Lega Nord

Lega Nord (transl. Northern League; acronym: LN), whose complete name is Lega Nord per l'Indipendenza della Padania (transl. Northern League for the Independence of Padania), is a right-wing, federalist, populist and conservative political party in Italy. In the run-up of the 2018 general election, the party was rebranded as Lega (transl. League), without changing its official name. The party was nonetheless frequently referred to only as "Lega" even before the rebranding, and informally as the Carroccio (transl. big chariot). The party's latest elected leader was Matteo Salvini.

In 1989, the LN was established as a federation of six regional parties from northern and north-central Italy (Liga Veneta, Lega Lombarda, Piemont Autonomista, Uniun Ligure, Lega Emiliano-Romagnola and Alleanza Toscana), which became the party's founding "national" sections in 1991. The party's founder and long-time federal secretary was Umberto Bossi, now federal president. The LN long advocated the transformation of Italy from a unitary to a federated state, fiscal federalism, regionalism and greater regional autonomy, especially for northern regions. At times, the party advocated the secession of the northern portion of the Italian peninsula, which the party refers to as "Padania", and consequently Padanian nationalism. The party always opposed illegal immigration and often adopted Eurosceptic stances, lately joining the Identity and Democracy group in the European Parliament.

Since 31 January 2020, through a mandate given by the federal council, the party has been managed by commissioner Igor Iezzi. The LN was thus eclipsed by the Lega per Salvini Premier (LSP), until that moment active as the central and southern Italian branch of the party established by Salvini himself in the 2010s, and since 2020 throughout entire Italy. Following the emergence of LSP, the original LN is practically inactive and its former "national" sections (Lega Lombarda, Liga Veneta, etc.) have become "regional" sections of the LSP.