Toward North ( it, Verso Nord, VN) is a liberal and

federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

political association A political organization is any organization that involves itself in the political process, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, and special interest advocacy groups. Political organizations are those engaged in polit ...

based in

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

, Italy. The group, which seeks to represent all the North by enlarging itself outside Veneto, is a keen proponent of federalism, fiscal reform, free market, competition, private enterprise and justice reform. Its main leader is

Massimo Cacciari Massimo Cacciari (; born 5 June 1944) is an Italian philosopher, politician and public intellectual. Biography Born in Venice, Cacciari graduated in philosophy from the University of Padua (1967), where he also received his doctorate, writing ...

History

Background and foundation

Between 2008 and 2010

, three times mayor of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

and leading figure of the centre-left in Veneto, called his

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

(PD) to organize itself as a federalist party, with an autonomous northern wing. Giancarlo Galan,

President of Veneto The president of Veneto is the supreme authority of Veneto, a region of Italy. Election Originally appointed by the Regional Council of Veneto, since 1995 ''de facto'' and 2000 ''de jure'', the president is elected by popular vote every five yea ...

from 1995 to 2010, made similar calls to

The People of Freedom The People of Freedom ( it, Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The PdL, launched by Silvio Berlusconi on 18 November 2007, was initially a federation of political parties, notably including Forza Italia ...

(PdL). None of these calls were welcomed by the two main Italian parties and

Lega Nord Lega Nord (; acronym: LN), whose complete name is (), is a right-wing, federalist, populist and conservative political party in Italy. In the run-up of the 2018 general election, the party was rebranded as (), without changing its official ...

became a major electoral force at the 2008 general election. At the 2010 regional election

Liga Veneta Liga Veneta ( vec, Łiga Vèneta; en, Venetian League; abbr. LV), whose complete name is ( en, Venetian League for Salvini Premier), is a regionalist political party active in Veneto. The LV, whose ideology combines Venetian nationalism and s ...

–Lega Nord became the largest party in Veneto and

Luca Zaia Luca Zaia (born 27 March 1968) is a Venetian and Venetist politician, who has been President of Veneto since 2010. Prior to that, Zaia was President of the Province of Treviso from 1998 to 2005, Vice President of Veneto from 2005 to 2008 and ...

was elected President of the region. Following the rout of Rome-based parties in Veneto, a manifesto for a new liberal party representing 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 or geography. Etymology The word ''no ...

was launched on 23 July 2010 in

Mogliano Veneto Mogliano Veneto ( vec, Mogian ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Treviso, Veneto, northern Italy, located halfway between Mestre (Venice) and Treviso. Culture Mogliano is well known for the Medieval festival, which takes place in Septe ...

.http://www.versonord.eu/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/MANIFESTO_VERSO_NORD.pdf The ten proponents of ''Toward North. Italy closer to Europe'' were: Massimo Cacciari (PD), Giuseppe Bortolussi (PD, 2010 candidate for President of Veneto),

Achille Variati Achille Variati ( Vicenza, 19 January 1953) is an Italian politician and former Mayor of Vicenza. A long-time member of Christian Democracy, he was elected to the municipal council of Vicenza in 1980 and then re-elected in 1985 and 1990, when he ...

(PD, mayor of

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the '' Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a t ...

Diego Bottacin Diego Bottacin (Noale, 7 September 1959) is an Italian politician from Veneto. In the 1980s Bottacin started his political career in the early green movements and in 1992 he was elected Mayor of Mogliano Veneto, an office he held until 2005. From ...

(PD, regional councillor), Maurizio Fistarol (PD, senator and former mayor of

Belluno Belluno (; lld, Belum; vec, Belùn) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites regi ...

), Alessio Vianello ( ApV, ex-PD, former deputy mayor of Venice), Franco Miracco (PdL, spokesman of Giancarlo Galan), Mario Bertolissi (PdL, professor of constitutional law at the

University of Padua The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from ...

), Maria Gomierato ( UDC, former mayor of

Castelfranco Veneto Castelfranco Veneto ( vec, Casteło) is a town and ''comune'' of Veneto, northern Italy, in the province of Treviso, by rail from the town of Treviso. It is approximately inland from Venice. History The town originates from a castle built her ...

), Francesco Giuliari (ApV, former deputy),

Enrico Zardini Enrico is both an Italian masculine given name and a surname, Enrico means homeowner, or king, derived from ''Heinrich'' of Germanic origin. It is also a given name in Ladino. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Henri ( French), En ...

(PD) and

Enrico Zanetti Enrico Zanetti (born 12 August 1973, Venice) is an Italian politician and tax advisor. He was appointed Secretary of Civic Choice in February 2015. Biography Enrico Zanetti was born on 12 August 1973 in Venice; from 1990 to 1998 he moved to Go ...

(PD).

Enlargement to other regions

In October 2012 Vianello was elected president of VN, which started to be organized as a party. At the same time Bottacin left the PD in order to concentrate himself to the new party. Bortolussi, Bottacin,

Mariangelo Foggiato Mariangelo Foggiato (Possagno, 19 April 1954) is a Venetist politician. Having joined Liga Veneta–Lega Nord, he was elected to the Regional Council of Veneto in 1995. However, he left the party in 1998, when he founded Liga Veneta Repubblica ...

(

North-East Union The North-East Union (''Unione Nord-Est'') was a Venetist political party active in Veneto. The party was formed in 1996 by splinters from Liga Veneta–Lega Nord led by Adriano Bertaso, a regional councillor. In the 1996 general election the p ...

) and the three regional councillors of the Union of the Centre formed a cross-group alliance. In December Fistarol left the group of the PD in the Senate in order to become a full representative of VN. A third regional councillor, Andrea Causin, left the PD and joined VN soon. The party made inroads also in

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, where MEP

Gianluca Susta Gianluca Susta (born 10 April 1956, Biella) is an Italian politician. He is a member of the Italian Senate, elected in February 2013. Previously he served as Mayor of Biella from 1992 to 2004, he was a member of the European Parliament between 8 ...

left the PD and became regional leader of VN. After having dropped the idea of becoming the regional section of

Alliance for Italy Alliance for Italy ( it, Alleanza per l'Italia; ApI) was a centrist political party in Italy. The party, which was described in its manifesto as "democratic, liberal, popular" as opposed both to "right-wing populism" and the "social-democratic l ...

in order to replace Alliance for Veneto, Cacciari hinted that VN may become the regional section of

Future Italy Future Italy (''Italia Futura'', IF) was an Italian liberal-centrist think tank, formed in 2009 by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, chairman of Alitalia (since 2014) and former chairman of Ferrari (1991–2014), FIAT (2004–2010) and Confindustria ...

(''Italia Futura''), a think-tank and would-be party led by

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (; born 31 August 1947) is an Italian businessman, former Chairman of Ferrari, and formerly Chairman of Fiat S.p.A. and President of Confindustria and FIEG. He comes from an aristocratic family from the region of Pied ...

. Between September 2011 and March 2012 the party formed regional wings in Piedmont ( Piedmont at the Centre, led by Gianluca Susta), Lombardy (

Lombards Toward North The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 and ...

), and

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

. In Lombardy VN was joined by three well-known former members of

Lega Lombarda Lega Lombarda ( en, Lombard League; abbr. LL), whose complete name is ( en, Lombard League for Salvini Premier), is a regionalist political party active in Lombardy. Established in 1984, it was one of the founding "national" sections of Lega ...

–Lega Nord:

Alessandro Cè Alessandro is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Alexander. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Alessandro * Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), Italian portrait painter * Alessandro Bari ...

(a former party leader in 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 Bourbon ...

and regional minister of Health),

Sergio Rossi Sergio Rossi is an Italian fashion brand which focuses on footwear. Founded in Italy in 1951, the brand was acquired by the Gucci Group in 1999. It then became part of the Kering Group under François Pinault, from 2005 until 2016, when I ...

(a former senator), and

Marisa Bedoni Marisa may refer to: * Marisa (town), an Indonesian town * Marisa, Hellenised name of Maresha Tel Maresha ( he, תל מראשה) is the tell (archaeological mound) of the biblical Iron Age city of Maresha, and of the subsequent, post-586 BCE Idu ...

(a former deputy mayor of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

under Marco Formentini). A former leader and senator of

Lega Nord Emilia Lega Emilia ( en, Emilia League), whose complete name is ( en, Emilia League for Salvini Premier), is a regionalist political party active in Emilia, part of Emilia-Romagna region. Established in 1989, it was one of the founding "national" se ...

Pierluigi Copercini Pierluigi is an Italian masculine given name meaning "Peter Louis". It is often an abbreviation of "Piero Luigi". Famous people with this given name include: * Pierluigi Balducci, Italian musician *Pierluigi Benedettini, Sammarinese footballer *P ...

, joined the party in Emilia–Romagna.

From Future Italy to Civic Choice

In March 2012 several members of VN took part to the founding of the Venetian section of Montezemolo's Future Italy. Causin was appointed regional coordinator, along with

Manfredi Ravetto Manfredi Ravetto (born 13 March 1975) is an Italian former team manager at Caterham's Formula 1 team. Career Ravetto is a graduate of economics. For five years he was sports director for Formula 3000 and German Formula 3. He also worked in th ...

and

Jacopo Silva Jacopo Silva (born 20 August 1991) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for club A.C. Renate. Club career Born in Piacenza, Silva spend six seasons on Piacenza Calcio and three for Pro Piacenza Associazi ...

, while Vianello, Bottacin and Gomierato were appointed to the regional committee. Between November 2012 and January 2013 VN, through IF, took part to the founding of

Toward the Third Republic Toward the Third Republic (''Verso la Terza Repubblica'') was a political manifesto for a new centrist political party in Italy launched during a convention in Rome on 17 November 2012. It aimed at forming a political base for Prime Minister Mario ...

(VTR) and was instrumental to the foundation of Mario Monti's

Civic Choice Civic Choice ( it, Scelta Civica; SC) was a centrist and liberal political party in Italy founded by Mario Monti. The party was formed in the run-up of the 2013 general election to support the outgoing Prime Minister Monti and continue his polit ...

(SC). At the

2013 general election Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

SC garnered 8.3% of the vote. Several VN leading members, notably including Causin, Zanetti and Susta, were elected to the

Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitio ...

,senato.it - Composizione del Gruppo Per l'Italia
/ref> while others, like Fistarol, failed re-election.

Leadership

*Coordinator: Alessio Vianello (2010–...)

References

External links

Official websiteManifesto of Toward NorthLombards Toward North – Regional section in LombardyPiedmont at the Center – Regional section in Piedmont
{{Italian political parties Political parties in Veneto Regionalist parties in Italy