Movement for Autonomy
Encyclopedia
The Movement for Autonomies (Movimento per le Autonomie, MpA) is a regionalist
Christian democratic
political party in Italy. It demands economic development
and greater autonomy
for Sicily
, mainly, and for other regions of Southern Italy. The party is led by Raffaele Lombardo
, President of Sicily.
splinters from the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and other centre-right
parties, notably Forza Italia
, the Italian Republican Party
and the New Italian Socialist Party.
By late 2005 the party had joined the centre-right House of Freedoms
coalition. For the 2006 general election
the party formed a joint-list with Lega Nord, a regionalist movement based in Northern Italy
, and the Sardinian Action Party
. The electoral alliance was named Pact for the Autonomies
and in the election the MpA elected five deputies (two in the lists of Forza Italia
) and two senators (one in the lists of Forza Italia). Lombardo claimed to have discarded the possibility of an alliance with the centre-left The Union
mainly because of the latter's opposition to the building of the Strait of Messina Bridge
and their support to civil union
s.
In January 2008 the MpA formed a political pact with Italy of the Centre
(IdC), under which Vincenzo Scotti
, leader of IdC, became president of the party. At the 2008 general election
the party won 1.1% of the vote (7.4% in Sicily) and obtained 8 deputies and 2 senators, due to the alliance with The People of Freedom
(PdL) and Lega Nord. After the election the MpA joined the Berlusconi IV Cabinet
.
More important, at the Sicilian regional election
Lombardo was elected President of the region by a landslide and the MpA was the third largest party with 13.8% of the vote (21.8% if also the vote for Lombardo's personal list and the Autonomist Democrats
) and 15 regional deputies.
the MpA, that changed its name into Movement for Autonomies in order to reflect its attempt to become a national party rooted in every part of the country, ran as part of the Pole of Autonomy
, that included also The Right
, the Pensioners' Party
and the Alliance of the Centre
. As part of its "national" strategy the party was joined by some small regionalist parties active in Northern regions
: Lombardia Autonoma, the Forum of the Venetians
, Autonomist Trentino
and S.O.S. Italy
. At the national level the alliance gained a mere 2.2% of the vote, thus returning no MEPs, but in Sicily
it reached 15.6%.
Since the election there have been talks about the foundation of a new "Party of the South
", of which the MpA would be the core constituent. In December 2009 Raffaele Lombardo
, leader of the MpA and President of Sicily, formed his third cabinet that included ministers from his MpA party, the PdL–Sicily of Gianfranco Micciché and the newly formed regional section of Alliance for Italy
(ApI), plus some independents, including one who was close to the centre-left
opposition Democratic Party
(PD). No members of the "official" PdL and of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) were included.
The break-up of the alliance with the official PdL in Sicily and all around the South led to a painful split. In January 2010 Vincenzo Scotti
and four deputies out of eight, who wanted to continue the alliance with the PdL, were expelled from the party and formed their own movement called We the South
.
However, in September 2010 Lombardo broke also with Micciché and formed his fourth cabinet supported by the so-called "third pole" coalition, composed of the MpA, Future and Freedom
(FLI), a wing of the UDC and ApI, plus the PD. In November, as an ally of Gianfranco Fini
's FLI, the MpA quitted Berlusconi's government. On 15 December 2010 the MpA was a founding member of the New Pole for Italy
(NPI) along with the UDC, FLI and ApI.
In March 2011 Lombardo announced that the MpA would soon merge into a larger "party of the South".
Regionalism (politics)
Regionalism is a term used in international relations. Regionalism also constitutes one of the three constituents of the international commercial system...
Christian democratic
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
political party in Italy. It demands economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
and greater autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
for Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, mainly, and for other regions of Southern Italy. The party is led by Raffaele Lombardo
Raffaele Lombardo
Raffaele Lombardo is an Italian politician, President of Sicily and former Member of the European Parliament for Islands with the Movement for Autonomies and has sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.He is a substitute for the Committee on the...
, President of Sicily.
Early years
The party was founded on 30 April 2005 as Movement for Autonomy (Movimento per l'Autonomia) by SicilianSicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
splinters from the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and other centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
parties, notably Forza Italia
Forza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
, the Italian Republican Party
Italian Republican Party
The Italian Republican Party is a liberal political party in Italy.The PRI is party with old roots that originally took a left-wing position, claiming descent from the political position of Giuseppe Mazzini...
and the New Italian Socialist Party.
By late 2005 the party had joined the centre-right House of Freedoms
House of Freedoms
The House of Freedoms , was a major Italian centre-right political and electoral alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. It was initially composed of several political parties:*Forza Italia *National Alliance...
coalition. For the 2006 general election
Italian general election, 2006
In the Italian general election, 2006 for the renewal of the two Chambers of the Parliament of Italy held on April 9 and April 10, 2006 the incumbent prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, leader of the center-right House of Freedoms, was narrowly defeated by Romano Prodi, leader of the center-left The...
the party formed a joint-list with Lega Nord, a regionalist movement based in Northern Italy
Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
, and the Sardinian Action Party
Sardinian Action Party
The Sardinian Action Party is a regionalist social-democratic political party in Sardinia, which has recently sided with The People of Freedom, the largest centre-right party in Italy.-History:...
. The electoral alliance was named Pact for the Autonomies
Pact for the Autonomies
The Pact for the Autonomies was an alliance formed by the Lega Nord, the Movement for Autonomy and the Sardinian Action Party for the 2006 general election....
and in the election the MpA elected five deputies (two in the lists of Forza Italia
Forza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
) and two senators (one in the lists of Forza Italia). Lombardo claimed to have discarded the possibility of an alliance with the centre-left The Union
The Union (political coalition)
The Union was an centre-left coalition of political parties in Italy. It was led by Romano Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy from April 2006 to April 2008, and former President of the European Commission.-Parties:...
mainly because of the latter's opposition to the building of the Strait of Messina Bridge
Strait of Messina Bridge
The Strait of Messina Bridge is a long-planned suspension bridge across the Strait of Messina, a narrow section of water between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of mainland Italy. In 2006, under Prime Minister Romano Prodi the project was cancelled...
and their support to civil union
Civil union
A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...
s.
In January 2008 the MpA formed a political pact with Italy of the Centre
Italy of the Centre
Italy of the Centre was a small Christian-democratic Italian political party, based in Central and Southern Italy, and especially in Abruzzo. Its leader is Vincenzo Scotti, former Christian Democratic Minister of the Interior....
(IdC), under which Vincenzo Scotti
Vincenzo Scotti
Vincenzo Scotti is an Italian politician and member of Christian Democracy . He was Minister of the Interior and Minister of Foreign Affairs.-Biography:...
, leader of IdC, became president of the party. At the 2008 general election
Italian general election, 2008
A snap general election was held in Italy on 13 April and 14 April 2008. The election came after President Giorgio Napolitano dissolved parliament on 6 February 2008 following the defeat of the government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi in a January 2008 Senate vote, and the unsuccessful tentative...
the party won 1.1% of the vote (7.4% in Sicily) and obtained 8 deputies and 2 senators, due to the alliance with The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy. With the Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties of the current Italian party system....
(PdL) and Lega Nord. After the election the MpA joined the Berlusconi IV Cabinet
Berlusconi IV Cabinet
Berlusconi IV Cabinet has been the cabinet of the government of Italy from 8 May 2008 to 16 November 2011.As of July 2011, it was composed of 24 ministers, 4 deputy ministers and 39 under-secretaries, for a total of 67 members.-Sources:*...
.
More important, at the Sicilian regional election
Sicilian regional election, 2008
The Sicilian regional election of 2008 for the renewal of the Regional Assembly and the election of the Presidency of Sicily was held on 13 -14 April 2008....
Lombardo was elected President of the region by a landslide and the MpA was the third largest party with 13.8% of the vote (21.8% if also the vote for Lombardo's personal list and the Autonomist Democrats
Autonomist Democrats
The Autonomist Democrats were a social-democratic and liberal electoral list for the 2008 Sicilian regional election....
) and 15 regional deputies.
Party of the South
In the 2009 European Parliament electionEuropean Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
the MpA, that changed its name into Movement for Autonomies in order to reflect its attempt to become a national party rooted in every part of the country, ran as part of the Pole of Autonomy
Pole of Autonomy
The Pole of Autonomy is an heterogeneous electoral coalition of political parties in Italy, formed in the run-up to the 2009 European Parliament election in order to overcome the 4% threshold introduced in the electoral law in February 2009...
, that included also The Right
The Right
The Right is a national-conservative political party in Italy.-Foundation:On 3 July 2007 Storace announced his resignation from National Alliance in a letter posted on his website, claiming that it had become too centrist and moderate and in protest against the lack of internal democracy in the...
, the Pensioners' Party
Pensioners' Party (Italy)
The Pensioners' Party is a centrist Italian political party. It was founded in 1987 in Milan and its current leader is Carlo Fatuzzo....
and the Alliance of the Centre
Alliance of the Centre
Alliance of the Centre is a Christian-democratic political party in Italy.It was founded in November 2008 by splinters from the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats who wanted to return to an alliance with Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right coalition and support his fourth government...
. As part of its "national" strategy the party was joined by some small regionalist parties active in Northern regions
Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
: Lombardia Autonoma, the Forum of the Venetians
Forum of the Venetians
The Forum of the Venetians is a Venetist political party.It was founded in November 2008 by Diego Cancian, member of the Regional Council of Veneto for North-East Project...
, Autonomist Trentino
Autonomist Trentino
Autonomist Trentino is a regionalist Christian-democratic Italian political party based in Trentino.It was founded in 2002 by a split from the Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Party of those members who contested the party new alliance with the centre-left-coalition...
and S.O.S. Italy
S.O.S. Italy
The S.O.S. Italy is a political party in Italy. The party affiliated to the "House of Freedoms", the centre-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi....
. At the national level the alliance gained a mere 2.2% of the vote, thus returning no MEPs, but in Sicily
European Parliament election, 2009 (Sicily)
The European Parliament election of 2009 took place on 6-7 June 2009.The People of Freedom was largest party in Sicily with 36.4%, largely ahead of the Democratic Party , the Movement for Autonomies , that ran in list within the Pole of Autonomy coalition, and the Union of the Centre...
it reached 15.6%.
Since the election there have been talks about the foundation of a new "Party of the South
Party of the South
The Party of the South is a proposed political party in Italy.The party is intended to be a merger of some regionalist parties active in Southern Italy, notably including the Movement for Autonomies of Raffaele Lombardo, along with splinter groups from The People of Freedom and possibly the...
", of which the MpA would be the core constituent. In December 2009 Raffaele Lombardo
Raffaele Lombardo
Raffaele Lombardo is an Italian politician, President of Sicily and former Member of the European Parliament for Islands with the Movement for Autonomies and has sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.He is a substitute for the Committee on the...
, leader of the MpA and President of Sicily, formed his third cabinet that included ministers from his MpA party, the PdL–Sicily of Gianfranco Micciché and the newly formed regional section of Alliance for Italy
Alliance for Italy
Alliance for Italy is a centrist political party in Italy.The party, which is described in its manifesto as "democratic, liberal, popular" as opposed both to "right-wing populism" and the "social-democratic left, an experience with high and memorable value, yet by now run out", was launched on 11...
(ApI), plus some independents, including one who was close to the centre-left
Centre-left
Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...
opposition Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Italy)
The Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election....
(PD). No members of the "official" PdL and of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) were included.
The break-up of the alliance with the official PdL in Sicily and all around the South led to a painful split. In January 2010 Vincenzo Scotti
Vincenzo Scotti
Vincenzo Scotti is an Italian politician and member of Christian Democracy . He was Minister of the Interior and Minister of Foreign Affairs.-Biography:...
and four deputies out of eight, who wanted to continue the alliance with the PdL, were expelled from the party and formed their own movement called We the South
We the South
We the South , in full We the South – Freedom and Autonomy , is a regionalist-centrist political party in Italy based in the South.-History:...
.
However, in September 2010 Lombardo broke also with Micciché and formed his fourth cabinet supported by the so-called "third pole" coalition, composed of the MpA, Future and Freedom
Future and Freedom
Future and Freedom , whose complete name is Future and Freedom for Italy is a centre-right political party in Italy....
(FLI), a wing of the UDC and ApI, plus the PD. In November, as an ally of Gianfranco Fini
Gianfranco Fini
Gianfranco Fini is an Italian politician, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, leader of the center-right Future and Freedom party, and the former leader of the conservative National Alliance and the post-fascist Italian Social Movement...
's FLI, the MpA quitted Berlusconi's government. On 15 December 2010 the MpA was a founding member of the New Pole for Italy
New Pole for Italy
The New Pole for Italy , referred also either as the Third Pole or Pole of the Nation , is a centre-right coalition of parties in Italy....
(NPI) along with the UDC, FLI and ApI.
In March 2011 Lombardo announced that the MpA would soon merge into a larger "party of the South".
Leadership
- Secretary: Raffaele LombardoRaffaele LombardoRaffaele Lombardo is an Italian politician, President of Sicily and former Member of the European Parliament for Islands with the Movement for Autonomies and has sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.He is a substitute for the Committee on the...
(2005–present) - President: Vincenzo ScottiVincenzo ScottiVincenzo Scotti is an Italian politician and member of Christian Democracy . He was Minister of the Interior and Minister of Foreign Affairs.-Biography:...
(2008–2010)