Ignazio La Russa

Ignazio Benito Maria La Russa (born 18 July 1947) is an Italian politician who is serving as president of the Senate of the Republic since 13 October 2022. He is the first politician with a neo-fascist background to hold the position of President of the Senate, the second highest-ranking office of the Italian Republic. La Russa also served as Minister of Defence in the Berlusconi IV Cabinet from 2008 to 2011, and as Vice President of the Senate of the Republic from 2018 until 2022.

La Russa was born in Paternò, near Catania, Sicily, in 1947. His father, Antonino La Russa, served as secretary of the National Fascist Party (PNF) for Paternò during the 1940s and joined the Italian Social Movement (MSI) after the war, being elected to the Parliament several times. La Russa had two brothers, both of them involved in politics: Vincenzo, a former senator for Christian Democracy (DC), and Romano, a former member of the European Parliament for the MSI's legal successor, the National Alliance.