Antonio Guadagnini is a Venetian

Veneto

Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...

 independentist

Separatism

Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...

 and Venetist

Venetism

Venetian nationalism is an ideology and a regionalist movement demanding more autonomy, or even independence from Italy, for Veneto, and promoting the re-discovery the Republic of Venice's heritage, traditions, culture and language...

 politician.

Guadagnini joined Christian Democracy

Christian Democracy (Italy)

Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield ....

 (DC) in the 1980s and, after the party's dissolution, he joined centre-right Christian-democratic parties and, finally, the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) in 2002. As a UDC member and deputy-mayor of Crespano del Grappa

Crespano del Grappa

Crespano del Grappa is a city in the province of Treviso, Veneto region of Italy. As of 2007 Crespano del Grappa had an estimated population of 4,680.The sister city to Crespano del Grappa is Folsom, California in the USA....

, his hometown, he came to regional prominence for his request that municipalities would retain for themselves 20% of personal income tax. He was able to coalesce more than 400 mayors from all around Veneto and from all political backgrounds on his proposal, which was anyway not accepted by the Italian government.

In 2009 Guadagnini stood as UDC candidate for the European Parliament

European Parliament

The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

, but he was not elected. Increasingly marginalized within his party, He also felt isolated within his party he started to be interested in Venetism. Within DC and UDC, Guadagnini had been an ardent supporter of a Venetian centre-right party, independent from Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, so it was an easy choice for him to join Liga Veneto Autonomo

Liga Veneto Autonomo

Liga Veneto Autonomo is a Venetist political party active in Veneto.LFV was formed in early 2010 by senior members of Liga Veneta Repubblica , notably including Giorgio Vido and Bortolino Sartore, in the run up of the 2010 Venetian regional election...

 first and, finally, Veneto State

Veneto State

Veneto State is a Venetist independentist political party active in Veneto and eastern Lombardy. The party seeks to achieve full political independence for the former territories of the Venetian Republic from Italy through a referendum...

 (VS). Guadagnini was soon chosen as candidate for President of the Province of Treviso

Province of Treviso

The Province of Treviso is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Treviso.The province has an area of 2,477 km², and a total population of 886.886 . There are 95 municipalities in the province .-Municipalities:-External links:*...

 in the 2011 provincial election. In the election Guadagnini won just 1.5% of the vote and did better in the eastern part of the province (traditionally a stronghold of Liga Veneta–Lega Nord), and especially in Crespano del Grappa (8.9%), Paderno del Grappa

Paderno del Grappa

Paderno del Grappa is a town and comune in the province of Treviso, in the Veneto, Italy. Paderno del Grappa is located at the base of Mount Grappa, a mountain located in the Dolomites...

 (5.2%), Fonte

Fonte

Fonte is a comune in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about 50 km northwest of Venice and about northwest of Treviso. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 5,731 and an area of 14.6 km²....

 (4.9%) and Borso del Grappa

Borso del Grappa

Borso del Grappa is a commune with 4.935 inhabitants in the province of Treviso. As of 2007 Borso del Grappa had an estimated population of 5,463....

 (3.6%).

In October 2011, during a party congress in Vicenza

Vicenza

Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...

, he was elected secretary of VS, succeeding to Lodovico Pizzati

Lodovico Pizzati

Lodovico Pizzati is a Venetian independentist, economics professor and Venetist politician.Son of Giulio, one of the earliest members of Liga Veneta , Lodovico Pizzati has been a Venetist all throughout his life...

.

Guadagnini holds two master's degrees, one in economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 and one in philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

, and he is a devout Catholic.