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Ignazio La Russa

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The Honourable
Ignazio La Russa
Ignazio La Russa in 2023
La Russa in 2023
President of the Senate of the Republic
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 October 2022
Preceded byElisabetta Casellati
Minister of Defence
In office
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
Prime MinisterSilvio Berlusconi
Preceded byArturo Parisi
Succeeded byGiampaolo Di Paola
President of Brothers of Italy
In office
4 April 2013 – 8 March 2014
Preceded byGuido Crosetto
Succeeded byGiorgia Meloni
President of National Alliance
Acting
In office
12 May 2008 – 22 March 2009
Preceded byGianfranco Fini
Succeeded byOffice abolished[a]
Member of the Senate of the Republic
Incumbent
Assumed office
23 March 2018
Constituency
Show list:
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
23 April 1992 – 22 March 2018
Constituency
Show list:
Personal details
Born
Ignazio Benito Maria La Russa

(1947-07-18) 18 July 1947 (age 77)
Paternò, Sicily, Italy
Political partyBrothers of Italy (since 2012)
Other political
affiliations		MSI (1971–1995)
AN (1995–2009)
PdL (2009–2012)
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
SpouseLaura De Cicco
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Pavia

Ignazio Benito Maria La Russa (born 18 July 1947) is an Italian politician who is serving as president of the Senate of the Republic since 13 October 2022.[1] He is the first politician with a neo-fascist background to hold the position of President of the Senate, the second highest-ranking office of the Italian Republic.[2]

La Russa also served as Minister of Defence in the Berlusconi IV Cabinet from 2008 to 2011, and as Vice President of the Senate of the Republic from 2018 until 2022.[3] Moreover, during his long-time career, he held various posts within his parties. In 2008, he became acting president of the National Alliance, which on 29 March 2009 merged into The People of Freedom, of which he was one of the three national coordinators until 17 December 2012, when he launched Brothers of Italy (FdI). From 4 April 2013 to 8 March 2014, La Russa served as president of FdI.[4]

Early life and family

[edit]

Ignazio La Russa was born in Paternò, near Catania, Sicily, in 1947. His father, Antonino La Russa, served as secretary of the National Fascist Party (PNF) for Paternò during the 1940s and joined the Italian Social Movement (MSI) after the war, being elected to the Parliament several times. La Russa had two brothers, both of them involved in politics: Vincenzo, a former senator for Christian Democracy (DC), and Romano, a former member of the European Parliament for the MSI's legal successor, the National Alliance.[5]

When he was 13, his family moved to Milan, where his father was a practising lawyer. After attending college in St. Gallen, a German-speaking Swiss canton, he obtained a degree in law at the University of Pavia. After serving as a Regular Army Reserve Officer, he has worked as a criminal defence lawyer at the Supreme Court of Cassation.[6] He is married to Laura De Cicco and has three sons: Geronimo, Lorenzo, and Leonardo.[7]

Political career

[edit]

During his youth, La Russa joined the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI), and was involved in nationalist activism in Milan. In 1971, he became one of the main leaders of the newly-formed Youth Front (FdG), the youth section of the MSI. On 12 April 1973, during a demonstration organized by the MSI against what they called "red violence", two hand grenades were thrown, one of which killed the 22-year-old policeman Antonio Marino. La Russa was accused of being one of the "moral perpetrators" of the bombings.[8]

In the 1985 Lombard regional election, La Russa was elected regional councillor for the Milan district, gaining 24,096 votes. In the 1990 Lombard regional election, he was re-elected to the council with 13,807 votes. In 1987, La Russa became the lawyer of Sergio Ramelli's family, a young member of the MSI who was assassinated by far-leftist communist militants. Moreover, from 1989 to 1994, he was town councillor in San Donato Milanese, near Milan.[9]

Member of the Parliament

[edit]
La Russa in 1992

In the 1992 Italian general election, La Russa was elected both to the Chamber of Deputies with 26,098 votes for the constituency of Milan–Pavia,[10] and to the Senate of the Republic for the constituency of Milan II with 4,943 votes.[11] After the election, he left the Lombardy Regional Council,[12] and choose to be a member of the Chamber of Deputies.[13] The electoral law of that time allowed a candidate to run for election as representative for both the Senate and the Chamber: if the candidate obtained sufficient votes to be elected to both, he had to opt for one of the two houses.

In 1994, the MSI merged with conservative factions of the former Christian Democracy and the Italian Liberal Party, forming a new party called National Alliance (AN) which was launched in 1994 but was officially founded in January 1995. Former MSI members dominated the new party, and the MSI's last leader, Gianfranco Fini, was elected the new party's first leader. Fini appointed La Russa vice president of the party. In the 1994 Italian general election, which was won by Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right coalition, La Russa was re-elected to the Chamber and appointed deputy speaker of the house.[14]

In the 1996 Italian general election won by Romano Prodi's centre-left coalition, La Russa was re-elected to the Chamber for the single-member constituency of Milan with 41,598 votes.[15] In the legislature, La Russa was appointed chairman of the "Committee on Parliamentary Immunity", an office he held until 2001.[16] In the 2001 Italian general election, which was won by the centre-right, he was once again elected to the Chamber for the district of Milan 2 with 41,158 votes.[17] On 5 June 2001, La Russa became the leader of AN's deputies, a position that he held until 8 October 2003 and again between November 2004 and July 2005. In the 2006 Italian general election, he was confirmed at the Chamber of Deputies for the constituency of Lombardy 1.[18]

Minister of Defence

[edit]
La Russa with U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in 2011

In the run-up to the 2008 Italian general election, AN merged with Berlusconi's Forza Italia forming The People of Freedom (PdL), which La Russa joined, becoming party's national coordinator along with Sandro Bondi and Denis Verdini. On 8 May 2008, after being re-elected to the Chamber, La Russa was appointed Minister of Defence in the Berlusconi IV Cabinet, a office thet he held until 16 November 2011 when Berlusconi resigned. Moreover, La Russa ran in the 2009 European Parliament election in the North-Western Italy constituency, being elected with 223,986 votes but decided to renounce his seat in favor of that in the Chamber of Deputies.

In November 2009, La Russa challenged the judgement of the Lautsi v. Italy of the European Court of Human Rights, which contested the display of the crucifix in Italian classrooms. He said: "The crucifix will remain in all the classrooms. They can die, they can die, they and those fake international organizations that count for nothing." Following an appeal by Italy, the first degree judgement was finally overturned.[19] At the end of 2009, with the 2010 financial law, La Russa launched Difesa Servizi S.p.A. a company with the aim of enhancing the defense's brand and assets.[20]

La Russa was among the main supporters of the 2011 military intervention in Libya against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, which was initially opposed by Prime Minister Berlusconi due to his long-time friendship with the de facto leader of Libya since 1969.[21] Furthermore, he was in favor of a ceasefire intervention by Italy in the Russo-Georgian War. As minister, La Russa issued the law 100/2009 and established the day of remembrance for the fallen soldiers in international peacekeeping missions.

On 2 May 2009, La Russa founded Our Right, a national-conservative faction within the PdL, which was soon disbanded when he formed Protagonist Italy, along with Maurizio Gasparri.[22]

Co-founder of Brothers of Italy

[edit]

On 21 December 2012, La Russa, along with Guido Crosetto and Giorgia Meloni, founded Brothers of Italy (FdI), a national-conservative party,[23] split from the PdL because FdI considered Berlusconi and the PdL's secretary Angelino Alfano of being too close to Mario Monti's cabinet. In the 2013 Italian general election, he was once again elected to the Chamber. Moreover, on 4 April 2013, La Russa was appointed president of FdI,[24] a position that he held until 8 March 2014, when he was replaced by Meloni. In the 2018 Italian general election, La Russa was elected to the Senate of the Republic for the single-member district of Rozzano gaining 137,793 votes.[25] He became vice president of the Senate on 23 March 2018.[26]

President of the Senate

[edit]
La Russa meeting President Sergio Mattarella in October 2022

The 2022 Italian general election was marked by a strong showing of FdI, which became the most voted party with 26% of votes; the centre-right coalition, led by Meloni, won an absolute majority in both houses.[27][28] La Russa was re-elected to the Senate for the single-member constituency of Cologno Monzese with 239,720 votes.[29]

On 13 October 2022, La Russa was elected President of the Senate of the Republic by obtaining 116 votes out of 206 in the first round.[30] La Russa's candidacy was not supported by Berlusconi's Forza Italia, but he succeeded in being elected getting votes from members of the opposition parties.[31] The first post-fascist elected to the position, La Russa was proclaimed president by Liliana Segre, a senator for life and Holocaust survivor, who presided the Senate's session due to her being the oldest senator.[32]

On 11 December 2022, La Russa announced the proposal of a law aiming at introducing a voluntary military service for young people between 18 and 25 years old.[33]

Political views

[edit]

Often accused of being a neo-fascist politician,[34][35] he has been described as far right;[36][37][38] La Russa has described himself as a conservative.[39] Throughout his entire political career, thanks to his professional background, he acted as spokesman for the Italian right-wing on justice-related subjects, as well as issues related to the security of citizens, immigration, reduction of the tax burden, and safeguarding national identity.[citation needed] La Russa has also expressed anti-communist views multiple times throughout his career.[40]

Controversies

[edit]
La Russa in 2007

During his long-time career, La Russa has often been the protagonist of gaffes and controversies. A press conference of then Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi held on 10 March 2010 was interrupted several times by the political activist Gian Rocco Carlomagno. La Russa, who had already invited him to leave the room, approached Carlomagno, pulling and pushing him towards the exit, while the protestor accused La Russa of being a fascist.[41]

On 12 February 2011, La Russa kicked and insulted AnnoZero journalist Corrado Formigli, who wanted to ask him questions about Berlusconi's sex scandals. La Russa initially apologized for the statements but then accused Formigli of having kicked him in the back and Formigli was moved away by the security service.[42] Moreover, La Russa was being investigated by Italy's Court of Audit for embezzlement in relation to the use of state flights to attend the football match between Inter Milan and Schalke 04 on 5 April 2011.[43]

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, he had suggested on social networks to give up the unhygienic handshake to replace it with the fascist salute.[44] During a television debate on 15 September, one week before the 2022 Italian general election, La Russa stated that "we are all heirs of the Duce."[45] In his house in Milan, La Russa collects several statues and memorabilia of Benito Mussolini and his fascist movement, as well as photos and paintings about Italy's colonial campaigns.[46][47][48]

In February 2023 he declared to have given his sister a bust of Benito Mussolini that he had received by his father and which he had kept at home for several years.[49][50] In March 2023, La Russa described the via Rasella attack, perpetrated by Italian partisans against Nazi occupation forces which later brought to the reprisal of Ardeatine caves, as an "inglorious event of the Italian resistance".[51][52]

In July 2024, commenting on a statement by the Italian journalist Paolo Berizzi who criticised centre-left politicians for having played a charity football game with members of the right-wing government saying that "you don't play football with fascists", La Russa answered: "I would not play football with Berizzi, so we're even".[53]

Electoral history

[edit]
Election House Constituency Party Votes Result
1985 Regional Council of Lombardy Milan MSI 24,096 checkY Elected
1990 Regional Council of Lombardy Milan MSI 13,807 checkY Elected
1992 Chamber of Deputies Milan–Pavia MSI 26,098 checkY Elected
1994 Chamber of Deputies Lombardy 1 – Milan 2 AN 8,561 ☒N Not elected
Lombardy 1 –[b] checkY Elected
1996 Chamber of Deputies Lombardy 1 – Milan 2 AN 41,598 checkY Elected
2001 Chamber of Deputies Lombardy 1 – Milan 2 AN 41,158 checkY Elected
2006 Chamber of Deputies Liguria AN –[b] checkY Elected
2008 Chamber of Deputies Lombardy 1 PdL –[b] checkY Elected
2009 European Parliament North-West Italy PdL 223,986 checkY Elected[c]
2013 Chamber of Deputies Apulia FdI –[b] checkY Elected
2018 Senate of the Republic Lombardy 4 – Rozzano FdI 137,793 checkY Elected
2022 Senate of the Republic Lombardy 2 – Cologno Monzese FdI 239,720 checkY Elected

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The party merged with Forza Italia to form The People of Freedom.
  2. ^ a b c d Elected in a closed list proportional representation system.
  3. ^ La Russa renounced to his seat and remained a member of the Chamber of Deputies.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Governo, la Lega indica Fontana per la Camera. La Russa eletto in Senato senza l'appoggio di FI". Il Foglio (in Italian). Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Ignazio La Russa nuovo presidente del Senato. A un postfascista la seconda carica dello Stato. Un mese fa diceva: "Siamo tutti eredi del Duce"". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Governo Italiano – Biografia del ministro Ignazio La Russa". Governo (in Italian). Archived from the original on 12 May 2008.
  4. ^ La Russa, colonnello di FdI sullo scranno del Senato. ANSA
  5. ^ Ignazio e Romano La Russa, da Paternò alla Milano di Ligresti: storia di una famiglia tra potere e nostalgie nere. la Repubblica
  6. ^ La Russa Ignazio. Governo Italiano
  7. ^ Ignazio La Russa, biografia. Biografie Online
  8. ^ Ignazio La Russa. La Stampa
  9. ^ Quando La Russa era “La Rissa”. Il Fatto Quotidiano
  10. ^ Ministero dell'Interno – Elezioni del 1992, Camera dei Deputati. Ministero dell'Interno
  11. ^ Ministero dell'Interno – Elezioni del 1992, Senato della Repubblica. Ministero dell'Interno]
  12. ^ "Gli incarichi e le dichiarazioni di Ignazio LA RUSSA | openpolis".
  13. ^ XI Legislatura – La Russa Ignazio. Camera dei Deputati – Legislature precedenti
  14. ^ Ignazio La Russa. Camera dei Deputati
  15. ^ Ministero dell'Interno – Elezioni 1996, Camera dei Deputati. Ministero dell'Interno
  16. ^ "Ignazio la Russa. Scalate nazionali". 30 October 2009.
  17. ^ Ministero dell'Interno – Elezioni 2001, Camera dei Deputati. Ministero dell'Interno
  18. ^ Ministero dell'Interno – Elezioni 2001, Camera dei Deputati. Ministero dell'Interno
  19. ^ Il crocifisso resta a scuola. Famiglia Cristiana
  20. ^ L’Esercito si vende i fucili su Internet. La Stampa
  21. ^ Libia, La Russa (FdI): “Nel 2011 convinsi B. a intervenire mentre eravamo all’Opera”. Il Fatto Quotidiano
  22. ^ "Da Nuova Forza Italia ad Area Nazionale Babele di 22 fondazioni". Archiviostorico.corriere.it. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  23. ^ Parties and Elections in Europe: The database about parliamentary elections and political parties in Europe, by Wolfram Nordsieck
  24. ^ "Ignazio la Russa - Sito ufficiale di Fratelli d'Italia - Alleanza Nazionale". fratelli-italia.it. Archived from the original on 10 July 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  25. ^ Ministero dell'Interno – Elezioni del 2018, Senato della Repubblica. Ministero dell'Interno
  26. ^ Ignazio La Russa, XVIII Legislatura. Senato della Repubblica
  27. ^ Donà, Alessia (31 August 2022). "The Rise of the Radical Right in Italy: The Case of Fratelli d'Italia". Journal of Modern Italian Studies. Taylor & Francis: 1–20. doi:10.1080/1354571X.2022.2113216. hdl:11572/352744. S2CID 251987503.
  28. ^ Gautheret, Jérôme (25 September 2022). "The unstoppable rise of Giorgia Meloni, the new figurehead of the Italian radical right". Le Monde. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  29. ^ Ministero dell'Interno – Elezioni 2022, Senato della Repubblica[permanent dead link]. Ministero dell'Interno
  30. ^ "Senato, Ignazio La Russa eletto presidente". Sky TG24 (in Italian). Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  31. ^ "Chi ha votato La Russa dall'opposizione?". Il Post (in Italian). 13 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  32. ^ De Gregorio, Concita (13 October 2022). "La superstite Segre e il fan del Duce La Russa: al Senato la staffetta degli opposti". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  33. ^ La Russa: 'Disegno di legge per mini naja volontaria di 40 giorni'. ANSA
  34. ^ Le nostalgie fasciste di Ignazio La Russa, possibile futuro presidente del Senato. Domani
  35. ^ "Lo scranno a un ex fascista". Veleno di Lerner sulla guida del Senato. Il Giornale
  36. ^ "Far-right veteran elected Italian Senate speaker". France 24. Agence France-Press. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  37. ^ "Who is the far-right veteran elected Italian Senate speaker?". The Local. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  38. ^ Giuffrida, Angela (13 October 2022). "Brothers of Italy politician who collects fascist relics elected senate speaker". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  39. ^ "La Russa ci scrive: 'Il conservatorismo? Così vinciamo la guerra delle parole'". Il Primato Nazionale (in Italian). 7 December 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  40. ^ Caracciolo, Giulio Pinco (12 October 2022). "Quando La Russa era fascista, la scena iniziale di 'Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina'". Il Riformista TV (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  41. ^ Berlusconi, battibecco in conferenza. "Lei è un villano, si vergogni. la Repubblica
  42. ^ La Russa, il ministro scalcia-giornalisti. Fatto Quotidiano
  43. ^ La Russa e il volo di Stato per l'Inter. La Corte dei conti apre un'inchiesta. Corriere della Sera
  44. ^ «Pensate come state messi se vi devo dare io lezioni di democrazia». Il Post
  45. ^ Ignazio La Russa contro Michele Emiliano: “Siamo tutti eredi del Duce”. Notizie
  46. ^ Brothers of Italy politician who collects fascist relics elected senate speaker. The Guardian
  47. ^ La Russa e la sua collezione di busti mussoliniani: «Quella volta che presi a schiaffi il leader della Statale. Ancora se li ricorda». Corriere della Sera
  48. ^ Quando Ignazio La Russa mostrava gioiosamente i busti del duce e i cimeli fascisti. Next Quotidiano
  49. ^ "Belve, Ignazio La Russa: "A chi ho regalato il busto del Duce"" (in Italian). 21 February 2023.
  50. ^ "La Russa: «Il busto del Duce in casa? Non lo butterò mai, me lo ha lasciato mio padre»" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  51. ^ La Russa sull'attentato di via Rasella: "I partigiani hanno ucciso dei musicisti pensionati, non i nazisti. Pagina ingloriosa". la Repubblica
  52. ^ La Russa: "Via Rasella pagina tutt'altro che nobile". ANSA
  53. ^ La Russa se la prende con un giornalista: "Non giocherei a calcio con Berizzi, siamo pari". La7
Party political offices
Preceded by President of National Alliance
Acting
2008–2009 		Position abolished
Preceded by President of Brothers of Italy
2013–2014 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Defence
2008–2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Italian Senate
2022–present 		Incumbent
Order of precedence
Preceded by
Sergio Mattarella
as President of the Republic
 Order of precedence of Italy
President of the Senate 		Succeeded by
Lorenzo Fontana
as President of the Chamber of Deputies
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