After sprouting in 2009, the party Independence Republic of Sardinia (IRS) confirmed its prospects in Sardinia's provincial elections held on May 30-31. IRS starts looming over Sardinia's 2-block party system -centre-right and centre-left- and building a new political space which is particularly gaining ground in the north and the west of the island. Pro-independence supporters enter into 3 of 8 provincial councils and win their first town council.

The small village of Pèifugas (Perfugas in Italian), located in the north of the island and inhabited by 2,500 people, is one of the capitals of Sardinian independentism. "Who would have ever said a IRS's candidate could become a mayor? Well, that's already happened", La Nuova Sardegna newspaper said yesterday. The article reported on Mario Satta's landslide victory in the village, with more than 63% of the share.

This is only one of the unexpected results Sardinians have come up with. The second one has been the seats obtained by IRS in 3 of 8 provincial councils. IRS's charismatic leader, Gavino Sale, already held a seat in the council of Sassari since 2005, but in this occasion they have also entered Aristanis (Oristano in Italian) and Nùgoro (Nuoro) councils. In the province of Sassari Gavino Sale reached 6.5% of the vote, confirming the upward tendency -Sale barely obtained a 4% in 2005. In Nùgoro IRS has risen from 1.38% in 2005 to a 4.21% in 2010. In Aristanis IRS obtained 5.85%, far from the 1.88% it got 5 years ago.

Rossomori comes on stage

IRS's increasing support is not the only novelty within the Sardinian national movement. The Rossomori party, which argues for the recognition of Sardinia's right to self-determination, obtained 7.07% of the share and 2 councilors in the province of Campidanu de Mesu (Medio Campidano). The Rossomoris run elections together with a coalition of Italian left parties headed by the Democratic Party. In Nùgoro they joined with alternative leftist forces and obtained 4.19% of the share.

Rossomori is a leftist split of the main nationalist party, the Sardinian Action Party. Despite defining itself as an independentist party, it has an election pact with Silvio Berlusconi's The People of Freedom. The Sardinian Action Party also saw its support enlarged, particularly in Nùgoro, where reached the 13 % of the vote compared to the 7% it got in 2005. The party obtained from 4% to 8% in the rest of the provinces.

Sardinian parties also gain support in L'Alguer

The Catalan-speaking town of L'Alguer (Alghero) also witnessed an increase of support for Sardinian parties. L'Alguer citizens gave 5.41% of the vote to the Sardinian Action Party and 3.41% to IRS, a results surpassing the 2.10% and 2.46% obtained in 2005. The rightist coalition led by The People of Freedom was the town's most voted political force

(Photo: Gavino Sale, president of Independence Republic of Sardinia)

Further information:

• L'Unione Sarda: Perfugas, primo sindaco indipendentista
• Nationalia: Italian right gains absolute majority, while nationalists slightly increase their vote in Sardinian elections