Greens (South Tyrol)

Greens
Verdi–Grüne–Vërc
Spokespersons Giorgio Zanvettor
Brigitte Foppa
Founded 1978
Headquarters via Bottai/Bindergasse 5
39100 Bolzano
Newspaper Cactus
Membership unknown
Ideology Green politics
Social democracy
Regionalism
Political position Left-wing
National affiliation Federation of the Greens
SA (2013 election)
SL (2009 EP election)
SEL (2013 election)
AET (2014 EP election)
International affiliation Global Greens
European affiliation European Green Party
European Parliament group Green Group (1989–1995)
Greens–EFA (1999–2009)
Chamber of Deputies
1 / 630
Senate
0 / 315
European Parliament
0 / 73
Provincial Council
3 / 35
Website
www.verdi.bz.it
Politics of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
Political parties
Elections

The Greens (Verdi–Grüne–Vërc) are a green,[1] regionalist[1] and social-democratic political party active in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Despite being formally the provincial section of the Federation of the Greens, the South Tyrolean Greens are practically an autonomous party and have recently formed different alliances at the country-level from the national party.

The Greens obtained 8.7% of the vote in the most recent provincial election in 2013. The Greens are ethnically mixed and strive to improve the relations between the three language groups of the Province: Italian-, German- and Ladin-speakers. Since 2014 the party has been led by Giorgio Zanvettor and Brigitte Foppa.[2]

History

The Greens have their roots in the New Left and the environmental movements of the 1970s. They started to compete in elections in 1978, but were formally registered as a party only in 1996. From 1978 to 1996 they used different names: New Left (1978), Alternative List (1983), Green Alternative List (1988) and finally Greens (1993).[3] One of the founders and most active members of the Greens was Alexander Langer, who committed suicide in 1995.[4]

In the 2003 provincial election the party obatained 7.9% of the vote and three provincial councillors: Cristina Kury, Sepp Kusstatscher (a former member of the South Tyrolean People's Party, SVP) and Hans Heiss.

In the 2004 European Parliament election, the Greens won 13.1% of the vote in the Province, their best result ever, and sent Kusstatscher to the European Parliament, replacing Reinhold Messner.

In the 2008 provincial election the Greens won only the 5.8% of the vote, losing votes (-2.1%) and one seat from 2003). The two elected Green councillors were Hans Heiss and Riccardo Dello Sbarba,[5] who has succeeded to Kusstatscher.

In the 2013 general election the Greens did not follow the national party into the Civil Revolution alliance and decided instead to support Left Ecology Freedom, which included Green Florian Kronbichler in its slate.[6] Kronbichler was the first German-speaking South Tyrolean to be elected in a list different from SVP's.[7]

In the 2013 provincial election the Greens won 8.7% of the vote (+2.9%),[8] their record high in a provincial election, and sent three elects to the Provincial Council: Hans Hess, Brigitte Foppa and Riccardo Dello Sbarba.[9]

In the 2014 European elections, the Greens supported the left-wing electoral alliance The Other Europe.

Popular support

The Greens won 8.7% of the vote in the most recent provincial election in 2013. They obtained their highest shares in five small municipalities: Urtijëi (13.9%), Bronzolo (13.7%), Montan (12.8%), Auer (12.4%) and Glurns (11.7%). Despite this, the party was usually stronger in cities than in rural areas:[10] it did well in the three largest cities (11.4% in Bolzano, 10.6% in Merano and 11.0% in Brixen), while it did worse in the four most rural districts – Vinschgau (7.3%, despite Glurns), Salten-Schlern (7.2%, despite Urtijëi), Pustertal (6.9%, despite 11.6% in Bruneck) and Wipptal (6.5%) – and in Ladin municipalities (5.9%, despite Urtijëi).[11]

Previous elections showed similar patterns of the vote.[12][13][14][15][16][17]

The electoral results of the Greens in South Tyrol since 1992 are shown in the table below.

1992 general1993 provinc.1994 general1994 European1996 general1998 provinc.1999 European2001 general2003 provinc.2004 European2006 general2008 general2008 provinc.2009 European2013 general2013 provinc.
6.6[18]6.95.4[18]8.9[18]5.4[18]6.56.7[18]5.5[18]7.913.1[18]5.4[18]3.3[19]5.810.9[20]5.2[21]8.7

Election results

Provincial Council

Provincial Council of South Tyrol
Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/–
1983 12,942 4.5
2 / 35
–
1988 20,549 6.7
2 / 35
–
1993 21,293 6.9
2 / 35
–
1998 19,965 6.5
2 / 35
–
2003 23,708 7.9
3 / 35
Increase 1
2008 17,743 5.8
2 / 35
Decrease 1
2013 25,067 8.7
3 / 35
Increase 1

Leadership

Spokesperson: Carlo Bertorelle (1996–1998), Leander Moroder (1998–2006), Franco Bernard (2006–2009), Sepp Kusstatscher and Brigitte Foppa (2009–2013), Giorgio Zanvettor and Brigitte Foppa (2014–present)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Parties and Elections in Europe: The database about parliamentary elections and political parties in Europe, by Wolfram Nordsieck
  2. ↑ http://altoadige.gelocal.it/cronaca/2014/02/01/news/zanvettor-e-foppa-nuovi-portavoce-dei-verdi-altoatesini-1.8582707
  3. ↑ http://www.regione.taa.it/Elettorale/risultati/reg_1998.pdf Trentino
  4. ↑ http://www.uibk.ac.at/politikwissenschaft/mitarbeiterinnen/pallaver/pdf/pallaver_561-600.pdf
  5. ↑ http://www.grueneverdi.bz.it/?L=1
  6. ↑ http://www.corriere.it/notizie-ultima-ora/Cronache_e_politica/Elezioni-patto-Verdi-Alto-Adige-Sel/05-01-2013/1-A_004416910.shtml
  7. ↑ http://ricerca.gelocal.it/altoadige/archivio/altoadige/2013/02/27/NZ_14_06.html
  8. ↑ http://elezioni.provincia.bz.it/
  9. ↑ http://elezioni.provincia.bz.it/prefvt_li_p7795_vg.htm
  10. ↑ http://elezioni.provincia.bz.it/grp_li_vg.htm
  11. ↑ http://elezioni.provincia.bz.it/listvt_li_p7795_vg.htm
  12. ↑ http://www.provinz.bz.it/vote/parl2013/grpsendata_li_vg.htm
  13. ↑ http://www.provinz.bz.it/vote/parl2013/grpkamdata_li_vg.htm
  14. ↑ http://www.provincia.bz.it/vote/europa2009/grp_li_vg.htm
  15. ↑ http://www.provincia.bz.it/vote/parl2008/grpsendata_li_vg.htm
  16. ↑ http://www.provincia.bz.it/vote/parl2008/grpkamdata_li_vg.htm
  17. ↑ http://www.provincia.bz.it/vote/landtag2008/grp_li_vg.htm
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 18.7 In list with the Federation of the Greens.
  19. ↑ In list with The Left – The Rainbow coalition.
  20. ↑ In list with the Left and Freedom coalition.
  21. ↑ In list with Left Ecology Freedom.

Sources

External links