South Tyrol center-left debates governing without SVP: Senator Spagnolli's proposal divides

Senator Luigi Spagnolli has reignited debate within South Tyrol's center-left by proposing the possibility of governing without the dominant Südtiroler Volkspartei (SVP). Spagnolli, a former mayor of Bolzano, envisions a "broad camp" that could challenge the SVP's long-standing political dominance, especially as Arno Kompatscher nears the end of his third term as provincial governor in 2028.

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I would not be so optimistic that there is an alternative to govern the province. I would rather hope that the PD would become strong enough again to offer itself as our political partner.

The senator argues that the Democratic Party (PD) alone lacks the numbers to prevent the SVP from aligning with the center-right. He suggests a project focused on welfare and healthcare, capable of attracting support beyond traditional party lines, potentially leveraging the appeal of civic lists. This strategy aims to offer an alternative to the current political landscape, which Spagnolli believes has seen the SVP shift to the right.

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If we have been governing for 80 years, we evidently respond well to the citizens' demands.

However, the proposal faces significant obstacles. Senator Julia Unterberger expressed skepticism, hoping instead for the PD to regain enough strength to become a partner for the SVP. Harald Stauder, an SVP provincial councilor, firmly rejected the idea, asserting the party's enduring connection with voters and questioning the legitimacy of such a proposal from a party that did not support the recent autonomy statute reform.

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I was surprised, he continues, that an exponent of a party that did not support the reform of the Statute, a great step for all linguistic groups, could raise such claims.

Democratic councilor Sandro Repetto highlighted the technical challenges, pointing to the proportional electoral law and the SVP's deep roots in the valleys. He noted that the recent alliance between the SVP and the center-right, which resulted in the new autonomy statute, has broken previous political taboos. The feasibility of Spagnolli's "broad camp" remains uncertain amidst these political and technical considerations.

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The feasibility is compromised by the electoral law, which is proportional, and by how much consensus can be gathered in the valleys, which have always been characterized by the strong capillarity of the Stella Alpina.