Valdotanian Union
Encyclopedia
The Valdotanian Union is a regionalist
-centrist
Italian political party active in Aosta Valley. Its leaders are Ego Perron, party president, and Augusto Rollandin, President of the Region.
UV has been steadily represented in the Italian Parliament since 1976 and, thanks to the disappearance of Christian Democracy
, it has become the catch-all party of the Region, similarly to the South Tyrolean People's Party
is in South Tyrol
. Indeed the party steadily increased its share of vote from the 11.5% of 1973 to the 47.2% of 2003. UV has led the regional government since 1974 (with the exception of only three years).
, with which it shared government between 1946 and 1954, it soon distanced itself from that party, while approaching and strengthening its ties with the parties of the left-wing
.
After five years of opposition, in 1959 UV won the regional election in coalition with the Italian Communist Party
(PCI) and the Italian Socialist Party
(PSI) with 51.6% against the 48.6% of a coalition composed by the Christian Democracy (DC), the Italian Liberal Party
(PLI), the Italian Democratic Socialist Party
(PSDI) and the Italian Republican Party
(PRI). The three-party coalition composed of UV, PCI and PSI governed until 1966, when the Socialists decided to switch sides and to enter in coalition with DC, as they had done at the national level three years before.
At that point UV suffered a split by its conservative faction, which established the Valdotanian Rally
(RV), in order to support the coalition led by Christian Democrat Cesare Bondaz. In the 1968 regional election UV won only 16.7% of the vote (RV 5.4%), while in 1973, after the split of the social-democratic faction, the Progressive Valdotanian Union
(UPV), UV stopped at 11.5%, damaged both by the result of UPV (6.7%) and RV (1.6%), as well as by the success of the Popular Democrats
(22,4%), born by the split from DC of the internal left.
In 1984 Andrione was replaced by Augusto Rollandin at the head of the government, which was composed by UV, DC, DP, UPV and PRI from 1983 to 1988. In the 1980s UV strengthened its role as largest party in the Region: 27.1% in 1983 and 34.2% in 1988. After the 1988 election, Rollandin governed at the head of a coalition composed of UV, DC, PSI, PRI and the Autonomists Democrats Progressives
(ADP), born by the merger of DP and UVP.
After having being excluded from government for two years and from the leadership of the Region for three years, UV was back in government in 1993, at the head of a centre-left coalition led by Dino Viérin and composed of UV, the Democratic Party of the Left
(PDS), the Greens
, ADP, PSI and PRI. The coalition was continued in 1998–2006 by of UV and the Democrats of the Left
(DS), with the support of two regionalist parties, the Edelweiss Aosta Valley
(SA) and the Autonomist Federation
(FA), in 1998-2001.
in competition with The Union
(rallied in the Autonomy Liberty Democracy
list), as part of the regionalist coalition named Autonomy Progress Federalism Aosta Valley
, causing the split of the Valdotanian Renewal
(RV), but it lost and since then the party was no more represented in the Italian Parliament. This was however a turning point in regional politics since UV dismissed DS as its coalition partner and formed a regionalist three-party coalition with SA and FA.
In the 2008 general election
UV member Antonio Fosson was elected to the Senate
for the regionalist coalition, defeating incumbent Carlo Perrin (41.4% against 37.4%), but was not able to take back also the seat in the Chamber of Deputies
as Ego Perron was narrowly defeated by incumbent Roberto Nicco, member of the regional Democratic Party
(37.8% against 39.1%). Senator Fosson, who abstained from the vote of confidence on Berlusconi IV Cabinet
, joined a centrist group composed of the South Tyrolean People's Party
, the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (three senators, all coming from Sicily
), one senator of the Associative Movement Italians Abroad
and three senators for life (Giulio Andreotti
, Francesco Cossiga
and Emilio Colombo
).
In the 2008 regional election
UV won 44.4% of the vote and 17 regional deputies (out of 35), while the three-party regionalist coalition won 62.0% and a large majority, composed of 22 regional deputies. Augusto Rollandin was the most voted regional deputy with 13,836 preference votes, while incumbent President Luciano Caveri was only seventh with 2,770 votes (down from 7,313) and party leader Guido Césal 25th thus failing the re-election. Rollandin was sworn in as new President of the Region, replacing Caveri, who said that "who takes more votes becomes President".
In November 2008 Ego Perron was elected new president of the party, after the debacle of Césal in the regional election.
In both the 2009 European Parliament election
and the 2010 Aosta municipal election UV formed an alliance with The People of Freedom
(PdL).
Regionalism (politics)
Regionalism is a term used in international relations. Regionalism also constitutes one of the three constituents of the international commercial system...
-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...
Italian political party active in Aosta Valley. Its leaders are Ego Perron, party president, and Augusto Rollandin, President of the Region.
UV has been steadily represented in the Italian Parliament since 1976 and, thanks to the disappearance of 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 ....
, it has become the catch-all party of the Region, similarly to 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...
is 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...
. Indeed the party steadily increased its share of vote from the 11.5% of 1973 to the 47.2% of 2003. UV has led the regional government since 1974 (with the exception of only three years).
Early years
The party was founded on 3 September 1945. Originally a close ally of Christian DemocracyChristian 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 ....
, with which it shared government between 1946 and 1954, it soon distanced itself from that party, while approaching and strengthening its ties with the parties of the left-wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
.
After five years of opposition, in 1959 UV won the regional election in coalition with the Italian Communist Party
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played...
(PCI) and the Italian Socialist Party
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
(PSI) with 51.6% against the 48.6% of a coalition composed by the Christian Democracy (DC), 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...
(PLI), the Italian Democratic Socialist Party
Italian Democratic Socialist Party
The Italian Democratic Socialist Party is a minor social-democratic political party in Italy. Mimmo Magistro is the party leader. The PSDI, before the 1990s decline in votes and members, had been an important force in Italian politics, being the longest serving partner in government for Christian...
(PSDI) and 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...
(PRI). The three-party coalition composed of UV, PCI and PSI governed until 1966, when the Socialists decided to switch sides and to enter in coalition with DC, as they had done at the national level three years before.
At that point UV suffered a split by its conservative faction, which established the Valdotanian Rally
Valdotanian Rally
The Valdotanian Rally was a conservative Italian political party active in Aosta Valley.In 1963 a group of conservative members of the Valdotanian Union formed the Valdotanian Independent Rally and won 3.3% of the vote in a regional election. In 1967 RIV merged with other conservative groups in...
(RV), in order to support the coalition led by Christian Democrat Cesare Bondaz. In the 1968 regional election UV won only 16.7% of the vote (RV 5.4%), while in 1973, after the split of the social-democratic faction, the Progressive Valdotanian Union
Progressive Valdotanian Union
The Progressive Valdotanian Union was a social-democratic Italian political party active in Aosta Valley.It emerged in 1973 as a split from the Valdotanian Union and won 6.7% of the vote in that year’s regional election...
(UPV), UV stopped at 11.5%, damaged both by the result of UPV (6.7%) and RV (1.6%), as well as by the success of the Popular Democrats
Popular Democrats
The Popular Democrats was a Christian-leftist Italian political party active in the Aosta Valley of Italy. Its leading members included Cesare Dujany, Maurizio Martin and Angelo Pollicini....
(22,4%), born by the split from DC of the internal left.
Resurgence
UV returned in government in 1974 at the head of a regionalist coalition led by Mario Andrione composed also of UPV and RV, which was enlarged in 1975 to DC and PSI. In 1978, after a regional election in which UV had become the largest party in the Region with 24.7%, DP, PSDI and PRI replaced PSI as coalition partners of UV, DC, UPV and RV.In 1984 Andrione was replaced by Augusto Rollandin at the head of the government, which was composed by UV, DC, DP, UPV and PRI from 1983 to 1988. In the 1980s UV strengthened its role as largest party in the Region: 27.1% in 1983 and 34.2% in 1988. After the 1988 election, Rollandin governed at the head of a coalition composed of UV, DC, PSI, PRI and the Autonomists Democrats Progressives
Autonomists Democrats Progressives
The Autonomists Democrats Progressives was a social-liberal and Christian-leftist Italian political party active in Aosta Valley...
(ADP), born by the merger of DP and UVP.
After having being excluded from government for two years and from the leadership of the Region for three years, UV was back in government in 1993, at the head of a centre-left coalition led by Dino Viérin and composed of UV, the Democratic Party of the Left
Democratic Party of the Left
The Democratic Party of the Left was a post-communist, democratic socialist political party in Italy.-History:...
(PDS), the Greens
Federation of the Greens
The Federation of the Greens is a green political party in Italy, which includes also a large eco-socialist faction. Since 2009 the party leader is Angelo Bonelli.-Early years:...
, ADP, PSI and PRI. The coalition was continued in 1998–2006 by of UV and the Democrats of the Left
Democrats of the Left
The Democrats of the Left was a social-democratic Italian political party and part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition, which merged with a number of centrist and leftist groups to form the Democratic Party on 14 October 2007...
(DS), with the support of two regionalist parties, the Edelweiss Aosta Valley
Edelweiss Aosta Valley
Edelweiss Aosta Valley is a Christian-democratic and centrist Italian political party active in Aosta Valley.It was founded in 2001 by the merger of the Autonomists and the Autonomist Federation...
(SA) and the Autonomist Federation
Autonomist Federation
The Autonomist Federation is a centrist, social-liberal and social-democratic Italian political party active in Aosta Valley...
(FA), in 1998-2001.
The regionalist coalition
Despite the close ties with the parties of the centre-left, UV contested the 2006 general electionItalian general election, 2006
In the Italian general election, 2006 for the renewal of the two Chambers of the Parliament of Italy held on April 9 and April 10, 2006 the incumbent prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, leader of the center-right House of Freedoms, was narrowly defeated by Romano Prodi, leader of the center-left The...
in competition with The Union
The Union (political coalition)
The Union was an centre-left coalition of political parties in Italy. It was led by Romano Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy from April 2006 to April 2008, and former President of the European Commission.-Parties:...
(rallied in the Autonomy Liberty Democracy
Autonomy Liberty Democracy
Autonomy Liberty Democracy is an Italian coalition of parties active in Aosta Valley.It was originally formed as an electoral list, affiliated to the The Union, for the 2006 general election and originally comprised: the Democrats of the Left, Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, Valdotanian Renewal,...
list), as part of the regionalist coalition named Autonomy Progress Federalism Aosta Valley
Autonomy Progress Federalism Aosta Valley
Autonomy Progress Federalism Aosta Valley is an Italian coalition of parties active in Aosta Valley....
, causing the split of the Valdotanian Renewal
Valdotanian Renewal
Valdotanian Renewal was a social-liberal Italian political party.It was founded in 2006 by a split from the Valdotanian Union , led by former President of Region Carlo Perrin...
(RV), but it lost and since then the party was no more represented in the Italian Parliament. This was however a turning point in regional politics since UV dismissed DS as its coalition partner and formed a regionalist three-party coalition with SA and FA.
In the 2008 general election
Italian 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...
UV member Antonio Fosson was elected to the Senate
Italian Senate
The Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...
for the regionalist coalition, defeating incumbent Carlo Perrin (41.4% against 37.4%), but was not able to take back also the seat in the Chamber of Deputies
Italian Chamber of Deputies
The Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...
as Ego Perron was narrowly defeated by incumbent Roberto Nicco, member of the regional Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Italy)
The Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election....
(37.8% against 39.1%). Senator Fosson, who abstained from the vote of confidence on Berlusconi IV Cabinet
Berlusconi IV Cabinet
Berlusconi IV Cabinet has been the cabinet of the government of Italy from 8 May 2008 to 16 November 2011.As of July 2011, it was composed of 24 ministers, 4 deputy ministers and 39 under-secretaries, for a total of 67 members.-Sources:*...
, joined a centrist group composed 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...
, the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (three senators, all coming from Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
), one senator of the Associative Movement Italians Abroad
Associative Movement Italians Abroad
The Associative Movement Italians Abroad is an Italian political party representing voters living in South America....
and three senators for life (Giulio Andreotti
Giulio Andreotti
Giulio Andreotti is an Italian politician of the now dissolved centrist Christian Democracy party. He served as the 42nd Prime Minister of Italy from 1972 to 1973, from 1976 to 1979 and from 1989 to 1992. He also served as Minister of the Interior , Defense Minister and Foreign Minister and he...
, Francesco Cossiga
Francesco Cossiga
Francesco Cossiga was an Italian politician, the 43rd Prime Minister and the eighth President of the Italian Republic. He was also a professor of constitutional law at the University of Sassari....
and Emilio Colombo
Emilio Colombo
Emilio Colombo is an Italian politician who was Prime Minister of Italy from 1970 to 1972. In addition to having held top positions in Italian governments, he was also active in European politics.-Biography:...
).
In the 2008 regional election
Valdotanian regional election, 2008
The Valdotanian regional election of 2008 took place on 25 May 2008.-Results:Source:...
UV won 44.4% of the vote and 17 regional deputies (out of 35), while the three-party regionalist coalition won 62.0% and a large majority, composed of 22 regional deputies. Augusto Rollandin was the most voted regional deputy with 13,836 preference votes, while incumbent President Luciano Caveri was only seventh with 2,770 votes (down from 7,313) and party leader Guido Césal 25th thus failing the re-election. Rollandin was sworn in as new President of the Region, replacing Caveri, who said that "who takes more votes becomes President".
In November 2008 Ego Perron was elected new president of the party, after the debacle of Césal in the regional election.
In both the 2009 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009 (Aosta Valley)
The European Parliament election of 2009 took place on 6-7 June 2009. The Autonomy Progress Federalism list, hegemonized by the Valdotanian Union, was the most voted in Aosta Valley with 37.1%, but received no seats, while Autonomy Liberty Democracy came distant second .-Results:Source:...
and the 2010 Aosta municipal election UV formed an alliance with 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....
(PdL).
Leadership
- President: Severino Caveri (1945–1974), Mario Andrione (1974–1975), Jean-Claude Perrin (1975–1984), Alexis Bétemps (1984–1996), Carlo Perrin (1996–1998), Augusto Rollandin (1998–2001), Aurelio Marguerettaz (2001–2003), Manuela Zublena (2003–2006), Guido Césal (2006–2008), Ego Perron (2008–present)
Sources
- Regional Council of Aosta Valley – History of Aosta Valley
- Regional Government of Aosta Valley – Governments since 1946
- Regional Government of Aosta Valley – Elections
- Cattaneo Institute – Archive of Election Data
- Parties and Elections in Europe – Aosta Valley
- Ministry of the Interior – Historical Archive of Elections