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The South Tyrolean People's Party (german: Südtiroler Volkspartei, SVP) is a regionalist and
autonomist Autonomism, also known as autonomist Marxism is an anti-capitalist left-wing political and social movement and theory. As a theoretical system, it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerism (). Later, post-Marxist and anarchist tendenci ...
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...
, an
autonomous In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
with a
German-speaking German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a ...
majority in northern
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. Founded on 8 May 1945, the SVP has roots in the
Deutscher Verband The Deutscher Verband was a coalition of bourgeois German-speaking political parties that was formed in South Tyrol in 1919 after the region was annexed by Italy. It was a merger of the Catholic Tiroler Volkspartei and the national liberal Deutsch ...
, a confederation of German-speaking parties formed in 1919 after the annexation of South Tyrol by Italy, which shared many of the same leading figures as the SVP. An ethnic
catch-all A catch-all or catchall is a general term, or metaphoric dumping group, for a variety of similar words or meanings. Catch-all may also refer to: * Catch-all party, or big tent party * Catch-all email filter *Catch-all taxon Wastebasket taxon (a ...
party, the SVP is aimed at representing South Tyrol's
German-speaking German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a ...
population as well as Ladin speakers, and is mainly
Christian-democratic Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
but nevertheless quite diverse, including
conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
, liberals and
social democrats Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...
. The party gives special attention also to the interests of
farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...
s, which make up a good deal of its electorate. From 1948 to 2013 the party retained an absolute majority in the Provincial Council. Its best result was 67.8% in
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
, its worst 41.9% in
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
. The SVP had a long-lasting alliance with
Christian Democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
(and the
Italian Socialist Party The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parties of the country. Founded in Genoa in 1892, ...
) and, since 1994, with some of its successor parties, including the Italian People's Party and the
Democratic Union of Alto Adige The Democratic Union of Alto Adige ( it, Unione Democratica dell'Alto Adige) was an Italian-speaking Christian-democratic political party active in South Tyrol, Italy. Its long-time leader was Luigi Cigolla. The party had a counterpart in Trenti ...
. In 1998 the SVP formed a coalition with the
Democrats of the Left The Democrats of the Left ( it, Democratici di Sinistra, DS) was a social-democratic political party in Italy. The DS, successor of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) and the Italian Communist Party, was formed in 1998 upon the merger of th ...
, replaced by the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
in 2009. That coalition lasted ten years, until the party chose to team up with the local section of
Lega Nord Lega Nord (; acronym: LN), whose complete name is (), is a right-wing, federalist, populist and conservative political party in Italy. In the run-up of the 2018 general election, the party was rebranded as (), without changing its official n ...
/ Lega in 2019. At the European level, the SVP is a member of the
European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...
(EPP).


Recent history

In 1989
Silvius Magnago Silvius Magnago (5 February 1914 – 25 May 2010) was a South Tyrolean politician. Biography Magnago was born in Merano, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, on 5 February 1914. In 1936 he graduated from the grammar school of ...
, long-time SVP leader and Governor of South Tyrol since 1960, handed his office to
Luis Durnwalder Luis Durnwalder (born 23 September 1941) is an Italian politician, former governor of the autonomous province of South Tyrol from 1989 until 2014, and former president and vice-president of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, in Northern Italy. Bio ...
, who would keep the post until 2013. Under Durnwalder's long reign, the SVP continued to be the largest party in the Province, garnering more than 50% of the vote in most elections, despite growing competition, chiefly from right-wing parties. Durnwalder managed to keep the party, often riven in internal disputes between opposing factions, united. The SVP joined the
European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...
as an observer member in 1993. In the 1996 general election the SVP was affiliated to The Olive Tree (on the
Populars for Prodi The Populars for Prodi ( it, Popolari per Prodi) was an electoral list of political parties in Italy. The list participated in the 1996 general election as a component of The Olive Tree, supporting Romano Prodi as candidate for Prime Minister ...
list, which included primarily the Italian People's Party), and also the 2001 general election (on its own list).


2003–2006 elections

In the 2003 provincial election the SVP won 55.6% of the vote and 21 provincial councillors out of 35. Durnwalder, Governor since 1989, was returned for the fourth time in office, at the head of a coalition composed by the
Democrats of the Left The Democrats of the Left ( it, Democratici di Sinistra, DS) was a social-democratic political party in Italy. The DS, successor of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) and the Italian Communist Party, was formed in 1998 upon the merger of th ...
(DS) and the
Democratic Union of Alto Adige The Democratic Union of Alto Adige ( it, Unione Democratica dell'Alto Adige) was an Italian-speaking Christian-democratic political party active in South Tyrol, Italy. Its long-time leader was Luigi Cigolla. The party had a counterpart in Trenti ...
. In the
2004 European Parliament election The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for, but electe ...
the SVP formed an electoral alliance with The Olive Tree joint list, including the DS. The party's share of votes fell below 50% for the first time, to 46.7% (–9.3pp from 1999, mainly because of the big win of the
Greens Greens may refer to: *Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc. Politics Supranational * Green politics * Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics * Global Greens * Europ ...
(13.2%, +6.5%). However
Michl Ebner Michl Ebner (born 20 September 1952 in Bolzano, Italy) is an Italian politician and a former Member of the European Parliament for North-East with the Südtiroler Volkspartei, Member of the Bureau of the European People's Party. During his ter ...
was elected MEP with more than 90,000 preferences and a Green,
Sepp Kusstatscher Sepp Kusstatscher (born 17 March 1947 in Villanders) is an Italian politician and former Member of the European Parliament for North-East with the Federation of the Greens, part of the European Greens and sat on the European Parliament's Committee ...
(a former member of the internal left of the SVP), was elected too. Also in 2004 the centrist
Siegfried Brugger Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...
, party chairman since 1992, stepped down and was replaced by Elmar Pichler Rolle, another centrist. In the 2006 general election the party was part of the victorious
The Union The Union may refer to: Politics * The Union (Germany) or CDU/CSU, the partnership of the German political parties the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union * The Union (Italy), a former coalition of political parties in Ital ...
centre-left coalition, and garnered four deputies, including one for its sister-party in Trentino, the
Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Party The Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Party ( it, Partito Autonomista Trentino Tirolese, PATT) is a regionalist, autonomist, Christian-democratic and centrist political party in Trentino, Italy. The PATT is the unofficial counterpart of the South T ...
(PATT) – long-serving Siegfried Brugger,
Karl Zeller Carl Adam Johann Nepomuk Zeller (19 June 1842 – 17 August 1898) was an Austrian composer of operettas. Zeller was born in Sankt Peter in der Au, the only child of physician Johann Zeller and Maria Anna Elizabeth. Zeller's father died before hi ...
,
Johann Georg Widmann Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...
and PATT's
Giacomo Bezzi Giacomo is an Italian name. It is the Italian version of the Hebrew name Jacob. People * Giacomo (name), including a list of people with the name Other uses * Giacomo (horse), a race horse, winner of the 2005 Kentucky Derby * ''Giácomo'' (film) ...
–, and three senators – Helga Thaler Ausserhofer (representing the party's conservative wing),
Oskar Peterlini Oskar Peterlini (born 19 September 1950), Lecturer at the Free University of Bozen Bolzano, is a Representative of the German-speaking South Tyrolean Minority in South Tyrol, Italy. He was a member of the Italian Senate in the Italian Parliame ...
(from the party's social-democratic faction) and Manfred Pinzger.


2008–2009 elections

In the 2008 general election the party obtained 44.3% (–9.1pp from 2006 and –16.2pp from 2001), returning only two deputies, Siegfried Brugger and Karl Zeller. In the Senate election, thanks to the
plurality voting Plurality voting refers to electoral systems in which a candidate, or candidates, who poll more than any other counterpart (that is, receive a plurality), are elected. In systems based on single-member districts, it elects just one member per ...
system, the SVP got its three senators – Helga Thaler Ausserhofer, Oskar Peterlini and Manfred Pinzger – re-elected. The low number of elects in the Chamber was due both to the strong showing of
Die Freiheitlichen ''Die Freiheitlichen'' (), abbreviated dF, is a Regionalism (politics), regionalist, Separatism, separatist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in South Tyrol, political party in South Tyrol, Italy. The pa ...
(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 Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
(PD, 18.0%) – successor of the DS – or the centre-right led by
The People of Freedom The People of Freedom ( it, Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The PdL, launched by Silvio Berlusconi on 18 November 2007, was initially a federation of political parties, notably including Forza Italia a ...
(PdL,16.0%). In the 2008 provincial election the SVP won 48.1% of the vote in the Province (–7.5%), while its right-wing rivals (The Freedomites,
South Tyrolean Freedom South Tyrolean Freedom (german: Süd-Tiroler Freiheit, STF) is a regionalist, separatist and national-conservative political party in South Tyrol, Italy. The party, which is part of the South Tyrolean independence movement, seeks to represent th ...
and
Union for South Tyrol The Citizens' Union for South Tyrol (german: BürgerUnion für Südtirol, BUfS), formerly Union for South Tyrol (''Union für Südtirol'', UfS), was a national-conservative political party active in South Tyrol, Italy. The party was committed to ...
) gained a combined 21.5% of the vote. During the electoral campaign the party did not endorse its traditional counterparts in
Trentino Trentino ( lld, Trentin), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento, is an autonomous province of Italy, in the country's far north. The Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, an autonomous region ...
(the
Daisy Civic List The Daisy Civic List ( it, Civica Margherita) was a regionalism (politics), regionalist, Christian democracy, Christian democratic, centrism, centrist List of political parties in Trentino, Italian political party active in Trentino. History It w ...
/
Union for Trentino The Union for Trentino ( it, Unione per il Trentino, UpT) is a regionalist, centrist and Christian-democratic political party active in Trentino, Italy. The party has its roots in the experience of Daisy Civic List and was founded on 7 June 2008 ...
, UpT, and the PATT), in order not to hurt the relations with
Lega Nord Lega Nord (; acronym: LN), whose complete name is (), is a right-wing, federalist, populist and conservative political party in Italy. In the run-up of the 2018 general election, the party was rebranded as (), without changing its official n ...
(LN), whose Trentino section,
Lega Nord Trentino Lega Trentino ( en, Trentino League), whose complete name is ( en, Trentino League for Salvini Premier), is a regionalist political party active in Trentino. The party was a "national" section of Lega Nord (LN) from 1991 to 2000 and has been th ...
, provided the opposition candidate,
Sergio Divina Sergio may refer to: * Sergio (given name), for people with the given name Sergio * Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found * ''Sergio'' (album), a 1994 album by Sergio Blass * ''Sergio'' (2009 film), a documentary film * ''Se ...
. Despite rumors on an alliance with
Lega Nord Alto Adige – Südtirol Lega may refer to: Geography * Lega (river) in Poland * Lega, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province * Lega, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, town in north Poland * Lega, an earlier name for Street, Somerset, a village in England People * Lega (su ...
, after the election the SVP continued its alliance with the PD. In April 2009 Richard Theiner, a member of the ''Arbeitnehmer'' ("employees") left-leaning wing, was elected party chairman, due to an agreement between the opposing factions. Since then he was assisted by three deputy chairpersons: Thomas Widmann (''Wirtschaft'' or "business" faction), Martha Stocker and Paola Bioc Gasser (representative of the Ladin section). The latter was replaced by Daniel Alfreider in 2012. In the
2009 European Parliament election The 2009 European Parliament election was held in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making th ...
, due to the absence of its rival parties on the right, the SVP won 52.1% of the vote, electing
Herbert Dorfmann Herbert Dorfmann (born 4 March 1969 in Brixen, South Tyrol) is an Italian agronomist and politician of the South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2009. Personal life After graduatin ...
.


2013–2014 elections

The SVP contested the 2013 general election as part of the centre-left coalition,
Italy. Common Good Italia. Bene Comune (Italy. Common Good, IBC) was a centre-left political list and electoral alliance in Italy created to stand at the 2013 Italian general election. It ''de facto'' ended on 28 April 2013, with PD's new leader Enrico Letta forming ...
. Some long-serving MPs, notably Siegfried Brugger and Helga Thaler Ausserhofer, chose not to run for re-election and the party selected its candidates through a
primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...
. In the general election the SVP won 44.2% of the provincial vote (–0.1pp from 2008) and, being part of the coalition winning the national majority premium, obtained five deputies: Albrecht Plangger,
Renate Gebhard Renate Gebhard (born 2 May 1977, Bolzano, Italy) is an Italian jurist and politician of South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP). She is a current member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. Early life and education She attended high school in Bolza ...
, Daniel Alfreider, PATT's
Mauro Ottobre Mauro may refer to: Given name * Mauro (footballer, born 1932), Brazilian footballer * Mauro Silva (footballer, born 1978), Brazilian footballer * Mauro (footballer, born 1984), Portuguese footballer * Bruno Mauro (born 1973), Angolan footballer ...
and Manfred Schullian. For the Senate, the SVP ran alone in the constituencies of
Merano Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier V ...
and
Brixen Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic and ...
, winning both: in Merano outgoing deputy Karl Zeller took 53.5%, while in Brixen
Hans Berger Hans Berger (21 May 1873 – 1 June 1941) was a German psychiatrist. He is best known as the inventor of electroencephalography (EEG) in 1924, which is a method used for recording the electrical activity of the brain, commonly described in terms ...
55.4%. The SVP, in alliance with the PD, the UpT and the PATT, contributed also to the election of centre-left or autonomist candidates in the constituency of
Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...
and in those of Trentino. On 21 April, in a party primary, the SVP selected
Arno Kompatscher The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a sou ...
as its head of the list for the 2013 provincial election, in place of Durnwalder. Kompatscher, 42-year-old mayor of
Völs am Schlern Völs am Schlern (; it, Fiè allo Sciliar ; lld, Fíe or ), often abbreviated to Völs, is a municipality in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is located at the foot of the Schlern mountain, about east of Bolzano. Geography As of November 30, 2 ...
, won 82.4% of the vote, while former SVP leader Elmar Pichler Rolle a mere 17.6%. In the October election the SVP won 45.7% of the vote in the Province (–2.4pp) and lost its 65-year-long absolute majority. Both the German right-wing parties (whose combined share of the vote was 27.2%, +5.7%) and the Greens (8.7%, +2.9%) gained votes. Kompatscher obtained more than 80,000 preference votes and was set to be appointed Governor by the Provincial Council. Its coalition government included, as usual, the PD. In May 2014 Theiner was replaced by Philipp Achammer as party's chairman. Daniel Alfreider, Zeno Christanell and
Angelika Wiedmer Angelika may refer to: * Angelika (given name) * Angelika Film Center, theater chain See also * Pieris angelika, butterfly * Angelica (disambiguation) * Angelique (disambiguation) Angelique or Angélique may refer to: * Angélique (given nam ...
were appointed vice chairpersons. Kompatscher and 28-year-old Achammer formed an entirely new leadership team and represented the party's renewal. In the
2014 European Parliament election The 2014 European Parliament election was held in the European Union, from 22 to 25 May 2014. It was the 8th parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979, and the first in which the European political parties fielded candid ...
the SVP won 48.0% of the vote in the Province and Dorfmann was re-elected to the European Parliament.


2018–2019 elections

The SVP, which again chose its candidates through a primary election, contested the 2018 general election in a joint list with the PATT, within the
centre-left coalition The centre-left coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-sinistra) is an political alliance, alliance of list of political parties in Italy, political parties in Italy active, under several forms and names, since 1995 when The Olive Tree (Italy), Th ...
. The German right-wing parties did not contest the election, leading the SVP to obtain 48.8% of the vote in the Province (+4.6pp). However, due to the new electoral system, it secured four deputies, including one for the PATT, and three senators. For the Chamber, Albrecht Plangger was elected in Meran (61.2%), Renate Gebhard in Brixen (65.0%), and Manfred Schullian and PATT's Emanuela Rossini from the PR list. For the Senate,
Julia Unterberger Juliane "Julia" Unterberger (born 5 September 1962) is an Italian lawyer and politician from South Tyrol. Biography Unterberger attended the Beda-Weber-Gymnasium in Merano and then studied at the University of Innsbruck. In 1987, she completed h ...
was elected in Merano (61.1%), Meinhard Durnwalder in Brixen (66.5%), and
Dieter Steger Dieter or dieter may refer to: * A person committed to dieting People Dieter is a German given name (), a short form of Dietrich, from ''theod+ric'' "people ruler", see Theodoric. Given name * Dieter Althaus (born 1958), German politician ...
from the PR list. The SVP's support granted the election of PD's candidates for the Chamber and the Senate in Bolzano, but for the first time the centre-left lost badly in Trentino, where the LN – re-styled as "Lega" – became the largest party. In the 2018 provincial election incumbent Governor Kompatscher was the party's leading candidate. In the election on 21 October 2018, the party gained 41.9%, (–3.8pp). The PD, SVP's traditional ally, did so poorly that the SVP needed to find a new coalition partner: after long negotiations, the party chose to team up with the local section of
Lega Nord Lega Nord (; acronym: LN), whose complete name is (), is a right-wing, federalist, populist and conservative political party in Italy. In the run-up of the 2018 general election, the party was rebranded as (), without changing its official n ...
in 2019. Additionally, for the
2019 European Parliament election The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
, the party formed an electoral pact with the other two main members of the
European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...
(EPP) from Italy,
Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...
's
Forza Italia Forza ItaliaThe name is not usually translated into English: ''forza'' is the second-person singular imperative of ''forzare'', in this case translating to "to compel" or "to press", and so means something like "Forward, Italy", "Come on, Ital ...
(FI) and the Union of the Centre (UdC). In the
2019 European Parliament election The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
the SVP won 46.5% of the vote in the Province and Dorfmann was re-elected to the European Parliament.


2022 elections

In the
2022 general election The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 local ...
the SVP decided to run independently with PATT and the
Trentino Project Trentino Project ( it, Progetto Trentino, PT) is a regionalist and Christian-democratic political party in Trentino, Italy. History PT was formed in July 2012 as a split, led by former regional minister Silvano Grisenti, from the Union for Trent ...
. In response, the centre-left coalition made deals with the
Team K Team K (TK), named Team Köllensperger from its establishment in July 2018 to November 2019, is an Italian regionalist and liberal political party active in South Tyrol, where it seeks to be an inter-ethnic centrist party. Its leader is Paul K ...
and
Greens Greens may refer to: *Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc. Politics Supranational * Green politics * Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics * Global Greens * Europ ...
after this decision.


Ideology and factions

The SVP is an example of a
catch-all A catch-all or catchall is a general term, or metaphoric dumping group, for a variety of similar words or meanings. Catch-all may also refer to: * Catch-all party, or big tent party * Catch-all email filter *Catch-all taxon Wastebasket taxon (a ...
party. Its ideology ranges from
Christian democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
to
social democracy Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
, due to the virtual absence of a true social-democratic rival party in the region. In German-speaking valleys the SVP had for decades almost no opposition, apart from
Die Freiheitlichen ''Die Freiheitlichen'' (), abbreviated dF, is a Regionalism (politics), regionalist, Separatism, separatist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in South Tyrol, political party in South Tyrol, Italy. The pa ...
,
South Tyrolean Freedom South Tyrolean Freedom (german: Süd-Tiroler Freiheit, STF) is a regionalist, separatist and national-conservative political party in South Tyrol, Italy. The party, which is part of the South Tyrolean independence movement, seeks to represent th ...
and
Citizens' Union for South Tyrol The Citizens' Union for South Tyrol (german: BürgerUnion für Südtirol, BUfS), formerly Union for South Tyrol (''Union für Südtirol'', UfS), was a national-conservative political party active in South Tyrol, Italy. The party was committed to ...
on the
right Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of Liberty, freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convent ...
and the
Greens Greens may refer to: *Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc. Politics Supranational * Green politics * Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics * Global Greens * Europ ...
on the
left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * L ...
. In the years the SVP suffered many splits reflecting the diverse composition of the party (
Tyrolean Homeland Party The Tyrolean Homeland Party (german: Tiroler Heimatpartei, THP) was a regionalist liberal-conservative political party active in South Tyrol, Italy from 1963 to 1968. It was launched in 1963 by Josef Raffeiner, former secretary of the South Tyro ...
,
Social Progressive Party of South Tyrol The Social Progressive Party of South Tyrol (german: Soziale Fortschrittspartei Südtirols, SFP) was a regionalist social-democratic party of German speakers South Tyrol that was active from 1966 to 1978. It was launched in 1966 by Egmont Jenny ...
and
Social Democratic Party of South Tyrol The Social Democratic Party of South Tyrol (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Südtirols, SPS) was a regionalist social-democratic and Christian-social party of German speakers in South Tyrol, Italy, that was active from 1972 to 1983. History T ...
) and many SVP leading members left the party in order to join other parties, notably including
Alfons Benedikter Alfons Benedikter (14 March 1918 – 3 November 2010) was a politician from South Tyrol, Italy. He was a member of the provincial parliament for 50 years and for 40 years he acted as a member of the regional government of the region Trentino-Alto ...
, a right-winger who launched the Union for South Tyrol in 1989,
Christian Waldner Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, a
conservative liberal Conservative liberalism or right-liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with Conservatism, conservative stances, or simply representing the right-wing of the liberal movement.Michael Gallagher (academic), M ...
who launched The Freedomites in 1992,
Sepp Kusstatscher Sepp Kusstatscher (born 17 March 1947 in Villanders) is an Italian politician and former Member of the European Parliament for North-East with the Federation of the Greens, part of the European Greens and sat on the European Parliament's Committee ...
, a leftist who joined the Greens in 1999, and finally
Roland Atz Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...
, a right-winger who switched to
Lega Nord Alto Adige – Südtirol Lega may refer to: Geography * Lega (river) in Poland * Lega, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province * Lega, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, town in north Poland * Lega, an earlier name for Street, Somerset, a village in England People * Lega (su ...
in 2008. The Party of Independents/
Freedom Party of South Tyrol The Freedom Party of South Tyrol (german: Freiheitliche Partei Südtirols, FPS) was a regionalist national-liberal political party in South Tyrol. History It was launched in 1988 as the continuation of the Party of Independents by Gerold Merane ...
, the
South Tyrolean Homeland Federation The South Tyrolean Homeland Federation (german: Südtiroler Heimatbund, SHB) was a political party active in South Tyrol. It was launched in 1983 as Election Association of Homeland Federation (''Wahlverband des Heimatbundes'', ''Heimatbund'') an ...
, the Union for South Tyrol and The Freedomites can thus be all considered splits of the SVP. Within the party it is possible to identify three main internal factions: *''Landwirtschaft'' (Agriculture), representing the interests of farmers; the faction, which had in
Luis Durnwalder Luis Durnwalder (born 23 September 1941) is an Italian politician, former governor of the autonomous province of South Tyrol from 1989 until 2014, and former president and vice-president of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, in Northern Italy. Bio ...
, Governor from 1989 to 2013, its main representative in government, notably includes
Herbert Dorfmann Herbert Dorfmann (born 4 March 1969 in Brixen, South Tyrol) is an Italian agronomist and politician of the South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2009. Personal life After graduatin ...
and
Hans Berger Hans Berger (21 May 1873 – 1 June 1941) was a German psychiatrist. He is best known as the inventor of electroencephalography (EEG) in 1924, which is a method used for recording the electrical activity of the brain, commonly described in terms ...
. *''Wirtschaft'' (Economy), representing
small business Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have fewer employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being able to ap ...
; the faction is led by Gerhard Brandstätter and notably includes Helga Thaler Ausserhofer, a conservative, Manfred Pinzger,
Karl Zeller Carl Adam Johann Nepomuk Zeller (19 June 1842 – 17 August 1898) was an Austrian composer of operettas. Zeller was born in Sankt Peter in der Au, the only child of physician Johann Zeller and Maria Anna Elizabeth. Zeller's father died before hi ...
, Thomas Widmann and
Dieter Steger Dieter or dieter may refer to: * A person committed to dieting People Dieter is a German given name (), a short form of Dietrich, from ''theod+ric'' "people ruler", see Theodoric. Given name * Dieter Althaus (born 1958), German politician ...
;
Arno Kompatscher The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a sou ...
wields strong support among the faction. *''Arbeitnehmer'' (Labour), the social-democratic faction and political arm of the Union of South Tyrolean Independent Trade Unions (ASGB); the faction, recently led by Reinhold Perkmann, Rosmarie Pamer, and Cristoph Gufler, notably includes
Oskar Peterlini Oskar Peterlini (born 19 September 1950), Lecturer at the Free University of Bozen Bolzano, is a Representative of the German-speaking South Tyrolean Minority in South Tyrol, Italy. He was a member of the Italian Senate in the Italian Parliame ...
, the most left-wing SVP member in the
Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitiona ...
so far, Richard Theiner and
Renate Gebhard Renate Gebhard (born 2 May 1977, Bolzano, Italy) is an Italian jurist and politician of South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP). She is a current member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. Early life and education She attended high school in Bolza ...
.
Siegfried Brugger Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...
and Elmar Pichler Rolle, who led the party in 1992–2004 and 2004–2009 respectively, are
centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the l ...
figures who worked for preserving party unity. In order to prevent the break-up of the party along right-left lines, in 2008 Perkmann, leader of the ''Arbeitnehmer'', proposed a "federal reform" of the party in order to preserve its catch-all nature and simultaneously give more autonomy to its internal factions, which have now an official status in party organization. The result was a mild reform of the party and the election to the party leadership in 2009 of a ticket composed by a leading member of the ''Arbeitnehmer'', Richard Theiner, and a leading member of the ''Wirtschaft'' faction, Thomas Widmann, plus Martha Stocker, a close ally of Durnwalder. The factional divisions between party members were reflected also on the vote of confidence on the
Berlusconi IV Cabinet The fourth Berlusconi government was the 60th government of Italy, in office from 8 May 2008 to 16 November 2011. It was the fourth government led by Silvio Berlusconi, who then became the longest-serving Prime Minister of Italy of the Italian Re ...
: Pinzger and Thaler Ausserhofer abstained, while Brugger, Zeller and Peterlini voted against. 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. The
Young Generation Young Generation may refer to: * The Young Generation, a British singing and dancing group in the late 1960s and early 1970s, choreographed by Dougie Squires * Saigon Buffalo, a Vietnamese professional ''League of Legends ''League of Legen ...
(''Junge Generation'', JG) is the
youth movement The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted otherwise. 0 ...
of the party, including all members at the age of 14 to 30. The SVP is a member of the
European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...
(EPP), and its MEP sits in the
EPP Group The European People's Party Group (EPP Group) is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament consisting of deputies (MEPs) from the member parties of the European People's Party (EPP). Sometimes it also includes independent MEPs ...
in the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
.


Popular support

The electoral results of the SVP in South Tyrol since 1948 are shown in the chart below The electoral results of the SVP in South Tyrol since 1953 are shown in the table below.


Chamber of Deputies


European Parliament


Electoral results


Landtag of South Tyrol


Italian Parliament


European Parliament


Leadership

*Chairman:
Erich Amonn The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
(1945–1948), Josef Menz-Popp (1948–1951),
Toni Ebner Toni, Toñi or Tóni is a unisex given name. In Spanish, Italian, Croatian and Finnish, it is a masculine given name used as a short form of the names derived from Antonius like Antonio, Ante or Anttoni. In Danish, English, Finnish, Norwegian ...
(1951–1952), Otto von Guggenberg (1952–1954),
Karl Tinzl Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austria ...
(1954–1956),
Toni Ebner Toni, Toñi or Tóni is a unisex given name. In Spanish, Italian, Croatian and Finnish, it is a masculine given name used as a short form of the names derived from Antonius like Antonio, Ante or Anttoni. In Danish, English, Finnish, Norwegian ...
(1956–1957),
Silvius Magnago Silvius Magnago (5 February 1914 – 25 May 2010) was a South Tyrolean politician. Biography Magnago was born in Merano, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, on 5 February 1914. In 1936 he graduated from the grammar school of ...
(1957–1991),
Roland Riz Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...
(1991–1992),
Siegfried Brugger Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...
(1992–2004), Elmar Pichler Rolle (2004–2009), Richard Theiner (2009–2014), Philipp Achammer (2014–present) **Honorary chairman:
Silvius Magnago Silvius Magnago (5 February 1914 – 25 May 2010) was a South Tyrolean politician. Biography Magnago was born in Merano, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, on 5 February 1914. In 1936 he graduated from the grammar school of ...
(1991–2010) *Secretary:
Josef Raffeiner Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) * ''Josef'' (film), a 2011 Croatian war film *Musik Josef Musik Josef is a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments. It was founded by Yukio Nakamura, and is the only company in Japan spe ...
(1945–1947), Otto von Guttenberg (1947–1952),
Albuin Forer Alboin (530s – 28 June 572) was king of the Lombards from about 560 until 572. During his reign the Lombards ended their migration period, migrations by settling in Italy, the northern part of which Alboin conquered between 569 and 572. He h ...
(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, (1997–2003), Michael Mühlberger (2004),
Alexander Mittermair Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
(2004–2009), Philipp Achammer (2009–2013), Martin Alber (2013–2014), Manuel Massl (2014–2016), Gerhard Duregger (2017–2019),
Stefan Premstaller Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...
(2019–present)


Further reading

*


References


Sources


History of 60 years of the SVP, 1945–2005Provincial Council of Bolzano – Historical ArchiveTrentino Alto-Adige Region – ElectionsCattaneo Institute – Archive of Election DataMinistry of the Interior – Historical Archive of ElectionsGünther Pallaver, ''Political parties in Alto Adige from 1945 to 2005''
*Anton Holzer, ''Die Südtiroler Volkspartei'', Kulturverlag, Thaur (Tyrol) 1991, *Joachim Goller, ''Die Brixner Richtungen. Die Südtiroler Volkspartei, das katholische Lager und der Klerus'', Studienverlag, Innsbruck/Wien/Bozen 2007,


External links


Official website''Wirtschaft'' faction''Arbeitnehmer'' faction''Landwirtschaft'' faction
{{Authority control 1945 establishments in Italy Agrarian parties Christian democratic parties in Italy Member parties of the European People's Party Parties represented in the European Parliament Political parties established in 1945 Political parties in South Tyrol Political parties of minorities Pro-European political parties in Italy Regionalist parties in Italy