Luca Zaia

Son of Giuseppe and Carmela Lisetto, after graduating from the Oenological School of Conegliano, he graduated in Animal Production Sciences at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Udine. After starting with the graduation party organized by him, for twelve years he worked as a PR for various discos in his area such as the "Manhattan" of Godega di Sant'Urbano, the "Diamantik" of Gaiarine, the "Kolossal" of Spresiano or the "Desiree" in Caorle, in addition to various other jobs, including "the waiter, the cleaner, the bricklayer, the private chemistry teacher, the horse riding instructor, the worker in a leather company.{{Cite web |title=Biografia ZAIA |url=https://www.regione.veneto.it/web/guest/comunicati-stampa/dettaglio-comunicati?_spp_detailId=358592}}

He has been married since 1999 to Raffaella Monti, a company secretary; the couple has no children.

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.{{Cite web |title=President Bio |url=http://www.regione.veneto.it/static/www/giunta/Presidente/BiografiadiLUCAZAIA.pdf |website=www.regione.veneto.it}}{{cite web|url=http://www.consiglioveneto.it/crvportal/pageContainer.jsp?n=5&p=5&c=1&e=12&t=0&key=451|title=Consiglio Regionale Veneto - Il Consiglio|access-date=30 March 2017}}

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.cattaneo.org/archivi/adele/province/provin98.xls |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-11-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722091302/http://www.cattaneo.org/archivi/adele/province/provin98.xls |archive-date=2011-07-22 }} At the time, he was the youngest provincial president of Italy. 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.repubblica.it/elezioni2002/province.html|title=Repubblica.it|access-date=30 March 2017}}

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.

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.{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2009/dicembre/17/Pdl_Udc_basta_tensioni_Regionali_co_8_091217033.shtml|title=Archivio Corriere della Sera|access-date=30 March 2017}} Subsequently, the national council of Liga Veneta (LV) nominated Zaia for president of the region.{{cite web|url=http://corrieredelveneto.corriere.it/veneto/notizie/politica/2009/19-dicembre-2009/zaia-candidato-c-sigillo-lega--1602180583635.shtml|title=Zaia candidato: c'è il sigillo della Lega "Felice di questa grande responsabilità" - Corriere del Veneto|access-date=30 March 2017}}

File:Tosi, Napolitano and Zaia 2010.jpg and Flavio Tosi in Verona]]

In the 2010 regional election Zaia was elected President of Veneto by winning 60.2% of the vote.{{cite web|url=http://regionali2010.interno.it/regio100328/R05.htm |title=Ministry of the Interior – 2010 regional election in Veneto |access-date=30 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401033628/http://regionali2010.interno.it/regio100328/R05.htm |archive-date=1 April 2010 }}

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%.

In early times of his administration, Zaia tried to limit the RU-486 abortive pill.{{Cite news|url=http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/i-neo-governatori-leghisti-no-ru486.html|title=I neo governatori leghisti: "No alla Ru486"|author=Enza Cusmai|publisher=Il Giornale|date=April 2, 2010}} 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."{{Cite news|url=http://mattinopadova.gelocal.it/regione/2013/01/12/news/zaia-assolutamente-contrario-adozioni-gay-1.6337670|title=Zaia: assolutamente contrario adozioni gay|publisher=Il Mattino|date=January 12, 2013}}

Zaia liberalised artificial insemination for women up to 50 years.{{Cite web|url=https://corrieredelveneto.corriere.it/veneto/notizie/politica/2011/16-giugno-2011/fecondazione-assistita-mamme-fino-50-anni-190878362342.shtml|title = Fecondazione assistita, mamme fino a 50 anni - Corriere del Veneto}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.famigliacristiana.it/articolo/veneto-fecondazione-assistita-fino-a-50-anni_170611210549.aspx|title = Veneto, ticket fecondazione}}

File:SETAF-AF Commanding General attends 95th National Alpini Rally parade (8412126).jpg

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".{{Cite news|url=http://www.repubblica.it/rubriche/poteri-invisibili/2010/12/23/news/immobiliare_veneto-10541093/|title=Lega di lotta e di cemento|author=Alberto Statera|publisher=La Repubblica|date=December 23, 2010}}

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."{{Cite news|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2010/novembre/09/Premier_nel_Veneto_alluvionato_Zaia_co_9_101109030.shtml|title=Premier nel Veneto alluvionato Zaia: vergogna i soldi a Pompei|author=Francesco Alberti|publisher=Corriere della Sera|date=November 9, 2010}}

File:Zaia e Maroni, Raduno di Pontida 2013.JPG at the Pontida rally]]

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.{{cite web | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10708733/President-of-Veneto-joins-campaign-for-Venetian-independence-from-Italy.html| title= President of Veneto joins campaign for Venetian independence from Italy - Telegraph| date= 19 March 2014| publisher= telegraph.co.uk| access-date= 2014-03-25}}{{cite web | url= http://www.thelocal.it/20140320/rome-treats-venice-like-a-suburb-of-roman-empire| title= 'Rome thinks it is still an empire': Veneto president - The Local| publisher= thelocal.it| access-date= 2014-03-25}} Zaia has compared the status of the Veneto within Italy to that of Crimea within Ukraine.{{Cite news|url=http://www.veronasera.it/cronaca/verona-referendum-indipendenza-veneto-macina-voti-online-segni-sentimento-condiviso-18-marzo-2014.html|title=Verona, il referendum per l'indipendenza del Veneto macina voti online: "Segni di sentimento condiviso"|publisher=VeronaSera|date=March 18, 2014}}

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".

In February 2020 Zaia apologized after criticizing China over the COVID-19 pandemic and claiming that Chinese people "eat live mice".{{cite news |title=Italian regional chief sorry for saying Chinese eat 'live mice' |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/china-health-italy-idUSL8N2AT0G3 |access-date=22 September 2020}} Zaia has anyway emerged strengthened from the crisis, widely praised for keeping hospital admissions down.{{cite news |title=Italy's far-right League hurt by response to coronavirus in heartland |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-italy-lombardy-idUSKCN2280GX |access-date=22 September 2020}}

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.{{Cite news|url=http://www.unita.it/italia/sorrisi-per-napolitano-al-seggio-br-zaia-ho-votato-quattro-si-1.303307|title=Sorrisi per Napolitano al seggio Zaia: ho votato quattro Sì|publisher=L'Unità|date=June 12, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301225141/http://www.unita.it/italia/sorrisi-per-napolitano-al-seggio-br-zaia-ho-votato-quattro-si-1.303307|archive-date=March 1, 2016}}

• Regional Governments led by Luca Zaia:
• First Zaia government
• Second Zaia government
• Third Zaia government

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• [http://lucazaia.it/ Official website]

{{ItalyRegionPresidents}}

{{Berlusconi IV Cabinet}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaia, Luca}}

Category:1968 births

Category:Living people

Category:Presidents of Veneto

Category:Presidents of the Province of Treviso

Category:Ministers of agriculture of Italy

Category:Venetist politicians

Category:Venetian independence activists

Category:Lega Nord politicians

Category:People from Conegliano

Category:Members of the Regional Council of Veneto

Category:20th-century Italian politicians

Category:21st-century Italian politicians