Its leading member is Massimiliano Fedriga, President of Friuli-Venezia Giulia since 2018 The party was established in 1990 as Lega Friuli by a group of leading members of the Friuli Movement, including Roberto Visentin, Pietro Fontanini, Rinaldo Bosco, Sergio Cecotti and Alessandra Guerra.

At the time the party suffered many splits and a strong decline in term of votes, especially if compared to neighbouring Liga Veneta.

In 2012 Fontanini, who was not able to unite a party divided in too many factions (notably including those led by Claudio Violino and Enzo Bortolotti), stepped down from national secretary.

Soon after an expenses scandal, involving Regional Council floor leaders Danilo Narduzzi and Mara Piccin, emerged and the party looked increasingly divided among supporters of Piasente, including Violino and Narduzzi (who promptly resigned from deputy national secretary), Massimiliano Fedriga and Fontanini,[13][14] who asked Piasente to resign.

[15] He actually stepped down in late June and was replaced by commissioner Gianpaolo Dozzo,[16] who strove to preserve party unity.

[17] In 2014, at a congress in Udine, Fedriga was unanimously elected national secretary, the first hailing from the Venetian-speaking Trieste in party's history.