South Tyrol (Südtirol) regional election - 21 Oct. 2018

[palandio]

It's particularly the centralist (center-) right that has lost many votes in the last 15 years or so in South Tyrol/High Etsch. In the 90s they (post-fascist MSI/AN) had even won a Senate constituency! What are the reasons and where did their voters go?

I think that ST/AA has benefitted from autonomy under the fiscal and economic aspect, German-, Ladin- and Italian-speaking inhabitants alike. The SVP and their Italian-speaking allies have been wise in extending the use of the German language without making the Italians feel oppressed in their daily life, so many may have lost their fear of becoming Germanized. You can see forms of "inclusive nationalism" in Scotland and to some extent in Catalonia as well (inclusion directed at the people on its soil). One important aspect may be the economic crisis in Italy that may have caused in rich regions like ST/AA the will to distance themselves from what they perceive as a mess not cause by themselves.

I think Italian-speaking ex-center-right voters went in all directions:
* In Italy there are not so many voters that switch between the center-right and the center-left. This may be different in ST/AA where in this election the Greens have got quite good results in the Italian-majority municipalities. Their might be flows from the center-right to the PD and from the PD to the Greens
* Many probably went to the SVP which might seem strange given that in the 90s they feared autonomy.
* Some might even have gone to German right-wing parties though from the numbers posted by YL it seems only few. This would not be so surprising given similar phenomenons in Alsatia.
* Abstention. As YL has pointed out, turnout might have decreased among Italian-speakers.

[palandio]

The South Tyrolean Greens and their indirect/direct predecessors like South Tyrolean Lotta Continua and New Left are somehow crossover.
Collaboration with SEL has provided them with gains in the Italian-speaking communities, but they have still by far the most balanced electorate.

[palandio]

The far-right label really only makes sense when divided into far-right (German/Austrian nationalist), far-right (Italian nationalist) and far-right (Padanist).

[palandio]

The far-right label really only makes sense when divided into far-right (German/Austrian nationalist), far-right (Italian nationalist) and far-right (Padanist).

That's a very outdated view.

Fact is that today's far-right in Austria and Italy (Strache and Salvini) work closely together and are best buddies.

I'm surprised that they have not campaigned together at a joint event in Bozen/Bolzano yet. Probably because they each want to shore up their own party base. I guess, personally they would.

Yes, I know that in the last European Parliament elections Die Freiheitlichen ran on the Lega Nord list. That's why I didn't lump the Lega together with the Italian nationalist parties. And it's true that the immigration issue among others has provided common ground for Italian and anti-Italian nationalists alike. Additionally some Italian New Rightists have sympathies for self-determination etc. for ideological reasons. But still parties like Fratelli d'Italia and Die Freiheitlichen are very much antipodes.