Luca Zaia
President of Veneto
Assumed office
13 April 2010
Preceded byGiancarlo Galan
Minister of Agriculture
In office
8 May 2008 – 16 April 2010
Prime MinisterSilvio Berlusconi
Preceded byPaolo De Castro
Succeeded byGiancarlo Galan
Vice President of Veneto
In office
19 May 2005 – 6 June 2008
PresidentGiancarlo Galan
Preceded byFabio Gava
Succeeded byFranco Manzato
President of the Province of Treviso
In office
10 June 1998 – 9 May 2005
Preceded byGiovanni Mazzonetto
Succeeded byLeonardo Muraro
Personal details
Born (1968-03-27) 27 March 1968
Conegliano, Italy
Political partyLega Nord
Spouse
Raffaella Monti
​
(m. 1998)​
Alma materUniversity of Udine
WebsiteOfficial website

Luca Zaia (born 27 March 1968) is an Italian and Venetist politician, who has been President of Veneto since 2010, and a historical member of Lega Nord, other than being the most progressive member of his own party.[1][2][3] Supporter of initiatives to tackle climate change,[4][5][6] gender-affirming surgery,[7][8] the recognition of transgender people to identify with their preferred sex,[9] and main protagonist of the fight against homophobia[10] and antisemitism,[11][12] he often rose to prominence for his positions contrasting the lines of his own party, in particular for the ones concerning the welcoming of immigrants[13] and his model of "integrazione diffusa" (a redistributive framework where immigrants' quota are spread across municipalities) of migrants coming to Europe.

Prior to that, Zaia was President of the Province of Treviso from 1998 to 2005, Vice President of Veneto from 2005 to 2008 and Minister of Agriculture in Silvio Berlusconi's fourth cabinet from 2008 to 2010.

Political career

Luca Zaia joined Liga Veneta–Lega Nord in the early 1990s, after having met Gian Paolo Gobbo, and was first elected to public office in 1993, when he became municipal councillor of Godega di Sant'Urbano. Two years later, in 1995, he successfully ran for provincial councillor and, after the election, was appointed provincial minister of Agriculture.[14][15]

In the 1998 provincial election, Zaia was elected President of the Province of Treviso with 60.0% of the vote in the second round, after arriving ahead in the first round with 41.4% and refusing to accept the support of any other party other than his own.[16] At the time, he was the youngest provincial president of Italy.[14][15] In 2002 he was re-elected with a landslide 68.9% of the vote in the second round and continued to govern the province with the sole support of his party.[17]

In May 2005, Zaia was appointed Vice President of Veneto and regional minister of Agriculture and Tourism in Giancarlo Galan's third government, but left in May 2008 in order to take office as federal Minister of Agriculture in Berlusconi IV Cabinet.[14][15]

In December 2009, The People of Freedom (PdL) determined that the coalition candidate in the 2010 regional election would be a member of Lega Nord.[18] Subsequently, the national council of Liga Veneta (LV) nominated Zaia for President of the region.[19]

President of Veneto

In the 2010 regional election Zaia was elected President of Veneto by winning 60.2% of the vote.[20]

In the 2015 regional election Zaia was re-elected President of Veneto with 50.1%, despite the split occurred in his party when Flavio Tosi, who later won 11.9% of the vote, left in order to form the Tosi List for Veneto.

In the 2020 regional election Zaia was re-elected for a third consecutive term with 76.8% of the vote, becoming the most voted regional President ever in Italy. Additionally, Zaia's personal list won 44.6% of the vote, while the party's official list won 16.9%.

Social issues

In early times of his administration, Zaia tried to limit the RU-486 abortive pill.[21] However, the Italian Medicines Agency declared that his position was unconstitutional in view of how the question is regulated by the Law 194 of 1978.

In 2013 Zaia spoke against the LGBT adoption, saying: "I have nothing against gays, but the possibility of adoption seems to me to be an extreme measure with unpredictable effects."[22]

Zaia however liberalised artificial insemination for women up to 50 years.[23][24]

Economic issues

In August 2010, an anti-globalization group demonstrated in Vivaro against the planting of genetically modified organisms. The demonstration was supported by Zaia, who demanded a "return to legality", even though his predecessor Giancarlo Galan, a member of his coalition, was in favour of GMOs.

After a flood in 2010, Zaia and his coalition changed a regional law to permit the reconstruction of rural ruins up to 800 cubic metres. The Democratic Party claimed that this was an attempt at "cementification". The National Association of Building Constructors (ANCE) also called the law a "bad choice".[25]

Zaia was criticized when, after the flood, he asked for more funds for the reconstruction, saying, "It's a shame spending €250,000,000 for four stones in Pompei."[26]

Venetian independence

Zaia announced that he too had voted (yes) in the unofficial, non-binding, online and privately organised 2014 Venetian independence referendum and explained that he would seek "total independence" for Veneto.[27][28] Zaia has compared the status of the Veneto within Italy to that of Crimea within Ukraine.[29]

Venetian autonomy

Zaia was a strong proponent of and oversaw the 2017 Venetian autonomy referendum, in which turnout was 57.2% and 98.1% of participants voted "yes".

Covid-19 outbreak

In February 2020 Zaia apologized after criticizing China over the COVID-19 pandemic and claiming that Chinese people "eat live mice".[30] Zaia has anyway emerged strengthened from the crisis, widely praised for keeping hospital admissions down.[31]

Miscellaneous

In the occasion of the 2011 referendums on four questions concerning the repeal of recent laws regarding the privatisation of water services (two questions), a return to the nuclear energy which had been phased out after the 1987 referendum, and criminal procedure, specifically a provision exempting the Prime Minister and the Ministers from appearing in court, he voted "4 Yes". He called for more transparency and demanded more citizens' supervision of public administration.[32]

Personal life

Luca Zaia was born on 27 March 1968 in the Province of Treviso. In 1993, he received a degree in the science of animal production at the veterinary college of the University of Udine before attending a managerial course.[14][15] He paid his studies by working as a commercial for local discothèques.[33]

In 1998 Zaia married Raffaella Monti. The couple has no children.[34] Zaia loves to ride horses and had one for 19 years.[35]

In August 2006, when he was the Vice President of Veneto, Zaia saved an Albanian citizen who was wedged in a burning car.[36]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Il Veneto, l'Italia e Luca Zaia in mezzo". Archived from the original on 2023-10-17.
  2. ↑ "Luca Zaia: «Per i diritti civili serve una "no fly zone"»". Archived from the original on 2023-10-17.
  3. ↑ "Zaia sui diritti civili: "Serve una no fly zone, non sono di destra o sinistra"; Il governatore del Veneto in un'intervista affronta il discorso sui temi etici, tra cui aborto, fine vita e adozioni per single e coppie omosessuali". Archived from the original on 2023-10-17.
  4. ↑ "Cambiamento climatico, Luca Zaia sui negazionisti: sono come i No vax". Archived from the original on 2023-10-02.
  5. ↑ "Luca Zaia e i negazionisti del cambiamento climatico: «Mi fanno paura, così si generano gli alibi»". Archived from the original on 2023-10-02.
  6. ↑ "Zaia: "Il negazionismo sul clima produce solo alibi. Serve un investimento culturale"". Archived from the original on 2023-10-02.
  7. ↑ "Cambio di sesso, a Padova sarà possibile farlo in ospedale. Zaia: «È una questione di civiltà»". Archived from the original on 2023-03-11.
  8. ↑ "Zaia: «Il reparto per cambiare sesso? Non sono diventato di sinistra ma i diritti vanno garantiti»". Archived from the original on 2023-10-17.
  9. ↑ "Prof trans suicida, Zaia: per me Cloe era una donna a tutti gli effetti". Archived from the original on 2023-07-26.
  10. ↑ "Legge Zan, crepe nel fronte leghista: Zaia apre alla legge anti-omofobia". la Repubblica (in Italian). 8 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-06-04. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "ANTISEMITISMO. PRESIDENTE ZAIA SOTTOSCRIVE PROTOCOLLI D'INTESA CON UFFICIO SCOLASTICO REGIONALE E ANCI. "COINVOLGIAMO COMUNI E SCUOLE PER COMBATTERE ODIO E RAZZISMO ANTISEMITA. IL PERICOLO CORRE IN RETE"". Archived from the original on 2023-10-02.
  12. ↑ "Antisemitismo, il Veneto firma due protocolli con scuole e Comuni". Archived from the original on 2023-10-02.
  13. ↑ "Veneto, caos Lega sulla gestione dei migranti: Zaia apre all'accoglienza diffusa, poi fa dietrofront dopo lo stop imposto da Stefani". Archived from the original on 2023-10-02.
  14. 1 2 3 4 http://www.regione.veneto.it/static/www/giunta/Presidente/BiografiadiLUCAZAIA.pdf
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Consiglio Regionale Veneto - Il Consiglio". Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  16. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2008-11-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ↑ "Repubblica.it". Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  18. ↑ "Archivio Corriere della Sera". Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  19. ↑ "Zaia candidato: c'è il sigillo della Lega "Felice di questa grande responsabilità" - Corriere del Veneto". Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  20. ↑ "Ministry of the Interior – 2010 regional election in Veneto". Archived from the original on 1 April 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  21. ↑ Enza Cusmai (April 2, 2010). "I neo governatori leghisti: "No alla Ru486"". Il Giornale.
  22. ↑ "Zaia: assolutamente contrario adozioni gay". Il Mattino. January 12, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Fecondazione assistita, mamme fino a 50 anni - Corriere del Veneto".
  24. ↑ "Veneto, ticket fecondazione".
  25. ↑ Alberto Statera (December 23, 2010). "Lega di lotta e di cemento". La Repubblica.
  26. ↑ Francesco Alberti (November 9, 2010). "Premier nel Veneto alluvionato Zaia: vergogna i soldi a Pompei". Corriere della Sera.
  27. ↑ "President of Veneto joins campaign for Venetian independence from Italy - Telegraph". telegraph.co.uk. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
  28. ↑ "'Rome thinks it is still an empire': Veneto president - The Local". thelocal.it. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
  29. ↑ "Verona, il referendum per l'indipendenza del Veneto macina voti online: "Segni di sentimento condiviso"". VeronaSera. March 18, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Italian regional chief sorry for saying Chinese eat 'live mice'". Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  31. ↑ "Italy's far-right League hurt by response to coronavirus in heartland". Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  32. ↑ "Sorrisi per Napolitano al seggio Zaia: ho votato quattro Sì". L'Unità. June 12, 2011. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Quando Zaia lavorava in discoteca "Portavo 3 mila persone a sera"". 14 August 2015.
  34. ↑ "Archivio Corriere della Sera". Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  35. ↑ "Addio a Royal Cal, il governatore Zaia piange il suo amato cavallo: Era con lui da 19 anni". 10 November 2019.
  36. ↑ "Auto in fiamme, il leghista Zaia salva un albanese". Corriere della Sera. August 4, 2006.
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