Independence Republic of Sardinia

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Independence Republic of Sardinia
Secretary vacant
President Gavino Sale
Founded 2002; 22 years ago (2002)
Headquarters Sassari, Sardinia, Italy
Newspaper Repubrica de Sardigna
Ideology Left-wing nationalism
Sardinian nationalism
Environmentalism
Social democracy
Political position Centre-left
National affiliation The Other Europe[1]
European affiliation None
International affiliation None
European Parliament group No MEPs
Website
www.irsonline.net
Politics of Sardinia
Political parties
Elections

Independence Republic of Sardinia (Sardinian: Indipendèntzia Repùbrica de Sardigna, iRS) is a social-democratic and non-violent separatist political party in Sardinia. The party, whose long-time leader is Gavino Sale, supports the establishment of a "Republic of Sardinia" and its independence from Italy.

History

Early years

The party emerged in 2001–2002 by the merger of Su Cuncordu, a separatist platform animated by three Sardinian intellectuals living in Rome (Franciscu Sedda, Frantziscu Sanna and Franciscu Pala), and a splinter group from Sardinia Nation (SN) led by Gavino Sale. The latter and his followers left SN because of its alliance with the Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az), which did not support overt independentism at the time.

Electoral successes

As soon as in 2004 (when Sale won 1.9% of the vote in the regional election) iRS absorbed virtually all the voters of Sardinia Nation, thanks to the charismatic leadership of Sale, a more coherent and instransigent secessionist platform and a more centrist political position. In the 2006 general election iRS won 1.1% of the vote in Sardinia, while it chose to boycott the 2008 general election in order not to be partner in crime with the Italian political system.

At the 2009 regional election Gavino Sale won 3.1% of the vote (4.2% in the Province of Oristano and 3.3% in the Province of Sassari,[2] where the party had its early strongholds) as candidate for President of the Region, while the party stopped at 2.1%, short of the 3% threshold needed to enter the Regional Council.

At the 2010 provincial elections iRS candidates for president gained more than 2% of the vote in all the provinces and the party obtained its best result ever. Notably, Sale won 6.5% in Sassari (party list: 5.8%), Sebastian Madau 5.9% (5.8%) in Oristano and Salvatore Bussa 4.4% (4.2%) in Nuoro.[3]

Internal splits

In January 2010, during a party congress, Ornella Demuru was elected secretary of the party, replacing Gavino Sale, who was elected president, and representing a power shift within the party from the old guard and younger activists.[4] Notwithstanding the good results of the party at the 2010 provincial elections, the relation between Sale and Demuru was tense from the beginning.

In October Demuru threatened her resignation and reclaimed more internal democracy within the party.[5] Sale, for his part, replied that he rejected an intelletual-chic party[6] as that imagined by Demuru and her supporters, who included the three founding members Franciscu Sedda, Frantziscu Sanna and Franciscu Pala, plus younger intellectuals such as Michela Murgia.[7][8][9] During a grassroots' meeting on 12 December, Sale accused Demuru and the young guard of conspiring against him and, after this accusation, he was expelled from the party by the executive composed by Demuru's loyalists.[10]

By the end of December Sale was sure to have won the power struggle and suspended the members of the executive who had expelled him.[7] A few days later, on 2 January 2010, the group of Demuru and Sedda finally decided to leave the party and launch a "Republican Constituent Assembly" (Sa Costituente Repubricana).[11][12] In February the new party took the name of Project Republic of Sardinia (ProgReS).[13] Moreover, on 10 February, Claudia Zuncheddu left the Red Moors, party of which she was president, and joined iRS. This was a historical event because, as Zuncheddu was a regional councillor, the party was represented in the Regional Council for the first time.[14][15] In May 2011 Zuncheddu ran for Mayor of Cagliari and gained just 2.4% of the vote, however much better than Demuru, who got a poor 0.4%.[16] Zunchedda would later form her own party, Free Sardinia.[17][18]

Alliance with the centre-left

In the 2014 regional election, since the party chose to be affiliated to the Italian centre-left for the first time (whose candidate, Francesco Pigliaru, was elected President) instead of making a coalition with other independentist parties, iRS lost much of his political support and won a mere 0.8% of the vote, but, thanks to the alliance, Sale was elected to the Regional Council.[19][20]

Leadership

See also

References

  1. http://lanuovasardegna.gelocal.it/regione/2014/03/02/news/europee-i-seguaci-sardi-di-tsipras-1.8773291
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  3. Ministry of the Interior
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  16. http://elezionistorico.interno.it/index.php?tpel=G&dtel=15/05/2011&tpa=I&tpe=C&lev0=0&levsut0=0&lev1=20&levsut1=1&lev2=17&levsut2=2&lev3=90&levsut3=3&ne1=20&ne2=17&ne3=170090&es0=S&es1=S&es2=S&es3=N&ms=S
  17. http://www.claudiazuncheddu.net/575-sardigna-libera-lettera-agli-amici
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  19. http://www.repubblica.it/static/speciale/2014/elezioni/regionali/sardegna.html
  20. http://www.consregsardegna.it/XVLegislatura/Consiglieri/Sale_Gavino.asp

External links