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Valdostan Union

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Valdostan Union
Union Valdôtaine
PresidentJoël Farcoz
Founded13 September 1945; 79 years ago (1945-09-13)
Headquarters29, Avenue des Maquisards
11100 Aosta
NewspaperLe Peuple Valdôtain
Youth wingJeunesse Valdôtaine
IdeologyRegionalism
French-speaking minority interests
Political positionCentre
National affiliationThe Olive Tree (1995–2006)
Centre-right coalition (2008–2014)
Centre-left coalition (from 2014)
Regional affiliationAosta Valley (1983–present)
Autonomies for Europe (2019)
European affiliationEuropean Free Alliance
European Parliament groupELDR Group (2000–2003)
Chamber of Deputies
1 / 400
Senate
0 / 200
European Parliament
0 / 73
Regional Council of Aosta Valley
11 / 35
Conference of Regions
1 / 21
Website
www.unionvaldotaine.org

The Valdostan Union[1][2][3] (French: Union valdôtaine, UV), also Valdostian Union[4][5] or Valdotanian Union,[6][7] is a regionalist[8] and centrist[7] political party in Aosta Valley, Italy. It represents mainly the French-speaking minority in the region.[1] One of its leading members, Renzo Testolin, has been the President of Aosta Valley since March 2023, replacing Erik Lavévaz, also of the UV.

The UV has been steadily represented in the Italian Parliament since 1976 and, due to the disappearance of the Christian Democracy party in the early 1990s, it later became the catch-all party of the region, similarly to the South Tyrolean People's Party in South Tyrol. The party re-groups most Valdostan autonomists under its banner and steadily increased its share of vote from 11.6% in 1973 to 47.2% in 2003, which was followed by a decline and splits. However, it has led the regional government almost with no interruption since 1974.

The UV has been member of the European Free Alliance since 2022. The party was a member also previously, until 2007.

History

[edit]

Early years

[edit]

The UV was founded by Valdostan elements of the Italian resistance movement on 3 September 1945.

The party was originally a close ally of the Christian Democracy (DC), with which it shared government between 1946 and 1954 under Severino Caveri (UV). After that, the party distanced itself from the DC, while approaching the left-wing.[7]

After a five-year spell in opposition, the UV won the 1959 regional election as part of a left-wing coalition with the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) with 51.6% against the 48.6% received by an alternative coalition comprising the DC, the Italian Liberal Party (PLI), the Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI) and the Italian Republican Party (PRI).

The UV–PCI–PSI coalition, led by UV's Oreste Marcoz (1959–1963) and then, again, Caveri (since 1963), governed until 1966, when the Socialists decided to switch sides and to enter in coalition with the DC, as they had done at the country-level three years before. This caused the split of UV's conservative faction, which established the Valdostan Rally (RV), in order to support the coalition led by DC's Cesare Bondaz. In the 1968 regional election the UV received a mere 16.7% of the vote (the RV got 5.4%), while in 1973 Valdostan regional election, after the split of the social-democratic faction, the Progressive Valdostan Union (UVP), it was reduced at 11.6% (the UPV obtained 6.7% and the RV 1.6%, while the Popular Democrats, a left-wing split of the DC, won 22.4%). After that low point, the UV was ready to surge again.

Resurgence

[edit]

The UV returned to government in 1974 at the head of a UV–UVP–RV regionalist coalition led by Mario Andrione. In the 1978 regional election the UV returned to be the largest party with 24.7% of the vote and Andrione formed a government with the DC and the DP. In 1984 Andrione was replaced by Augusto Rollandin at the head of the government, which included the DC and the Progressive Democratic Autonomists (ADP), born by the merger of the DP and the UVP. During the 1980s the UV strengthened its role as largest party in the region: 27.1% in 1983 and 34.2% in 1988. Since the 1970s the UV was steadily represented in the Italian Parliament: Pierre Fosson was a member of the Senate from 1976 to 1987, while Luciano Caveri (scion of the party's left-wing) represented the UV in the Chamber of Deputies from 1987 to 2001. Caveri served also as undersecretary in Massimo D'Alema's government and as member of the European Parliament from 2000 to 2003.

After having out of government for three years, the UV was back in government in 1992 and, after the 1993 regional election, UV's Dino Viérin formed a centre-left government with the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), the Greens and the ADP (since 1994). The coalition was continued in 1998–2006 by the UV and the Democrats of the Left (DS), while Rollandin served as senator in 2001–2006. Despite its ties with the parties of the centre-left, the UV contested the 2006 general election in competition with The Union (rallied in the Autonomy Liberty Democracy list), as part of the regionalist coalition named Aosta Valley, causing the split of the Valdostan Renewal (RV), but lost and was no more represented in Parliament. This was however a turning point in regional politics: the UV dismissed the DS as coalition partners and formed a regionalist three-party coalition with Edelweiss (SA) and the Autonomist Federation (FA).

Regionalist coalition

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In the 2008 regional election, the UV obtained 44.4% of the vote and 17 regional councillors (out of 35), while the regionalist coalition won 62.0% and a large majority, comprising 22 regional councillors. Augusto Rollandin, who had made a comeback to regional politics, was the most voted regional councillor with 13,836 preference votes, while incumbent President Luciano Caveri was only seventh with 2,770 votes (down from 7,313).[9] Rollandin was thus sworn in as new President of the Region.[10] Contextually, UV's Antonio Fosson had been elected to the Senate for the regionalist coalition: Fosson joined the For the Autonomies group and abstained from the vote of confidence on Silvio Berlusconi's government.[11] Both in the 2009 European Parliament election and the 2010 Aosta municipal election the UV formed an alliance with Berlusconi's new political party, The People of Freedom (PdL).[12] In the 2013 general election UV's Albert Lanièce was elected to the Senate[13] with support from the PdL.[14][15] That alliance was however short-lived and the UV would soon re-join its traditional centre-left partners.

In the 2013 regional election, the UV, which had suffered the split of the new Progressive Valdostan Union (UVP), obtained 33.5% of the vote (–10.9pp from 2008) and 13 seats, and the regionalist coalition retained a narrow majority in the Regional Council.[16] Rollandin was the most voted politician with 10,872 preference votes (2,964 less than five years before)[17] and was re-elected president. In July 2015, the government was enlarged to the centre-left Democratic Party (PD).[18] In June 2016, after months of negotiations, the government was joined also by the UVP.[19][20] In November 2016, two regional councillors, including former senator Fosson, left the party in disagreement with Rollandin and launched For Our Valley (PNV).[21] In March 2017 the UVP, SA (which had suffered the split of the Valdostan Autonomist Popular Edelweiss (EPAV), PNV and Autonomy Liberty Participation Ecology (ALPE) formed a new government without the UV, under President Pierluigi Marquis (SA).[22][23][24][25] In October Marquis resigned and was replaced by Laurent Viérin (UVP) at the head of a coalition composed of the UV, the UVP, the EPAV and the PD.[26]

Centre-left coalition

[edit]

In the 2018 general election, Lanièce was narrowly re-elected to the Senate, but the four-party coalition forming the regional government lost several votes and the seat in the Chamber. In the 2018 regional election the UV did even worse, obtaining 19.2% of the vote (–14.3pp from 2013) and seven seats: its worst result in 45 years. After the election, the Regional Council elected Nicoletta Spelgatti of Lega Nord Vallée d'Aoste (LNVdA) as President, at the head of a broad left-right coalition (including one defector from UV's ranks, outgoing regional minister Emily Rini),[27][28] and the UV was once again excluded from the regional government.[29][30] However, in December the government fell down and was replaced by a new one led by Antonio Fosson (ex UV, then PNV), at the head of a coalition composed of the UV, the UVP, ALPE, SA and PNV.[31][32][33][34] In December 2019 Fosson resigned from President[35] and was replaced by his Vice President, UV's Renzo Testolin, as acting president. In the 2019 European Parliament election the UV was part of a five-party regionalist joint list, which had a technical agreement with the PD and obtained a mere 13.9% of the vote. A few months later, the party also suffered the split by former President Rollandin and his followers, who formed For Autonomy (PlA).

In the 2020 regional election, the UV was reduced to 15.8%, its second worst result ever, while the LNVdA came a stronger first. However, after the election, UV leader Erik Lavévaz formed a government composed of the PD, Civic Network (RC), the Valdostan Alliance (AV, formed by the merger of ALPE and UVP), SA and Mouv'.[36][37][38] Within a year, AV and Mouv' joined forces, while the RC-led Progressive Civic Project (PCP) left the government.[39][40][41] In 2023 Testolin formed a new government, which, differently from Lavévaz's, comprised also PlA.[42][43]

In late 2023, AV and Mouv' started a merging process into the UV.[44][45][46][47] In June 2024, at an extraordinary congress, the reunion was approved[48] and Joël Farcoz was elected president.[49][50][51]

Electoral results

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Regional Council

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Regional Council of Aosta Valley
Election year Votes Share of votes Seats +/– Government
1949 17,118[52] 43.6
28 / 35
–
 Government coalition
1954 16,278 29.2
1 / 35
Decrease 27
 Opposition
1959 16,278[53] 51.4
25 / 35
Increase 24
 Government coalition
1963 12,930 20.4
7 / 35
Decrease 18
 Government coalition
1968 11,237 16.7
6 / 35
Decrease 1
 Opposition
1973 8,081 11.6
4 / 35
Decrease 2
 Opposition
1978 18,318 24.8
9 / 35
Increase 5
 Government coalition
1983 20,495 27.1
9 / 35
Steady
 Government coalition
1988 26,960 34.2
12 / 35
Increase 3
 Government coalition
1993 30,312 37.3
13 / 35
Increase 1
 Government coalition
1998 33,311 42.6
17 / 35
Increase 4
 Government coalition
2003 35,297 47.2
18 / 35
Increase 1
 Majority
2008 32,614 44.4
17 / 35
Decrease 1
 Government coalition
2013 24,121 33.5
13 / 35
Decrease 4
 Government coalition (2013–2017)
Opposition (2017–2017)
Government coalition (2017–2018)
2018 12,265 19.2
7 / 35
Decrease 6
 Opposition (2018-2018)
Government coalition (2018–2020)
2020 10,470 15.8
7 / 35
Steady
 Government coalition

European Parliament

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European Parliament
Election Total Aosta Valley
Votes % # Seats +/– Votes % # Ref.
1979 Within Union Valdôtaine - Federalismo Europa Autonomie [it]
0 / 81
 — 26,137 37,59% 1st
1984 Within Federalismo - Europa dei Popoli  [it]
1 / 81
 1 16,175 24,81% 2nd
1989 Within Federalismo [it]
1 / 81
 0 36,4% 1st [54]
1994 Within Federalismo - Europe [it]
0 / 87
 1 19,658 32,3% 1st
1999 Within Federalismo in Europa / Fédéralisme en Europe  [it]
0 / 87
 0 40,970 45,9% 1st
2004 Within Federalismo in Europa / Fédéralisme en Europe  [it]
0 / 78
 0 29,598 37.6% 1st
2009 Within Aosta Valley
0 / 72
 0 32,913 37.1% 1st
2014 Did not compete
0 / 73
 0 — — —
2019 Within Autonomies for Europe
0 / 76
 0 6,904 13.9% 3rd
2024 Did not compete
0 / 76
 0 — — —

Leadership

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References

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  1. ^ a b Davide Vampa (2016). The Regional Politics of Welfare in Italy, Spain and Great Britain. Springer. p. 59. ISBN 978-3-319-39007-9.
  2. ^ Guarnieri, Carlo; Newell, James L. (2005), Italian Politics: Quo Vadis?, Istituto Cattaneo, Berghahn Books, p. x
  3. ^ Kellas, James G. (2004), Nationalist Politics in Europe: The Constitutional and Electoral Dimensions, Palgrave, p. 99
  4. ^ Ackland, Robert; Gibson, Rachel (2013), "Hyperlinks and Networked Communication: A Comparative Study of Political Parties Online" (PDF), International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 16 (3), annex A1, doi:10.1080/13645579.2013.774179, hdl:1885/62206, S2CID 145457671
  5. ^ Jolly, Seth (2013), Economics, Institutions and Culture: Explaining Regionalist Party Success in Europe (PDF), European Union Studies Association, p. 35
  6. ^ Fabio Padovano; Roberto Ricciuti, eds. (2007). "Appendix 2". Italian Institutional Reforms: A Public Choice Perspective. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-387-72141-5.
  7. ^ a b c Tom Lansford, ed. (2013). Political Handbook of the World 2013. SAGE Publications. p. 714. ISBN 978-1-4522-5825-6.
  8. ^ Guy Puzey (2012). "Two-Way Traffic: How Linguistic Landscapes Reflect and Influence the Politics of Language". In Durk Gorter; Heiko F. Marten; Luk Van Mensel (eds.). Minority Languages in the Linguistic Landscape. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-230-27244-6.
  9. ^ "Si Vota Per Eleggere Il Consiglio Regionale Della Valle D'Aosta" (in Italian). Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta. 2008-05-25. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
  10. ^ "Aosta, torna l'Imperatore - LASTAMPA.it". Archived from the original on 2008-05-30.
  11. ^ "Legislatura 16º" (in Italian). Senato della Repubblica. 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  12. ^ "Comunali 2010 - Voti - Voti - AOSTA". Regione.vda.it.
  13. ^ "Politiche 2013 - Voti". Regione.vda.it.
  14. ^ "February 2013 - Luciano Caveri". Caveri.it. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Accordo trovato in casa UV sulle candidature di Marguerettaz e Lanièce: in Valle concorrerà anche la Meloni - 12vda". Aostanotizie.info. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Regionali 2013 - Voti". Regione.vda.it.
  17. ^ "Regionali 2013 - Preferenze". Regione.vda.it.
  18. ^ "Ribaltone in Val d'Aosta, Pd in giunta". Ricerca.repubblica.it. 14 July 2015.
  19. ^ "Rafforzamento autonomia e riforma elettorale i pilastri della maggioranza Uv-Uvp-Stella alpina". Valledaostaglocal.it. 7 June 2016.
  20. ^ "Accordo Uv-Uvp Rollandin: "E' l'anno della misericordia"". Lastampa.it. 3 June 2016.
  21. ^ Giovedì 27 Ottobre '16, h.20.25. "Antonio Fosson e Claudio Restano escono dal gruppo dell'Union Valdôtaine in Consiglio Valle: "non c'è dialogo" | 12vda" (in Italian). 12vda.it. Retrieved 2018-08-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Comunicato stampa". Consiglio Regionale della Valle d'Aosta.
  23. ^ ""Sì" alla sfiducia a Rollandin, via libera alla giunta Marquis". Lastampa.it. 10 March 2017.
  24. ^ "Marquis nuovo presidente Regione Vda - Valle d'Aosta". Ansa.it. 10 March 2017.
  25. ^ "Pierluigi Marquis Presidente Della Nuova Giunta Regionale". Valledaostaglocal.it. 10 March 2017.
  26. ^ "Laurent Vierin nuovo presidente Vda - Valle d'Aosta". Ansa.it. 13 October 2017.
  27. ^ Redazione ANSA (17 June 2018). "Emily Rini lascia Union valdotaine - Valle d'Aosta". Ansa.it. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  28. ^ "Emily Rini lascia l'Union Valdôtaine: "Uv incapace di andare contro certi personalismi"". Aostasera.it. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  29. ^ "Nicoletta Spelgatti (Lega) eletta presidente della VdA: è la prima donna al vertice della Regione". Lastamp.it. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  30. ^ "E' fatta, martedì nascerà la Giunta Spelgatti". valledaostaglocal.it. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  31. ^ "Sfiduciata giunta regionale a trazione leghista, Fosson nuovo presidente". LaStampa.it. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  32. ^ "Valle d'Aosta: cade la giunta della Lega. L'autonomista Fosson nuovo presidente". Il Fatto Quotidiano. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  33. ^ "Valle d'Aosta, sfiduciato governo lega - Ultima Ora". Ansa.it. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  34. ^ "Regione,definiti assessori giunta Fosson - Valle d'Aosta". Ansa.it. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  35. ^ "'Ndrangheta, si dimette presidente Vda - Valle d'Aosta". 14 December 2019.
  36. ^ "Regione: Trovato accordo, nasce Giunta Lavevaz - Valle d'Aosta". 18 October 2020.
  37. ^ "Regione: Da Barmasse a Minelli, la nuova Giunta Lavevaz - Valle d'Aosta". 21 October 2020.
  38. ^ "Regione, c'è l'accordo. Ecco la nuova Giunta Lavevaz".
  39. ^ "Scissione nel PCP, nascono i 'Federalisti Progressisti Pd' - Valle d'Aosta". 28 October 2021.
  40. ^ "Chiara Minelli si è dimessa da assessora all'Ambiente e Trasporti della Valle d'Aosta". 14 May 2021.
  41. ^ "Consiglio Regionale della Valle d'Aosta - Comunicati".
  42. ^ "Regione, eletto Testolin Varata anche la giunta del nuovo presidente". 3 March 2023.
  43. ^ "Consiglio Regionale della Valle d'Aosta - le Legislature dal dopoguerra a oggi".
  44. ^ "Réunion, Alliance e Mouv-Vda Unie: "Accelerare il processo"". 2 November 2023.
  45. ^ "Dal congresso dell'Union Valdôtaine arriva anche l'ultimo via libera alla Réunion". 18 May 2024.
  46. ^ "Réunion, av e Vda Unie-Mouv: "Soddisfatti dal lavoro della Commissione" - Notizie - Ansa.it". 19 March 2024.
  47. ^ "Réunification, Alliance e VdA Unie-Mouv: «rilanciare politica valdostana e Statuto»". 19 March 2024.
  48. ^ "La Réunion è realtà, l'UV verso la nuova presidenza". 16 June 2024.
  49. ^ "Union valdotaine, Joël Farcoz è il nuovo presidente - Notizie - Ansa.it". 16 June 2024.
  50. ^ "Joël Farcoz è il nuovo Presidente dell'Uv dopo la Réunion". 16 June 2024.
  51. ^ "Union Valdôtaine: è Joël Farcoz il presidente del nuovo corso". 16 June 2024.
  52. ^ In list with the Christian Democracy.
  53. ^ In list with the Italian Communist Party and the Italian Socialist Party.
  54. ^ Cerati, Pietro (20 June 1989). "Rilancio del pci, vittoria uv-adp". La Stampa. pp. I. Retrieved 8 August 2023.

Sources

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