| Roberto Maroni | |
| Office: | President of Lombardy |
| Term Start: | 18 March 2013 |
| Term End: | 26 March 2018 |
| Predecessor: | Roberto Formigoni |
| Successor: | Attilio Fontana |
| Office1: | Federal Secretary of Northern League |
| Term Start1: | 1 July 2012 |
| Term End1: | 15 December 2013 |
| Predecessor1: | Umberto Bossi |
| Successor1: | Matteo Salvini |
| Office2: | Minister of the Interior |
| Primeminister2: | Silvio Berlusconi |
| Term Start2: | 8 May 2008 |
| Term End2: | 16 November 2011 |
| Predecessor2: | Giuliano Amato |
| Successor2: | Anna Maria Cancellieri |
| Primeminister3: | Silvio Berlusconi |
| Term Start3: | 10 May 1994 |
| Term End3: | 17 January 1995 |
| Predecessor3: | Nicola Mancino |
| Successor3: | Antonio Brancaccio |
| Office4: | Minister of Labour |
| Primeminister4: | Silvio Berlusconi |
| Term Start4: | 11 June 2001 |
| Term End4: | 17 May 2006 |
| Predecessor4: | Cesare Salvi |
| Successor4: | Cesare Damiano |
| Office5: | Deputy Prime Minister of Italy |
| Primeminister5: | Silvio Berlusconi |
| Alongside5: | Giuseppe Tatarella |
| Term Start5: | 11 May 1994 |
| Term End5: | 17 January 1995 |
| Office6: | Member of the Chamber of Deputies |
| Term Start6: | 23 April 1992 |
| Term End6: | 14 March 2013 |
| Constituency6: | Lombardy |
| Birth Name: | Roberto Ernesto Maroni |
| Birth Date: | 15 March 1955 |
| Birth Place: | Varese, Italy |
| Death Place: | Lozza, Italy |
| Party: | Northern League |
| Alma Mater: | University of Milan |
| Signature: | Firma Roberto Maroni.jpg |
| Profession: | Lawyer |
| Spouse: | Emilia Macchi |
| Children: | 3 |
| Height: | 1.7m (05.6feet) |
Roberto Ernesto Maroni (pronounced as /it/; 15 March 1955 – 22 November 2022)[1] 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 Padania. From 1992 to 2013 he was a Member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Republic, always elected in Lombard constituencies. He served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Italian Republic in the Berlusconi I executive, from 1994 to 1995. He was Interior Minister of the Italian Republic from 1994 to 1995, and from 2008 to 2011. He was Labour Minister of the Italian Republic from 2001 to 2006.
In 1979, Maroni received a law degree with a dissertation in Civil Law, from the University of Milan. He became a lawyer after spending two years working as a Legal Affairs Manager for various companies.[2]
In 1990, he was elected Province Secretary of the Northern League in Varese. He also became a town councilor in Varese that year. Two years later, he was elected Chairman of the Northern League Parliamentary Group. He also entered the party's Federal Council and campaigned heavily for the Northern League prior to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's first Cabinet.
He also served as Minister of the Interior during the first Berlusconi cabinet, from 1994 to 1995. He also served as Minister of Labour and Welfare from 2001 to May 2006 in Berlusconi's second and third cabinets.[2]
In April 2006, after Berlusconi narrowly lost his re-election bid to Romano Prodi, Maroni alleged problems with the election comparable to those in Florida during the 2000 Presidential election. "The level pegging is very similar to what happened in Florida. With one vote more or one vote less, you lose or you win," he said.[3]
After the 2008 electoral victory of the centre-right coalition in Italy, Maroni assumed the office of Minister of the Interior in the Berlusconi IV Cabinet.
Following the forced retirement of Umberto Bossi due to his alleged involvement in a scandal, Maroni was elected Political Secretary of the Northern League at its Congress in Assago (on 30 June and 1 July 2012).[4] After the election on 24 February 2013, he became the ninth President of Lombardy.
In September 2006, Maroni told Vanity Fair that he downloads music illegally and thinks music should be "free and accessible to all".[5] He added that authors should still be able to stop their work from being widely distributed on the Internet. Maroni said his confession was intended to spark a discussion in Parliament about changing Italy's copyright laws, which are among the strictest in Europe.[5]
On 12 May 2015, Maroni announced that his intention to introduce a basic income, as a pilot project, "to ensure all families in the region have enough money to be able to pay for basic necessities". He also said that the plan was to use 220 million euros from the European Social Fund (ESF) for the initiative.[6]
Shortly after the 2016 Normandy church attack, Maroni called on the Pope to "immediately proclaim" Jacques Hamel "St Jacques."[7]
| width=12% | Election | width=30% | House | width=30% | Constituency | width=5% colspan="2" | Party | width=12% | Votes | width=15% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Chamber of Deputies | Como–Sondrio–Varese | LL | 29,618 | Elected | ||||||
| 1994 | Chamber of Deputies | Varese | LN | 53,640 | Elected | ||||||
| 1996 | Chamber of Deputies | Lombardy 1 | LN | – | Elected | ||||||
| 2001 | Chamber of Deputies | Varese | LN | 45,905 | Elected | ||||||
| 2006 | Chamber of Deputies | Lombardy 2 | LN | – | Elected | ||||||
| 2008 | Chamber of Deputies | Lombardy 2 | LN | – | Elected |
| 1994 general election (C): Varese | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Coalition | Votes | % | |
| Roberto Maroni | Pole of Freedoms | 53,640 | 61.4 | |
| Angelo Guerraggio | Alliance of Progressives | 16,221 | 18.5 | |
| Pier Maria Morresi | Pact for Italy | 11,507 | 13.2 | |
| Luigi Federiconi | National Alliance | 6,060 | 6.9 | |
| align=left colspan=3 | Total | 87,428 | 100.0 | |
| 2001 general election (C): Varese | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Coalition | Votes | % | |
| Roberto Maroni | House of Freedoms | 45,905 | 57.8 | |
| Lorenzo Carabelli | The Olive Tree | 28,853 | 36.3 | |
| Remigio Benelli | Italy of Values | 4,721 | 5.9 | |
| align=left colspan=3 | Total | 79,479 | 100.0 | |