Sardinia Nation
Encyclopedia
Sardinia Nation is a minor separatist
and democratic-socialist
political party in Sardinia, Italy
. Its leader is Bustianu Cumpostu.
(PSIn) by Angelu Caria, long-time leader of the PSIn. After the sudden death of Carria in 1994, Bustianu Cumpostu was elected new leader of the party, by defeating Gavino Sale.
In the 1996 general election SN won 4.3% in single-seat constituencies (11.6% in Tortolì
and 9.6% in Iglesias
), despite being present only in 10 constituencies out of 14, and 2.3% for proportional representation, as it suffered the competition of the Sardinian Action Party
(PSd'Az) that gained 3.8%.
In the 1999 regional election
SN had its best result ever, as Bustiano Cumpostu received 5.8% of the vote for President of the Region, despite the competition of the PSd'Az that gained 8.3% with Franco Meloni. However, as Cumpostu did not surpass the 6% threshold and the party list stopped at 1.8%, the party did not get into the Regional Council.
Both for the 2001 general election
and the 2004 regional election
SN formed an alliance with the PSd'Az. This led Gavino Sale, who refused any collaboration with non-secessionist parties, and his faction to leave the party in 2001 to form the Independence Republic of Sardinia
(IRS). In the regional election Sardist electorate was very fragmented (also because of the presence of the Sardinian Democratic Union
, UDS, that ran a "nationalist" platform) and most formerly SN voters voted Gavino Sale for President (1.9%) and the IRS party list (0.7%), while only a minority voted for SN (0.4%).
SN won 1.1% of the vote in the 2006 general election and 0.7% in 2008. In the 2009 regional election
the party formed a "nationalist" left-wing alliance with the communist
To the Left for Independence
and other minor secessionist groups, but it gained only 0.5%, while Gavino Sale (IRS) won 3.1% of the vote. In fact IRS, that followed a more coherent and instransigent secessionist platform, is more mainstream than SN, thanks to the charismatic leadership of Sale and a more centrist
position.
by a referendum
. The party uses extensively, if not exclusively, the Sardinian language
in its official announcements and relationships, as well as among its members.
since 1994 are shown in the table below.
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 democratic-socialist
Democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...
political party in Sardinia, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Its leader is Bustianu Cumpostu.
History
The party was founded in 1994 as the development of the Sardinian Independence PartySardinian Independence Party
The Sardinian Independence Party was a minor separatist and democratic-socialist political party in Sardinia, Italy....
(PSIn) by Angelu Caria, long-time leader of the PSIn. After the sudden death of Carria in 1994, Bustianu Cumpostu was elected new leader of the party, by defeating Gavino Sale.
In the 1996 general election SN won 4.3% in single-seat constituencies (11.6% in Tortolì
Tortolì
Tortolì is a town and comune in Sardinia, co-capital of the Province of Ogliastra with Lanusei.-Geography:Tortolì is situated on the eastern coast of Sardinia. Its port and greatest hamlet is Arbatax, who has also an airport connecting it to continental Italy and the European continent...
and 9.6% in Iglesias
Iglesias
Iglesias is a comune of Carbonia-Iglesias province in Sardinia, Italy.-Overview:Situated at 190 m in the hills in the southwest of Sardinia, it was a centre of a mining district, with lead, zinc, and silver being extracted, as well as for the distillation of sulfuric acid.Iglesias'...
), despite being present only in 10 constituencies out of 14, and 2.3% for proportional representation, as it suffered the competition of the Sardinian Action Party
Sardinian Action Party
The Sardinian Action Party is a regionalist social-democratic political party in Sardinia, which has recently sided with The People of Freedom, the largest centre-right party in Italy.-History:...
(PSd'Az) that gained 3.8%.
In the 1999 regional election
Sardinian regional election, 1999
The Sardinian regional election of 1999 took place on 13 and 27 June 1999.The centre-right led by Mauro Pili won the election but was short of a clear majority and in fact Pili, who was appointed President of the Region as leader of the coalition, was soon replaced and by a succession of...
SN had its best result ever, as Bustiano Cumpostu received 5.8% of the vote for President of the Region, despite the competition of the PSd'Az that gained 8.3% with Franco Meloni. However, as Cumpostu did not surpass the 6% threshold and the party list stopped at 1.8%, the party did not get into the Regional Council.
Both for the 2001 general election
Italian general election, 2001 (Sardinia)
The Italian general election of 2001 took place on 13 May 2001. The election was won in Sardinia by the centre-right House of Freedoms coalition, which won also nationally...
and the 2004 regional election
Sardinian regional election, 2004
The Sardinian regional election of 2004 took place on 12 -13 June 2004.The election had two main competitors: Mauro Pili for the centre-right and Renato Soru for the centre-left. Soru won easily over Pili, who had been President of the Region from 2001 to 2003...
SN formed an alliance with the PSd'Az. This led Gavino Sale, who refused any collaboration with non-secessionist parties, and his faction to leave the party in 2001 to form the Independence Republic of Sardinia
Independence Republic of Sardinia
Independence Republic of Sardinia is a social-democratic and non-violent separatist political party in Sardinia...
(IRS). In the regional election Sardist electorate was very fragmented (also because of the presence of the Sardinian Democratic Union
Sardinian Democratic Union
The Sardinian Democratic Union – Nationalist Project is a regionalist Christian-democratic political party in Sardinia...
, UDS, that ran a "nationalist" platform) and most formerly SN voters voted Gavino Sale for President (1.9%) and the IRS party list (0.7%), while only a minority voted for SN (0.4%).
SN won 1.1% of the vote in the 2006 general election and 0.7% in 2008. In the 2009 regional election
Sardinian regional election, 2009
The Sardinian regional election of 2009 took place on 15-16 February 2009.Ugo Cappellacci, the centre-right candidate, defeated Renato Soru, the centre-left incumbent President, by a large margin and The People of Freedom was by far the largest party...
the party formed a "nationalist" left-wing alliance with the communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
To the Left for Independence
To the Left for Independence
To the Left for Independence is a separatist and communist Italian political party active in Sardinia....
and other minor secessionist groups, but it gained only 0.5%, while Gavino Sale (IRS) won 3.1% of the vote. In fact IRS, that followed a more coherent and instransigent secessionist platform, is more mainstream than SN, thanks to the charismatic leadership of Sale and a more centrist
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
position.
Ideology
SN has campaigned, among other things, against the proposed use of Sardinian areas as nuclear dumping ground for Italy's nuclear waste, generated before the banning of nuclear powerNuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
by a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
. The party uses extensively, if not exclusively, the Sardinian language
Sardinian language
Sardinian is a Romance language spoken and written on most of the island of Sardinia . It is considered the most conservative of the Romance languages in terms of phonology and is noted for its Paleosardinian substratum....
in its official announcements and relationships, as well as among its members.
Popular support
The electoral results of SN in SardiniaSardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
since 1994 are shown in the table below.
| 1994 regional | 1996 general | 1999 European | 1999 regional | 2001 general | 2004 European | 2004 regional | 2006 general | 2008 general | 2009 regional |
| 1.2 | 2.3 | ||||||||
| 1.8 | |||||||||
| 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.5 | ||||||