(commissioner 2019–2020), Mario Lolini (commissioner 2020–2023), Luca Baroncini (2023–present, commissioner 2023) *President: Tommaso Fragassi (1987–1988), Guido Niccolini (1988–1992), Renzo Del Carrìa (1992–1994), Dario Locci (1994–1996), Emilio Paradiseo (1996–1998),
Walter Gherardini Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...
(1998–2001), Moreno Menconi (2001–2006), Antonio Gambetta Vianna (2008–2011), Francesco Pellati (2013–2018)


References


External links


Official website
{{Authority control 1987 establishments in Italy Federalist parties in Italy Italian leagues Lega Nord Political parties established in 1987 Political parties in Tuscany