Lega Nord Sud Tirolo
Encyclopedia
Regionalism (politics)
Regionalism is a term used in international relations. Regionalism also constitutes one of the three constituents of the international commercial system...
political party in Italy which is the provincial section of Lega Nord in South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
. It is the only inter-ethnic party in the province, along with the Greens
Greens (Province of Bolzano-Bozen)
The Greens are a green and social-democratic Italian political party active in the South Tyrol.They are the provincial section of the Italian Federation of the Greens, although being much more moderate and mainstream...
.
Recent history
For the 2008 provincial election, as always, LNST presented a list with both Italian- and German-speaking candidates.In the run-up to the election the party was joined by Roland Atz, former Vice President of the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Region and leading member of the South Tyrolean People's Party
South Tyrolean People's Party
The South Tyrolean People's Party is a regionalist Christian democratic political party active in the Italian province of South Tyrol.Founded in 1945, the SVP represents the German-speaking population of the province, as well as Ladin speakers. Since the first election of the Provincial Council in...
(SVP), Elena Artioli, another SVP splinter and one of the few multilingual members of that party, and Paolo Bassani, a centrist politician who had been previously member of the Italian Liberal Party
Italian Liberal Party
The Italian Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Italy.-Origins:The origins of liberalism in Italy came from the so-called "Historical Right", a parliamentary group formed by Camillo Benso di Cavour in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia following the 1848 revolution...
, Forza Italia
Forza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
and finally the Italian Republican Party
Italian Republican Party
The Italian Republican Party is a liberal political party in Italy.The PRI is party with old roots that originally took a left-wing position, claiming descent from the political position of Giuseppe Mazzini...
.
This was part of a strategy designed by Roberto Calderoli
Roberto Calderoli
Roberto Calderoli is an Italian politician and a member of the Senate of Italy. He is currently a Minister without portfolio for Legislative Simplification in the Berlusconi IV Cabinet....
, the minister who is working along with Umberto Bossi
Umberto Bossi
Umberto Bossi is an Italian politician, leader of the Northern League, a party seeking autonomy or independence for Northern Italy. He is married to Manuela Marrone and has four sons ....
on federal reform, of good relations between Lega Nord and the SVP, which might lead the SVP into an alliance with Lega Nord and The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy. With the Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties of the current Italian party system....
both at the regional and national level. Kurt Pancheri resigned as national secretary as he did not agree with Calderoli's strategy.
In the election LNST won the 2.1% of the vote and Artioli was elected to the Provincial Council, while Atz and Bassani came short of being elected too.
Ideology
LNST presents itself as a party "inspired by the principles of ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
", representing South Tyroleans, regardless their language or ethnicity, including multilingual people. In fact, according to its program, the main goals of the party is to enhance the collaboration and the interaction of the three language groups and to legally recognize the reality of multilingual people. The party professes also a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
credo and one of its slogans is "less Province, more private", while emphasizing family, education and health-care issues.
Popular support
The party is a tiny one compared to other "national" sections of Lega Nord. In the 2008 general electionItalian general election, 2008
A snap general election was held in Italy on 13 April and 14 April 2008. The election came after President Giorgio Napolitano dissolved parliament on 6 February 2008 following the defeat of the government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi in a January 2008 Senate vote, and the unsuccessful tentative...
it won a mere 2.0% of the votes in South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
, due to the electoral strength of German-speaking regionalist parties, notably the South Tyrolean People's Party
South Tyrolean People's Party
The South Tyrolean People's Party is a regionalist Christian democratic political party active in the Italian province of South Tyrol.Founded in 1945, the SVP represents the German-speaking population of the province, as well as Ladin speakers. Since the first election of the Provincial Council in...
, Union for South Tyrol
Union for South Tyrol
The Citizens' Union is a separatist, nationalist and conservative political party active in South Tyrol committed to the German-speaking minority and its right to self-determination...
and The Libertarians
The Libertarians
The Libertarians is a liberal and nationalist political party in the Italian province of South Tyrol committed to the German-speaking minority....
. Its counterpart in Trentino, Lega Nord Trentino
Lega Nord Trentino
Lega Nord Trentino is a regionalist political party in Italy which is the provincial section of Lega Nord in Trentino. The current national secretary is Maurizio Fugatti, deputy to the Italian Parliament...
, was much stronger (16.4% in 2008). In the 2009 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009 (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol)
The European Parliament election of 2009 took place on 6 -7 June 2009.The Democratic Party was the most voted list in the Trentino , narrowly ahead of The People of Freedom , while the South Tyrolean People's Party came first as usual in South Tyrol and got its leading candidate Herbert Dorfmann...
LNST however gained 4.8%, its best result ever in the Province.
The electoral results of Lega Nord Sud Tirolo in the Province of Bolzano are shown in the table below.
| 1992 general | 1993 provincial | 1994 general | 1996 general | 1998 provincial | 1999 European | 2001 general | 2003 provincial | 2004 European | 2006 general | 2008 general | 2008 provincial | 2009 European |
| 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 4.8 |
Leadership
- National Secretary: Umberto Montefiori (1991–1998), Kurt Pancheri (1999–2008), Sergio Divina (2008–2010), Maurizio Bosatra (2010–2011), Elena Artioli (2011–present)
- National President: unknown (1991–1999), Sergio Tamajo (1999–2008)