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

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and federalist political association 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 a ...

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 Giancarlo Galan (born 10 September 1956 in Padua) is an Italian politician. Political career After having been an activist of the Italian Liberal Party in the 1970s and the 1980s, he was not active in politics until he joined Forza Italia sin ...

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 a ...

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

–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 ''north ...

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 Sep ...

.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 thr ...

), Diego Bottacin (PD, regional councillor), Maurizio Fistarol (PD, senator and former mayor of Belluno), 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 he ...

), Francesco Giuliari (ApV, former deputy), Enrico Zardini (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 (''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 Piedmo ...

. 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), 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 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 Baricc ...

(a former party leader in the Chamber of Deputies 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 Inve ...

(a former senator), and Marisa Bedoni (a former deputy mayor of

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

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, 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 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. On 29 August 2019, ...

, 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 (VTR) and was instrumental to the foundation of Mario Monti's Civic Choice (SC). At the 2013 general election 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