South Tyrolean People's Party

Infobox_Italian_political_party
name_english = South Tyrolean People's Party

leader =
leader1_title = President
leader1_name = Elmar Pichler Rolle
leader2_title = Secretary
leader2_name = Alexander Mittermeir
leader3_title =
leader3_name =
leader4_title =
leader4_name =
foundation = 8 May 1945
dissolution =
headquarters = Via Brennero, 7/A 39100 Bolzano
newspaper = ZIS
membership_year= 2003
membership = 68,000 [ [http://www.jeanmonnetprogram.org/coatofmanycolors/documents/NAZIONALE_6.pdf [NAZIONALE - 6 STAMPA/INTERNI/03 ... 28/09/03 ] ]
ideology = Regionalism,
Christian democracy,
Social democracy
coalition = "stand-alone"
international = "none"
european = European People's Party (observer)
europarl = European People's Party–European Democrats
website = http://www.svpartei.org
colorcode = black

The South Tyrolean People's Party ("Südtiroler Volkspartei", SVP) is a regionalist political party active in the Italian Province of Bolzano-Bozen.

Founded in 1945, SVP represents the German-speaking population of the province, as well as the Ladin-speakers. Since the first election of the Provincial Council in 1948, the party has gained more than 50 percent in every election. Its best result ever was 67.8% in 1948, its worst 52.0% in 1993.

The party has been in alliance with Christian Democracy (along with the Italian Socialist Party) until 1994 and later with some of its successor parties, including the Italian People's Party, both at the provincial and national level, and the Democratic Union of Alto Adige. In 1998 SVP enlarged the provincial government to the social-democratic Democrats of the Left. Currently the party governs with the support of the centre-left Democratic Party, but has loosened its ties with it at the national level [http://www.uibk.ac.at/politikwissenschaft/mitarbeiterinnen/pallaver/pdf/pallaver_561-600.pdf] , and the Democratic Union.

Recent history

In the 2003 provincial election SVP won 55.6% of the vote and got elected 21 provincial deputies out of 35 and Luis Durnwalder was returned for the fourth time President of the Province (he has been in office since 1989), at the head of a coalition composed by the Democrats of the Left and a local alliance between Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy and the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats.

In the 2004 European Parliament election SVP formed an electoral alliance with The Olive Tree. The party's share of votes fell for the first time down 50%, stopping at 46.7% (-9.3% from 1999, mainly because of the big win of the Greens of South Tryol (13.2%, +6.5%). However Michl Ebner was elected MEPs with more than 90,000 preferences and also a Green, Sepp Kusstatscher (a former member of the internal left of SVP), was elected. Prior to that other German-speaking Greens had been elected to the European Parliament, notably Alexander Langer and Reinhold Messner, but they had a much more national appeal. Since the party is an observer member of the European People's Party (EPP), Ebner sits in the EPP section of the EPP-ED Group.

In the 2006 general election the party was member of the winning The Union and got elected three senators and three deputies, along with one for its historical ally in the Province of Trento, the Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Party.

2008 general election

In the 2008 general election the party had its worst result ever in general election, falling down to 44.6% (-8.8% from 2006 and -15.9% from 2001 and returning only two deputies, Siegfried Brugger and Karl Zeller. In the Senate election, thanks to the plurality voting system, SVP re-elected its three senators, Helga Thaler Ausserhofer, Oskar Peterlini and Manfred Pinzger. This result was due both because of the strong showing of The Libertarians (9.4%) on the right and the decision not to enter in alliance for the Chamber of Deputies either with the centre-left led by the Democratic Party (18.0%) or the centre-right led by the People of Freedom (16.0%).

Soon after the election, SVP renewed its alliance with Roberto Nicco, deputy from Aosta Valley, in the Chamber of Deputies, while it formed a group in the Senate with the three deputies of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats, Senator Antonio Fosson of the Valdotanian Union, Mirella Giai of the Associative Movement Italians Abroad and three senators for life (Giulio Andreotti, Francesco Cossiga and Emilio Colombo).

2008 provincial election

In the 2008 provincial election SVP will not support as usual what are considered to be the party counterparts in the Province of Trento, the Union for Trentino (successor of the Daisy Civic List) and the Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Party in order not to hurt the relations with Lega Nord, whose Trentino section, Lega Nord Trentino, provides the opposition candidate, Sergio Divina. After the election SVP, thanks to the mediation of Minister Roberto Calderoli, may end up in alliance with Lega Nord Südtirol and The People of Freedom, ending years of collaboration with the Democrats of the Left and, then, the Democratic Party. [http://www.ilgiornale.it/a.pic1?ID=281979] [http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2008/agosto/10/Ciampi_Brunetta_Alto_Adige_resti_co_9_080810009.shtml] [http://espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio-local/%C2%ABNoi-ci-siamo-ma-l-Svp-ora-si-smarchi%C2%BB/2036877]

Ideology and factions

The ideology of the party, which is a typical example of catch-all party, ranges from Christian democracy, due to the deep Catholic tradition of the province, to elements of social democracy, due to the lack of a true social-democratic party, apart from the tiny Social Democratic Party of South Tyrol in the 1970s. However, between 1946 and 1994, SVP allied itself only with the Christian Democracy party. In German-speaking valleys SVP has almost no opposition, apart from the Union for South Tyrol and The Libertarians on the right and the Greens of South Tryol on the left.

In the years SVP suffered many splits reflecting the diverse composition of the party (Tyrol Homeland Federation Party, Social Progressive Party of South Tyrol and Social Democratic Party of South Tyrolmany SVP leading members left the party in order to join other parties, including notably Alfons Benedikter, a right-winger who launched Union for South Tyrol in 1989, Christian Waldner, a conservative-liberal who launched The Libertarians in 1992, Sepp Kusstatscher, a leftist who joined the Greens in 1999, and finally Roland Atz, a centrist who switched to Lega Nord Südtirol in 2008. [http://www.uibk.ac.at/politikwissenschaft/mitarbeiterinnen/pallaver/pdf/pallaver_561-600.pdf] [http://www.dolomiten.it/nachrichten/artikel.asp?KatID=fa&p=5&ArtID=121648] The Party of Independents/Freedom Party of South Tyrol, the South Tyrolean Homeland Federation, the Union for South Tyrol and The Libertarians can all be considered in some ways splits of SVP.

Within the party it is possible to identify several internal factions. The most important ones are the "Economy" ("Wirtschaft") faction, which represents small business and the "Labour" ("Arbeitnehmer") faction [ [http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2006/novembre/15/Frau_Helga_alla_buvette_con_co_9_061115117.shtml Frau Helga alla buvette con Dell' Utri: la manovra così non va ] ] , which reprsentes workers and is the political arm of the Union of South Tyrolean Independent Trade Unions (ASGB). The "Wirtshaft" faction includes also the "Agriculture" ("Landwirtschaft") faction, which represents the interests of farmers and which has in Luis Durnwalder its leading representative.

Members of the "Wirtschaft" faction, which is in fact the largest group, are Helga Thaler Ausserhofer, a true conservative [ [http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Politica/2006/04_Aprile/25/cazzullo.shtml I dubbi di Helga, sudtirolese con il «divo Giulio» nel cuore - Corriere della Sera ] ] , Manfred Pinzger and Karl Zeller [ [http://alvoto-bolzano.blogautore.repubblica.it/2008/03/12/i-sorrisi-svp-di-destra-o-di-sinistra/ Alto Adige | Blog » I sorrisi Svp: di destra o di sinistra? ] ] , while the "Arbeitnehmer" faction, led by Albert Pürgstaller since 1994 [ [http://www.provincia.bz.it/vote/2003/consiglio.htm Il nuovo Consiglio Provinciale ] ] , has been represented for a long-time in the Italian Parliament by Oskar Peterlini, the most leftist member of SVP in Parliament [ [http://www.alleanzanazionale.bz.it/comunicati-stampa-della-federazione-provinciale-di-an/alleanza-nazionale-2013-il-popolo-della-liberta-ribadisce-i-suoi-due-obiettivi-storici-riportare-la-questione-altoatesina-fra-i-temi-dell2019azione-di-governo-nazionale-e-imporsi-come-forza-di-governo-provinciale-per-una-corresponsabilita-autentica-nella-gesti Alleanza nazionale – il Popolo della Libertà ribadisce i suoi due obiettivi storici: riportare la questione altoatesina fra i temi dell’azione di Governo nazionale e imporsi c... ] ] , and Hans Georg Widmann and is represented in the provincial government by Sabine Kasslatter [ [http://www.questotrentino.it/2008/03/Ingratitudine.htm Ingratitudine ] ] . Also the leader of ASGB, Georg Pardeller, is a provincial deputy. [http://www.asgb.org/] Siegfried Brugger and Elmar Pichler Rolle, who led the party in recent years, are mostly centrist figures who work for preserving party unity, which is sometimes put at risk by quarrels between "Wirtschaft" and "Arbeitnhemer" factions.

The factional divisions between party members rflected also on the vote of confidence on Berlusconi IV Cabinet: Pinzger and Thaler Ausserhofer abstained from the vote, while Brugger, Zeller and Peterlini voted against. [ [http://www.senato.it/japp/bgt/showdoc/frame.jsp?tipodoc=Resaula&leg=16&id=301913 Legislatura 16º - Aula - Resoconto stenografico della seduta n. 005 del 15/05/2008 ] ] [ [http://www.camera.it/resoconti/dettaglio_resoconto.asp?idSeduta=5&resoconto=stenografico&indice=alfabetico&tit=00040&fase=00010#sed0005.stenografico.tit00040.sub00010 Stenografico Assemblea - Sed. n. 5 di mercoledì 14 maggio 2008 - 16^ Legislatura ] ] This kind of divisions continued during the legislature, with senators, excluding Peterlini, supporting some of the government's policies and deputies often opposing the same measures.

Leadership

*President: Erich Amonn (1945–1948), Josef Menz-Popp (1948–1951), Toni Ebner (1951–1952), Otto von Guggenberg (1952–1954), Karl Tinzl (1954–1956), Toni Ebner (1956–1957), Silvius Magnago (1957–1991), Roland Riz (1991–1992), Siegfried Brugger (1992–2004), Elmar Pichler Rolle (2004–...)
**Honorary President: Silvius Magnago (1991–...)
*Secretary: Josef Raffeiner (1945–1947), Otto von Guttenberg (1947–1952), Albuin Forer (1952–1953), Vinzenz Stötter (1953–1954), Ivo Perathoner (1954–1957), Hans Stanek (1957–1965), Josef Atz (1965–1978), Bruno Hosp (1978–1989), Hartmann Gallmetzer (1989–1997), Thomas Widmann (1997–2004), Michael Mühlberger (2004), Alexander Mittermeir (2004–...)

References

ources

* [http://www.60jahre-svp.org/ History of 60 years of SVP, 1945–2005]
* [http://www.consiglio-bz.org/it/archivio_storico.htm Provincial Council of Bolzano – Legislatures]
* [http://www.regione.taa.it/Elettorale/risultati/reg_1998.pdf Trentino Alto-Adige Region – Elections]
* [http://www.provinz.bz.it/vote/index_i.htm Provincial Government of Bolzano – Elections]
* [http://www.cattaneo.org/index.asp?l1=archivi&l2=adele Cattaneo Institute – Archive of Election Data]
* [http://www.parties-and-elections.de/styrol.html Parties and Elections in Europe – Province of Bolzano]
* [http://elezionistorico.interno.it/ Ministry of the Interior – Historical Archive of Elections]
* [http://www.uibk.ac.at/politikwissenschaft/mitarbeiterinnen/pallaver/pdf/pallaver_561-600.pdf "Political parties in Alto Adige from 1945 to 2005", an essay by Gunther Pallaver]

External links

* [http://www.svpartei.org Official website]