Sardinia has turned to the right. Elections for president and members of Parliament have confirmed that Renato Soru, president of the island, will have to hand the presidency to the candidate of the right-wing coalition, Ugo Cappellacci. The conservative parties have gained absolute majority and will be able to govern comfortably for the next 5 years. Globally, Sardinian national parties have strengthened their position.

Two lists were voted in the ballot: one to elect president and another to elect parties or coalitions. As regards the former, Cappellaci has obtained 51,9% of the vote, while Soru has attracted a 42,9%. Third position, a long way off the two main candidates, was for pro-independentists Gavino Sale, with 3,1% of the share. Regarding the list for parties and coalitions, results have been different. The center-right coalition has got 56,7% of the vote (54 seats out of 80, 3 of which will go for the Sardinian Action Party (Partidu Sardu, PSd'Az), while center-left coalition has obtained 26 seats, one of which will be assigned to autonomists headed by the RossoMori party. Sale's party, Independence Republic of Sardinia (Indipendèntzia Repùbrica de Sardigna, IRS), has gained 2,1% of the vote, a percentage too short to get a seat in the Sardinian house. The other pro-sovereignty party, Independentist Unity (Unidade Indipendentista, UI), to which Sardigna Natzione has joined forces, has obtained a very poor result, only attracting 0,4% of the vote.

Statute reform
Cappellacci (and Soru, too) has committed to draft a new Statute of Autonomy for Sardinia. His election manifesto even states that Sardinia is "a ‘nation' [sic, in inverted commas] with its own territory, history, language, traditions, culture, identity and with different aspirations from those of the Italian Nation" [sic, in capital]. In order to fulfill the above mentioned aspirations, Cappellacci advocates a reform of the Statute so that final status fits within the federal reform proposed in Rome by Silvio Berlusconi's The People of Freedom (Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL) and Umberto Bossi's Northern League. The text will establish a new "deal with the Italian State and the European Union", and will suggest direct Sardinian representation before the European Parliament. As regards language matters, Cappellaci's manifesto vaguely points out the promotion of "a system of language and culture appreciation in favour of edition, arts, marketing, communication and information and all activities supporting the identity heritage of the Sardinian people".

IRS' independence supporters rejoice
Cappellacci may be happy to win, but he is not the only one celebrating the results. IRS pro-sovereignty supporters have described as a "major increase" the 3% obtained by Gavino Sale, which, according to them, "confirms IRS' pro-independence ideology is in tune with the current world". In a official party statement, the outcome of elections has been "a new determined and inexorable step towards the establishment of the Sardinian Republic".

In 2004 Sale obtained 1,9% of the votes, and IRS gained only 1,1% of the share.

Further information:

• La Nuova Sardegna: Cappellacci eletto presidente, il Pdl esulta-Soru riconosce la sconfitta, crolla il Pd
• Sardegna Oggi: Scrutinio quasi terminato. 92% delle sezioni
• alguer.it: 54 seggi al Pdl contro i 26 del centrosinistra: Bruno in Consiglio, bene gli algheresi
• MónDivers: Sardenya dóna l'esquena a Soru i lliura el Govern de l'illa a la dreta
• Tots els resultats

See the profile of Sardinia and the dossier Peoples and nations today: Sardinia for further information.