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Padanian nationalism[1][2][3] is anideology and aregionalist movement demanding more autonomy, or even independence fromItaly, forPadania, a region encompassingNorthern and, to some extent, part ofcentral Italy.
Lega Nord, a federation ofregional parties ofNorthern Italy, proclaimed the formation of the "Federal Republic of Padania" in 1996 and was the main political proponent of Padanian nationalism until 2013, when the party shifted back towardfederalism andregionalism, as well as adopting to some extentItalian nationalism, underMatteo Salvini's leadership. However, the party still includes Padanist factions and people, notably including founder and former leaderUmberto Bossi.
Additionally, there have been some minor Padanian nationalist parties, such asLega Padana,Lega Padana Lombardia/Padanian Union, theAlpine Padanian Union and thePadanian Independentist Movement,[4] andVeneto Padanian Federal Republic. Some Padanians consider themselves to have Celtic ancestry and/or heritage.[5]
There also have been some intellectuals, such asGianfranco Miglio,Gilberto Oneto,Giancarlo Pagliarini andLeonardo Facco, who have continued to be keen Padanists, after breaking with Lega Nord. In January 2012,Gianluca Marchi, a former editor ofLa Padania, launchedL'Indipendenza, an online newspaper, as the voice of independent Padanism and Padanianlibertarianism. Oneto, Pagliarini and Facco were all contributing editors of it.[6]
Lega Nord unilaterally proclaimed the independence of Padania on 15 September 1996 inVenice, but since then has come back to its originalfederalist credo, although the party constitution continues to declare that the independence of Padania is the party's final goal.[7] In that occasionUmberto Bossi, the leader of Lega Nord, while reading thePadanian Declaration of Independence, echoing theUnited States Declaration of Independence, proclaimed:
We the peoples of Padania solemnly declare that Padania is an independent and sovereign federal republic. We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honour.[8][9]
In the following years Lega Nord installed a non-recognized Padanian Parliament nearMantua, elected inself-organized elections and a government in Venice. Later, a "Parliament of the North" was established inVicenza, but functioned merely as an internal structure of the party.
Lega Nord also proposed aflag, theSun of the Alps, and anational anthem, theVa' Pensiero chorus fromGiuseppe Verdi'sNabucco, in which the exiled Hebrew slaves lament for their lost homeland. The party also tried to expand its reach through a number of Padanian-styled associations and media endeavours (under the supervision ofDavide Caparini), notably includingLa Padania daily,Il Sole delle Alpi weekly, theLega Nord Flash periodical, the TelePadania TV channel, the Radio Padania Libera and the "Bruno Salvadori" publishing house. More recently the party stressed the independent status of Padania through sports and other activities: thePadania national football team took part and won2008,2009 and2010 VIVA World Cup; the party also sponsored a beauty contest,Miss Padania.[10]
| Region | Population | Area (km²) |
|---|---|---|
| Lombardy | 9,964,993 | 23,865 |
| Veneto | 4,841,270 | 18,391 |
| Piedmont | 4,273,210 | 25,399 |
| Emilia-Romagna | 4,448,545 | 22,451 |
| Liguria | 1,509,805 | 5,418 |
| Friuli-Venezia Giulia | 1,197,392 | 7,845 |
| Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol | 1,078,746 | 13,607 |
| Aosta Valley | 123,513 | 3,263 |
| Northern Italy | 27,437,474 | 120,243 |
| Tuscany | 3,668,333 | 22,993 |
| Marche | 1,501,406 | 9,366 |
| Umbria | 865,013 | 8,456 |
| Padania (total) | 33,472,226 | 161,076 |
While support for afederal system, as opposed to a centrally administered state, receives widespread consensus within Padania, support for independence is less favoured. One poll in 1996 estimated that 52.4% of interviewees fromNorthern Italy considered secession advantageous (vantaggiosa) and 23.2% both advantageous and desirable (auspicabile).[11][failed verification] Another poll in 2000 estimated that about 20% of "Padanians" (18.3% in North-West Italy and 27.4% in North-East Italy) supported secession in case Italy was not reformed into a federal state.[12][failed verification]
More recent polls show different results. According to a poll conducted in February 2010 by GPG, 45% of Northerners support the independence of Padania.[13] A poll conducted bySWG in June 2010 puts that figure at 61% of Northerners (with 80% of them supporting at least federal reform), while noting that 55% of Italians consider Padania as only a political invention, against 42% believing in its real existence (45% of the sample being composed of Northerners, 19% of Central Italians and 36% of Southerners). As for federal reform, according to the poll, 58% of Italians support it.[14][15] A more recent poll bySWG puts the support for fiscal federalism and secession respectively at 68% and 37% in Piedmont and Liguria, 77% and 46% in Lombardy, 81% and 55% inTriveneto (comprising Veneto), 63% and 31% inEmilia-Romagna, 51% and 19% inCentral Italy (not includingLazio).[16]