Umberto Bossi’s leadership

Abstract

This chapter starts by placing Umberto Bossi within the “universe” of main Italian and European leaders. Particularly by considering “longevity” as an indicator of political strength, it is shown why Bossi’s case is rather unique and can help us empirically to explore key dimensions of political leadership. Following a framework of analysis based on the established literature, we then consider Bossi’s position within the Lega Nord/Northern League, his relationship with senior figures within the party and with party members and activists. Having done this, the chapter then provides an assessment of Bossi as an external leader by looking at how he appealed to, and was perceived by, the broader electorate, and how he interacted with the leader of the centre-right coalition (and his main competitor/ally): Silvio Berlusconi. Finally, the conclusion stresses the fact that successful leaders are able to combine a solid control of the party organisation and members’ loyalty with an effective use of external communication and strategic interactions with key figures from competing parties. In the postscript, Bossi’s experience is linked to that of the current leader of the League, Matteo Salvini. We show that, whereas some elements of continuity can be detected, Salvini has invested much more in the construction of an “external” leadership.