The LV, whose ideology combines Venetian nationalism and support for fiscal federalism, was established in 1979 under the slogan "farther from Rome, closer to Europe",[7] and was the first party of its kind in northern Italy, predating Umberto Bossi's Lega Lombarda by five years.

Venetist ideas made a comeback in the 1960s, when the Venetian Regionalist Autonomous Movement (MARV) campaigned for the institution of the ordinary regions (including Veneto), prefigured by the Constitution of Italy.

In December 1979, during the party's first informal congress, named "farther from Rome, closer to Europe",[7] the opening speech recited: "Today for Venetians the moment has come, after 113 years of Italian unitary colonisation, to take their natural and human resources back, to fight against the wild exploitation that has brought emigration, pollution, and rooting out from their culture".

[23] However, the two most damaging splits were those of the Union of the Venetian People (UPV), formed by Beggiato (who was joined by Tramarin and Girardi) and that of the Veneto Autonomous Region Movement (MVRA).

After the splits, the only counterweight to Rocchetta–Marin within the LV was thus represented by the Treviso wing, which then started to gain influence, under the leadership of Gian Paolo Gobbo and Mauro Michielon.

In 1989–1990, ahead of the 1990 regional elections, the LV took part in the process of federating the northern regionalist parties, including the LL, Autonomist Piedmont, Ligurian Union, Emilia-Romagna League and Tuscan Alliance.

[26] In the 1994 general election the LV won 21.6% of the vote in Veneto (the LAV took 3.2%) and three of its members joined Berlusconi I Cabinet: Rocchetta was undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Mariella Mazzetto of Education and Giovanni Meo Zilio (a former Socialist partisan during Italian resistance), of University and Research.

It was the worst result in terms of elected members in the Italian Parliament since 1987, due to the narrow victory of the centre-left, which won the majority-premium for the Chamber of Deputies and to the presence of North-East Project (2.7%) and of Liga Fronte Veneto (0.7%).

[28][29] In the 2009 European Parliament election the LV confirmed its strength, by gaining 28.4% and three MEPs: Lorenzo Fontana, a rising star from Verona, Giancarlo Scottà and Mara Bizzotto.

[34] After the election, Zaia appointed a cabinet including six party members, a majority of whom were tosiani: Roberto Ciambetti (Budget and Local Government), Luca Coletto (Health), Maurizio Conte (Environment), Marino Finozzi (Tourism and International Trade), Franco Manzato (Agriculture) and Daniele Stival (Venetian Identity and Civil Protection).

[39] Tosi, just re-elected mayor of Verona with 57.4% of the vote (three times his closest opponent Michele Bertucco, who got a mere 22.8%),[40][41] started his bid for the party's national leadership.

Tosi considered this a consequence of the renewed alliance with the PdL (instrumental to Maroni's election as President of Lombardy), while many party bigwigs, including Zaia, criticised his leadership, management of the campaign and selection of candidates.

[55][56][57][58] In April the national council of LV, led by Tosi, expelled 35 party members (mostly Venetists or old-guard bossiani), including two regional councillors and a former deputy.

[59] In August the dissidents, led by Corrado Callegari, a former deputy, formed Veneto First,[60] which became a separate party in January 2014[61] and welcomed a third councillor in February 2015.

Finally, in the 2014 European Parliament election the LV gained 15.2% and two MEPs, Tosi (who showed his popular support once for all[63] and was soon replaced by Fontana) and Bizzotto.

After the election, Zaia unveiled his second government, composed of ten ministers, including nine Lighisti: Gianluca Forcolin (Vice President, Budget and Local Government), Luca Coletto (Health and Social Programs), Roberto Marcato (Economic Development and Energy), Elisa De Berti (Publick Works, Infrastructures and Transports), Giuseppe Pan (Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing), Manuela Lanzarin (Social Affairs), Federico Caner (EU Programs, Tourism and International Trade), Gianpaolo Bottacin (Environment and Civil Protection) and Cristiano Corazzari (Culture, City Planning and Security); Elena Donazzan (Education and Labour) represented Forza Italia.

After the election, Zaia unveiled his third government, composed of eight ministers, including seven Lighisti: Elisa De Berti (Vice President, Legal Affairs, Public Works, Infrastructures and Transports), Francesco Calzavara (Planning, Budget, Patrimony and Local Government), Manuela Lanzarin (Health, Social Affairs and Social Programs), Roberto Marcato (Economic Development, Energy and Special Status for Venice), Federico Caner (EU Programs, Agriculture, Tourism and International Trade), Gianpaolo Bottacin (Environment, Climate and Civil Protection), Cristiano Corazzari (Culture, City Planning, Security, Hunting and Fishing); Elena Donazzan (Education, Formation, Labour and Equal Opportunities) represented Brothers of Italy.

However, Marcato retired from the race when Franco Manzato, a centrist figure representing mainly the party's old guard from the province of Treviso, emerged as an alternative opposition candidate.

[94][95] At the congress, outgoing federal commissioner Alberto Stefani, a loyalist of Salvini, was thus elected secretary with 64.3% of the vote against Manzato's 35.7%,[96] possibly with Zaia's silent support.

[97] The congress' result did not silence internal critics, like regional minister Federico Caner[98] and MEP Gianantonio Da Re,[99] who opposed Salvini's focus on southern Italy and his perceived Euroscepticism.

[100] In the meantime, former leader Flavio Tosi, who had merged his Tosi List for Veneto into Forza Italia in June 2022[101] and had become that party's regional coordinator in March 2023,[102] started wooing disgruntled LV members into Forza Italia: most notably, splinters have included former Vice President of Veneto Gianluca Forcolin,[103] former senator Gianpaolo Vallardi[104][105] and regional councillor Fabrizio Boron.

[106] In March 2024 Gianantonio Da Re, a MEP and former leader, was expelled from the party, of which he had been a member for 42 years, after having frequently criticised Salvini and finally offended him.

[109] The promotion the re-discovery the Republic of Venice's heritage, traditions, culture, and especially Venetian language, and opposition to the displacement of Mafia inmates in Veneto were key goals of the party since its foundation.

Along these, the core issues of the party, especially autonomism, low taxes, fight against red tape and promotion of Venetian language and culture, were also included in the program.

[121][122] The LV has opposed nuclear power plants in Veneto, citing the high population density and the fact that the region is already energetically self-sufficient.

[123] In April 2012 some key members from the province of Treviso, led by Giuseppe Covre and Marzio Favero, proposed a "Manifesto for the League which will be", which was soon endorsed by Roberto Maroni (see above).

The party should also adopt a different language: in fact, the proponents realized how some "xenophobic statements, calls for localistic isolation and invocations of a token traditionalism had damaged the cause and the growth of the League.

In January, a majority of the party's regional councillors, described as "progressive" by news sources, supported a bill that would have regulated assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, under particular conditions.

An ideological strain worth of mention is embodied by pure Venetists who stress issues such as Venetian identity and language: they have notably included Massimo Bitonci, Roberto Ciambetti, Stival, Giovanni Furlanetto and Nicola Finco.

[139] In early 2012 another friction was caused by Tosi's decision to present a personal list, alongside the party's one, in the forthcoming Verona municipal election and his intention to drop its traditional ally, The People of Freedom.