Valdotanian Union

Infobox_Italian_political_party
name_english = Valdotanian Union

leader =
leader1_title = President
leader1_name = Guido Césal
leader2_title =
leader2_name =
leader3_title =
leader3_name =
leader4_title =
leader4_name =
foundation = 3 September 2005
dissolution =
headquarters = Piazza Emile Chanoux, 14
11100 Aosta
newspaper = [http://www.lepeuplevaldotain.com Le Peuple Valdôtain]
membership_year=
membership = "unknown"
ideology = Regionalism, Centrism
coalition = Autonomy Progress Federalism Aosta Valley
international = "none"
european = "none"
europarl = "currently no MEPs"
website = [http://www.unionvaldotaine.org http://www.union
valdotaine.org]
colorcode = black

The Valdotanian Union ("Union Valdôtaine", UV) is a regionalist centrist Italian political party, which is the largest political force in Aosta Valley. Its leaders are Guido Césal, 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 DC, it has became the catch-all party of the Region, similarly to the South Tyrolean People's Party is in the Province of Bolzano. 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).

History

Early years

The party was founded on 3 September 1945. Originally a close ally of Christian Democracy, 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.

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, another member of UV, 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.

The regionalist coalition

Despite the close ties with the parties of the centre-left, UV contested the 2006 general election 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 [cite web |url=http://www.senato.it/japp/bgt/showdoc/frame.jsp?tipodoc=Resaula&leg=16&id=301913 |title=Legislatura 16º |2008-05-15 |publisher=Senato della Repubblica |language=Italian |accessdate=2008-05-16] , joined a centrist group composed of the South Tyrolean People's Party (as usual), the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (three members, all coming from Sicily), the representative 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. [cite web |url=http://elezioni.regione.vda.it/Default.aspx?idele=92&L=I |title=SI VOTA PER ELEGGERE IL CONSIGLIO REGIONALE DELLA VALLE D’AOSTA |date=2008-05-25 |publisher=Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta |language=Italian |accessdate=2008-05-27] Rollandin was sworn in as new President of the Region, replacing Caveri, who said that "who takes more votes becomes President". [ [http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/politica/200805articoli/33185girata.asp Aosta, torna l'Imperatore - LASTAMPA.it ] ]

References

ources

* [http://www.consiglio.regione.vda.it/storia/default_i.asp Regional Council of Aosta Valley – History of Aosta Valley]
* [http://www.regione.vda.it/amministrazione/autonomia/giunte_i.asp Regional Government of Aosta Valley – Governments since 1946]
* [http://www.regione.vda.it/amministrazione/elezioni/default_i.asp Regional Government of Aosta Valley – Elections]
* [http://www.cattaneo.org/index.asp?l1=archivi&l2=adele Cattaneo Institute – Archive of Election Data]
* [http://www.parties-and-elections.de/aosta.html Parties and Elections in Europe – Aosta Valley]
* [http://elezionistorico.interno.it/ Ministry of the Interior – Historical Archive of Elections]

External links

* [http://www.unionvaldotaine.org/uv/index.php Official website]