Attilio Fontana
Attilio Fontana | |
---|---|
President of Lombardy | |
Assumed office 26 March 2018 | |
Preceded by | Roberto Maroni |
Mayor of Varese | |
In office 29 May 2006 – 19 June 2016 | |
Preceded by | Aldo Fumagalli (LN)[1] as Mayor of Varese Sergio Porena as Special Commissioner |
Succeeded by | Davide Galimberti (PD) |
Personal details | |
Born | Varese, Italy | 28 March 1952
Political party | Lega Nord |
Alma mater | University of Milan |
Profession | Lawyer, Politician |
Attilio Fontana (born 28 March 1952) is an Italian politician from Varese, Lombardy. A member of Lega Nord, he has served as President of Lombardy since 2018.
Biography
A long-time member of Lega Lombarda and Lega Nord (LN), he was Mayor of Induno Olona from 1995 to 1999.[2] Fontana, with LN, was elected in the 2000 regional election and 2005 regional election to the Regional Council of Lombardy, of which he functioned as President until July 2006.[3] He stepped down from that office after being elected Mayor of Varese with 57.8% of the vote in the first round of 28 May 2006.[4] He was re-elected in May 2011 with 53.8% of the vote in a run-off.[5] Fontana, ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits,[6] left the office in June 2016. In 2007 Fontana was the lawyer of Andrea Mascetti in the case against the left-wing journalist Michele Santoro from who they won.[7]
Some journalists in July 2016 speculated a nomination of Fontana as LN candidate in 2018 election for President of Lombardy if the incumbent President of Region Roberto Maroni (who was elected in 2013 regional election for a 5 year term with the support of Lega Lombarda and Lega Nord – the parties of Maroni and Fontana – and with the support of the other parties members of the 2013 center right coalition) will not run for a second consecutive (and final) term; in January 2018, when Maroni announced his retirement from politics, Fontana was selected as Centre-right (composed by FI, LN, FdI, EpL, NcI and his civic personal list named "Fontana List" composed by members of PP, RC, MNS and also by civic, independent and non-partisans members) candidate to the Presidency of Lombardy. On 15 January 2018,[8] Fontana stated that the white race and the Western culture were in danger[8] due to the migration flows from Africa.[8] This created lot of protests and criticisms[9] from the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S).[9] After the controversy he apologised for his remarks, declaring that it was a slip and an expressive error, not racism. Fontana's principal rivals were Giorgio Gori (PD) and Dario Violi (M5S). On 4 March 2018 Fontana won 50% (Gori 29%, Violi 17%) in the regional election.[10]
References
- ^ Elected in 2002 election, Aldo Fumagalli was the Mayor in office until 11 October 2005 when he resigned from the office
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Dipartimento per gli Affari Interni e Territoriali". elezionistorico.interno.it.
- ^ "Dipartimento per gli Affari Interni e Territoriali". elezionistorico.interno.it.
- ^ After two consecutive terms, a Mayor (and a President of Region) is not re-eligible for a third consecutive term: for more news, see Italian electoral law of 1993 for Comuni (2004 for Region)
- ^ "MICHELE SANTORO CONDANNATO A VARESE PER DIFFAMAZIONE - Napoli la Repubblica.it". napoli.repubblica.it.
- ^ a b c "White race at risk - Fontana on migrants (2) - English". 15 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Italian political candidate in race storm".
- ^ [1]