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2010 Venetian regional election

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2010 Venetian regional election

← 2005 28–29 March 2010 2015 →

All 60 seats to the Regional Council
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Luca Zaia Giuseppe Bortolussi
Party Northern League Independent
Alliance Centre-right Centre-left
Seats won 37 19
Seat change Decrease 2 Steady 0
Popular vote 1,528,386 738,761
Percentage 60.16% 29.08%
Swing Increase 9.58% Decrease 13.27%

Electoral results for area: blue for Zaia, orange for Bortolussi

President before election

Giancarlo Galan
Forza Italia

Subsequent President

Luca Zaia
Lega Nord

The Venetian regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010, as part of Italy's big round of regional elections.

Luca Zaia, rising star of the Northern League, was elected President by a landslide. With the support of 60.2% of Venetians, he was the most voted President of Veneto since direct election was introduced in 1995. Liga Veneta became the largest in the region with 35.2%. The total score of Venetist parties (also including North-East Union, Party of the Venetians, Venetian National Party and Liga Veneto Autonomo) was 37.6%, the highest so far. The People of Freedom of the outgoing President Giancarlo Galan came second with 24.7% of the vote and the Democratic Party third with 20.3%.

Northern League managed the highest swing ever in a regional election in Veneto (+20.5%), gaining from almost every side of the political spectrum, but mainly from The People of Freedom (–7.5%), the Democrats (–8.6%) and North-East Union (–5.1%), whose main member parties were North-East Project (5.4% in 2005) and Liga Veneta Repubblica (1.2%).

Electoral system

Regional elections in Veneto were ruled by the "Tatarella law" (approved in 1995), which provided for a mixed electoral system: four fifths of the regional councilors were elected in provincial constituencies by proportional representation, using the largest remainder method with a droop quota and open lists, while the residual votes and the unassigned seats were grouped into a "single regional constituency", where the whole ratios and the highest remainders were divided with the Hare method among the provincial party lists; one fifth of the council seats instead was reserved for regional lists and assigned with a majoritarian system: the leader of the regional list that scored the highest number of votes was elected to the presidency of the Region while the other candidates were elected regional councilors.

A threshold of 3% had been established for the provincial lists, which, however, could still have entered the regional council if the regional list to which they were connected had scored at least 5% of valid votes.

The panachage was also allowed: the voter can indicate a candidate for the presidency but prefer a provincial list connected to another candidate.

Background

After having supported Giancarlo Galan (The People of Freedom, PdL) for ten years as President of Veneto, Liga VenetaLega Nord (that received 28.4% of the vote in the 2009 European Parliament election in Veneto compared to the 29.3% of the PdL), soon reclaimed the post of President for one of itself, with Luca Zaia (Minister of Agriculture in Berlusconi IV Cabinet) or Flavio Tosi (Mayor of Verona and most popular mayor of Italy[1]) as likeliest choices.

Since the early days Zaia was the strongest candidate. According to an opinion poll, 72% of Venetian voters liked him and 67% considered him practised (48 and 42% were the scores of Galan, largely behind also of Tosi), a 49% would back him as President, while only 37% would back Galan.[2] Moreover, centre-right voters preferred Zaia to Galan by an 8-point margin (49.3% to 41.2%). Differently from the incumbent president, Zaia was popular among the young and non-autonomous workers, who generally back the left.[3] Galan and the regional section of the PdL (whose leader is Silvio Berlusconi) disagreed and wanted a fourth term for Galan, who was first elected in 1995. At some point a three-way race in Veneto between Galan, Zaia and a candidate of the Democratic Party (PD) seemed possible, but neither Berlusconi nor Umberto Bossi, federal secretary of Lega Nord, liked the idea.[4][5][6]

In December 2009 the national committee of The People of Freedom (PdL) determined that it would have supported a Lega Nord member in Veneto.[7] Subsequently the National Council (where "national" means "Venetian") of Liga Veneta nominated Zaia for President. Tosi, who as president of Liga Veneta presided the Council, tried until the last minute to be the candidate[8] and some councillors opted for Franco Manzato instead.[9] However, as a strong majority backed Zaia (including the party's secretary Gian Paolo Gobbo), Zaia was voted unanimously by the Council, including Tosi.[10]

The Venetian PdL is afraid that Liga Veneta, headed by Zaia, will dominate regional politics for many years to come, similarly to what the South Tyrolean People's Party has done in South Tyrol. According to another opinion poll, in the forthcoming election, with Zaia candidate, the PdL would be reduced to a mere 23% with the League at 35% and Zaia would beat Galan also in a three-way race.[11]

Galan, who has seldom hinted the idea of forming a Venetist party of his own, was rumored as independent candidate supported by the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) and, less likely, by the opposition Democratic Party.[12][13] However Galan ruled out the idea of running against his party and Zaia, opening the way for a bid by Antonio De Poli, UDC regional leader.[14][15]

The UDC refused to join forces with the centre-left, leaving the PD to choose between Laura Puppato, Mayor of Montebelluna, who had expressed her interest for the race[16] and Giuseppe Bortolussi, respected leader of the Mestre section of Confartigianato.[17] The PD eventually chose Bortolussi, who beat Puppato by 39 votes to 29 in the regional board of the party.[18]

Parties and candidates

Political party or alliance Constituent lists Previous result Candidate
Votes (%) Seats
Centre-right coalition The People of Freedom (PdL) 33.2 17 Luca Zaia
Northern LeagueVenetian League (LN–LV) 14.7 7
Alliance of the CentreChristian Democracy (AdC–DC)
Centre-left coalition Democratic Party (PD) 24.3 13 Giuseppe Bortolussi
Federation of the Left (FdS) 5.0 2
Italy of Values (IdV) 1.3
Left Ecology FreedomItalian Socialist Party (SEL–PSI)
IDEA – List for Veneto (incl. Greens)
Liga Veneto Autonomo (LVA)
Centrist coalition Union of the Centre (UDC) 6.4 3 Antonio De Poli
North-East Union (inc. PNE, LVR and IV) 5.5 2
Five Star Movement (M5S) David Borrelli[19]
Venetians Independence Silvano Polo[20]
New Force (FN) Paolo Caratossidis
Venetian National Party (PNV) Gianluca Panto[21]

Results

28–29 March 2010 Venetian regional election results
Candidates Votes % Seats Parties Votes % Seat
Luca Zaia 1,528,386 60.16 6
Northern LeagueVenetian League 788,581 35.16 18
The People of Freedom 555,006 24.74 13
Alliance of the CentreChristian Democracy 18,114 0.81
Total 1,361,702 60.71 31
Giuseppe Bortolussi 738,761 29.08 1
Democratic Party 456,309 20.34 14
Italy of Values 119,396 5.32 3
Federation of the Left 35,028 1.56 1
Left Ecology FreedomItalian Socialist Party 27,578 1.23
IDEA – List for Veneto 15,907 0.67
Liga Veneto Autonomo 4,390 0.20
Total 657,798 29.33 18
Antonio De Poli 162,235 6.39
Union of the Centre 110,417 4.92 3
North-East Union 34,697 1.55 1
Total 145,114 6.47 4
David Borrelli 80,246 3.16 Five Star Movement 57,848 2.58
Silvano Polo 12,891 0.51 Venetians Independence 7,879 0.35
Paolo Caratossidis 9,151 0.35 New Force 6,476 0.29
Gianluca Panto 9,006 0.36 Venetian National Party 6,226 0.28
Total candidates 2,540,736 100.00 7 Total parties 2,243,042 100.00 53
Source: Ministry of the Interior

Council composition

Distribution of Seats in the Regional Council
Political Group Leader 2010 2015
Venetian Democratic Party Laura Puppato / Lucio Tiozzo 14 10
Liga VenetaLega Nord Federico Caner 20 7
NCDUdC Giancarlo Conta 7
The People of FreedomForza Italia[22] Dario Bond 17 5
Forza Italia Leonardo Padrin 5
Tosi List for Veneto (Venetian Commitment)[23] Francesco Piccolo 3
Popular Future Stefano Valdegamberi 3
Veneto First Giovanni Furlanetto 3
Family–Pensioners (Toward North–Venetian People)[24] Diego Bottacin[25] 3
Civic Veneto[26] Giuseppe Berlato Sella 3
Zaia President[27] Gianpiero Possamai 3
Italy of Values Gustavo Franchetto / Antonino Pipitone 3 2
Union of the Centre Stefano Valdegamberi / Stefano Peraro 3 1
Federation of the Left Pietrangelo Pettenò 1 1
North-East Union Mariangelo Foggiato / Rolando Bortoluzzi 1 1
Bortolussi President Giuseppe Bortolussi[25] 1 1
Mixed Group 2

Sources: Regional Council of Veneto – Groups and Regional Council of Veneto – Members

Aftermath

After the election, Luca Zaia formed his first government, composed of twelve ministers, six of Liga Veneta, that maintained the strategic Health portfolio (with Luca Coletto) and gained, above all, Budget and Finances (with Roberto Ciambetti), and six of the PdL, including Marino Zorzato, who was sworn as Vice President, and Renato Chisso, who was confirmed for a third consecutive term as Minister of Infrastructures and Transports.


First Zaia Government
Office Name Party
President Luca Zaia LV
Vice President Marino Zorzato PdL/NCD
Minister of Budget and Local Government Roberto Ciambetti LV
Minister of Health Luca Coletto LV
Minister of Economic Development
(also minister of Infrastructures since October 2014)
Maria Luisa Coppola PdL/FI
Minister of Infrastructures and Transports Renato Chisso (until June 2014) PdL/FI
Minister of Public Works, Energy and Security Massimo Giorgetti PdL/FI
Minister of Agriculture Franco Manzato LV
Minister of Education and Labour
(also minister of Transports since October 2014)
Elena Donazzan PdL/FI
Minister of Social Affairs Remo Sernagiotto (until June 2014)
Davide Bendinelli (since October 2014)
PdL/FI
FI
Minister of Tourism and International Trade Marino Finozzi LV
Minister of Environment Maurizio Conte LV/LTV
Minister of Venetian Identity and Civil Protection Daniele Stival LV/LTV
Minister of Culture and City Planning Marino Zorzato PdL/NCD

Source: Veneto Region – Ninth Legislature – Zaia Government
Note 1: In November 2013 The People of Freedom (PdL) was transformed into Forza Italia (FI); a group of dissidents formed the New Centre-Right (NCD).
Note 2: In March 2015 a group of splinters from Liga Veneta (LV) formed the Tosi List for Veneto (LTV).

References

  1. ^ "MONITOR CITTA': FLAVIO TOSI IL SINDACO PIU' AMATO IN ITALIA - Clandestinoweb: sondaggi politici, elettorali. Il sondaggio politico elettorale che fa opinione". Archived from the original on 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  2. ^ "«Il governatore sarò ancora io» la Lega: Da soli siamo al 35% - Corriere del Veneto".
  3. ^ "Sondaggio nel centrodestra Zaia candidato stacca Galan - Corriere del Veneto".
  4. ^ "Archivio Corriere della Sera".
  5. ^ "Archivio Corriere della Sera".
  6. ^ "Archivio Corriere della Sera".
  7. ^ "Archivio Corriere della Sera".
  8. ^ "Zaia favorito ma Tosi non s'arrende - Corriere del Veneto".
  9. ^ "Regione leghista, il giorno di Zaia Spunta l'ultima insidia dei frondisti - Corriere del Veneto".
  10. ^ "Zaia candidato: C'è il sigillo della Lega «Felice di questa grande responsabilità» - Corriere del Veneto".
  11. ^ "Archivio Corriere della Sera".
  12. ^ "Una lista per combattere la Lega «Galan strappi e saremo con lui» - Corriere del Veneto".
  13. ^ "Cacciari: «Mi spiace per Giancarlo, con la Lega sarà dura collaborare» - Corriere del Veneto".
  14. ^ "Contrordine Galan: Futuro da ministro - Corriere del Veneto".
  15. ^ "De Poli in campo, ultimatum di Bortolussi - Corriere del Veneto".
  16. ^ "Già 50 comitati con la Puppato Imbarazzo Pd per la candidatura - Corriere del Veneto".
  17. ^ "Regione, il Pd punta su Bortolussi - Corriere del Veneto".
  18. ^ "Il Pd lancia Bortolussi - Corriere del Veneto".
  19. ^ "Grillo sfida Lega e Pd e lancia il suo candidato - Corriere del Veneto".
  20. ^ "Il partito dei veneti candida Polo Ma la galassia anti lega va in pezzi - Corriere del Veneto".
  21. ^ "WordPress › Errore".
  22. ^ From November 2013, when The People of Freedom was disbanded and its members joined either "Forza Italia" or "New Centre-Right", to February 2014 the group was named as "The People of Freedom – New Centre Right". In February 2014 the group was finally renamed "The People of Freedom – Forza Italia for Veneto".
  23. ^ The group was originally named "Venetian Commitment" and changed its name to "Tosi List for Veneto" two weeks after its launch.
  24. ^ The group was originally named "Toward North–Venetian People" and changed its name to "Family–Pensioners" a week after its launch.
  25. ^ a b Giuseppe Bortolussi, Diego Bottacin and Andrea Causin had been members of Toward North. Both Bottacin and Causin later joined Civic Choice.
  26. ^ Civic Veneto, composed of three Democratic councillors, was formed as a technical group in order to validate the slates of a civic list in support of the PD and the Democratic candidate, Alessandra Moretti, in the 2015 regional election. Similar groups were formed by supporters of Luca Zaia and Flavio Tosi.
  27. ^ Zaia President, composed of three councillors of Liga Veneta–Lega Nord, was formed as a technical group in order to validate the slates of a civic list in support of the party and its candidate, incumbent President Luca Zaia, in the 2015 regional election. Similar groups were formed by supporters of Alessandra Moretti and Flavio Tosi.