The Lega Wins Elections in the Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige Region

FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

The Lega Wins Elections in the Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige Region

Oct. 23, 2018 (EIRNS)—The Lega scored 27% in the elections for the region of Trentino Alto-Adige, which includes the provinces of Trento and of Bolzano (Bozen)—the latter being predominantly German-speaking and also called South Tyrol—and will rule the regional administration in a center-right coalition now. The big loser is the Democratic Party, which lost half of its votes and got only 13.8%, losing one of the few regional administrations it has left in northern Italy.

In Bolzano, the provincial administration was run by a coalition between the Südtirolervolkspartei (SVP, South Tyrol People’s Party) and the Democratic Party, both of which lost votes and won’t be able to form a ruling coalition again. The SVP must choose between an alliance with the Lega (which ran alone and won over 11% in the province) or with the Köllensperger team; Paul Köllensperger is a former M5S member who formed his own slate and got 15.2%.

In the city of Bozen the Lega became the first party with 27.8%.

While it sounds complicated, it is not. Follow a map and everything gets clearer. The bottom line is that the Lega is now seen as a national party able to win votes from the right, the center and the left.

The M5S did not gain votes from the last regional elections and stays at 7%.

According to Maurizio Fugatti, the Lega slate’s lead candidate, the M5S lost because they campaigned against the infrastructure project for the Brenner base tunnel. This should be a lesson at national level, as well. Fugatti, who is undersecretary to the Health Ministry, will become the new chairman of the regional administration.