Giuliano Bignasca, the leader of the Ticino League, has died

Giuliano Bignasca, the leader of the Ticino League, died on the night of 7 March 2013. The entrepreneur, the head of the movement that was founded in the early 1990s, on the inspiration of Umberto Bossi’s Northern League, was 68 years old.

According to the Swiss broadcasting company RSI,

Last night, after taking part in a meeting of his party, he fell ill and was taken to hospital, where, after a check up, he was discharged. However, during the night, his condition worsened, and he died.

Bignasca had been a Swiss MP from 1995 to 1999, in the Lower Chamber of the Swiss Parliament and, since 2000, had been a member of Lugano City Council.

The cause of his death, which occurred at his house, in Canobbio, was probably a heart attack.

Comments – Speaking to the Swiss newspaper “Corriere del Ticino”, the State councillor, Marco Borradori, a party companion and member of the Bellinzona government, said, “Nothing, apart from the human aspect, is important at this moment. I feel great sadness, and incredible surprise.”

“Last night, I didn’t attend the meeting of the League, but they told me the ‘Nano’ seemed to be in fine form. When I received the news, I didn’t think it was true, but it was. Nano was a great friend of mine, and I felt deep affection for him, even though we had very different characters, methods and politics.”

Messages from friends and militants are pouring in to the Facebook page of the Councillor, who is standing today for the position of Mayor of Lugano.

“An intemperate genius, and a very kind heart. Farewell Nano, rest in peace,” wrote the new President of the Ticino State Council, Paolo Beltraminelli.

Norman Gobbi, the State councillor, wrote his message on Twitter. “I’ve lost a friend and a political father. Thanks, Nano, for everything, and for the faith you had in me. It was great fighting with you; we’ll continue, for your sake!”

“Each of us relates to the important events in life, both private and public, in accordance with our feelings and thoughts; the death of Giuliano Bignasca, the President of the Ticino League, saddens me, and my thoughts go to his family, to whom I feel very close,” commented Laura Sadis. “Ticino politics has lost a very lively person, which whom I debated, honestly, on a number of occasions, always and only on how best to interpret the interests of the people of Ticino; I will remember his generosity and altruism.”

In an interview with Rete Tre, the leader of the Italian Northern League, Roberto Maroni said that he is going to attend the funeral in Canton Ticino, and Matteo Bianchi, the provincial secretary of the Northern League in Varese, sent a message this morning. “I feel genuine sadness over the death of a friend of the League, who fought battles and promoted ideas that united us. Personally, I had the honour of meeting him and appreciating his qualities as a political leader, who always acted in the interest of the Ticino people. His commitment will always be an example for everyone, even for his opponents. His work will remain an example for the Ticino League, and will be a precious contribution to a closer cross-border collaboration, also in light of Roberto Maroni’s new job as the Governor of Lombardy.”

A photo of Bignasca has been published on the website, “Mattino on line”, the newspaper of the party, where readers can leave comments.