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Main pro-autonomy party loses overall majority for first time ever in South Tyrol, pro-independence forces grow

SVP gets worst result since 1948, secures 17 out of 35 seats in Provincial Council · Pro-autonomy party takes results with "humility" · Three pro-secession parties get 10 seats, two more than they had so far · Greens become third largest party

South Tyrolean secessionist parties progressed in Sunday's election to renew the 35 seats of the Provincial Council, and have thus broken 65 uninterrupted years of overall majorities. The pro-autonomy South Tyrol People's Party (SVP, acronym in German) has again won the election, with 45% of votes and 17 seats, one less than before. This is a historical result: for the first time since the establishment of the South Tyrolean autonomy in 1948, the SVP has lost its overall majority in seats.

Evaluating the results, the SVP has said they take them with "humility" and with the idea to "work" for the next five years in order to restore voters' confidence. The pro-autonomy party has added that, once the results will have been assessed, talks with all parties that have won representation in the South Tyrolean chamber will start.

Since its establishment, the SVP has defended South Tyrolean special autonomy within the Italian Republic. Over the years, the autonomists have been asking Rome to transfer new powers to South Tyrolean institutions of self-government.

Secessionist block growing

Loss of votes by the SVP can be largely attributed to the growth of secessionist parties, which altogether have reached 10 seats and 27% of the popular vote. On one side, the rightist, the anti-immigration The Libertarians have consolidated the second position they had reached five years ago. With almost 18% of the vote, the party led by Pius Leitner has won six seats, one more than now. On the other hand, Eva Klotz's South Tyrolean Freedom grows from two seats to three, with 7.2% of the vote. Finally, the Union of Citizens of South Tyrol holds the seat that it so far already had.

Klotz's party (which, as Nationalia explained last July, is currently organizing a non-binding referendum on the secession of South Tyrol) has welcomed the results and has added that the party will be "even more committed to the freedom" of South Tyrol.

Also the Greens will have three seats (up from two), with almost 8% of the votes. The environmentalists thus become the third largest party in the Provincial Council. They are pro-autonomy, as is the Democratic Party, whose share of seats stagnates at two.

Three other parties will have one seat each: Forza Italia-Northern League coalition (which goes down from four seats in 2008), the 5 Stars Movement and Alto Adige Nel Cuore.