Career
When he was 13, his family moved to Milan, where his father Antonino La Russa was a practising lawyer. After attending college in the Swiss German Canton of St. Gallen, he obtained a degree in Law at the University of Pavia. After serving as a Regular Army Reserve Officer, he has worked as a criminal defence lawyer at the Court of Cassation.
He has shown a considerable interest in politics since his student years, and was involved in far-right activism in Milan.
In 1985, he was elected Regional Councillor for the Lombardy Region, for the neo-fascist Italian party Movimento Sociale Italiano.
In 1992, he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) to both the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies (A law of the time allowed a candidate to run for election as representative for both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. If the candidate obtained sufficient votes to be elected to both, he had to opt for one of the Houses. This law has been modified some years ago: now candidates have to choose the House they will run for in advance).
On 29 June 1993, the President of the National Alliance, Gianfranco Fini appointed him as First Vice-President of National Alliance.
On 27 March 1994, he was re-elected MP and appointed Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.
In 1996, he was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Parliamentary Immunity of the Chamber of Deputies, an office he held for the entire 13th Parliament.
On 5 June 2001, he was elected Chairman of the Deputies of National Alliance Parliamentary Group at the Chamber of Deputies (National Alliance - Alleanza Nazionale, or AN - was an Italian right-wing party).
Between November 2004 and July 2005 he was again Chairman of the Deputies of National Alliance. He held this office also during the following Parliament, as he was re-elected MP in the ‘Lombardy 1’ constituency.
Throughout the last years, thanks to his professional background, he acted as spokesman for the Right on justice-related subjects. Also of note is his commitment with respect to other significant issues, namely security of citizens, immigration, reduction of the tax burden, safeguarding national identity, and the liberal professions.
On 8 May 2008, he was appointed Minister of Defence, office he held until 16 November 2011.
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