Citizens' Union for South Tyrol

Citizens Union ( until May 2011 Union for South Tyrol ( UfS ) ) is a South Tyrolean party that appeals especially to the voters German and Ladin.

History

The Union for South Tyrol was established in autumn 1989, when the long-serving Councillor and SVP functionary Alfons Benedikter resigned in protest against his deselection as Provincial of the SVP and, with the two Members of Parliament of the small parties FPS, Gerold Meran, and South Tyrol Heimatbund, Eva Klotz and the movement for federalism merged. The official launch party took place on 2 October 1989.

The reason for the founding of this party was (though not statuesque ) averting the SVP called the self-determination of the factual thoughts. The party saw itself at the time as a political collective movement, which offers itself as an alternative to the South Tyrolean autonomy moderate policy of the SVP.

In September 1991, a generation change took place at the head of the Union for South Tyrol. Alfons Benedikter resigned as party chairman. In its place, the young lawyer Bolzano Wenter Martin was elected as the new party chairman. Then took over Karl Augsten the chairman shaft, gave them but later on, and by means of statute reform a 5 - member board was used.

1993 UfS first appeared as such in the state elections and immediately reached 14,777 votes and thus two mandates: Alfons Benedikter and Eva Klotz ( the liberal Gerold Merano (formerly FPS) had no longer the choice made ​​).

In the fall of 1994, the former parliamentary secretary of the Union for South Tyrol Andreas Pöder was appointed National Secretary and prepared the restructuring of the party. The chairman Karl Augsten resigned and was replaced by a five - member board.

A few years after the establishment of the Union for South Tyrol, a group of young people came together to that involved in politics more or less. The group called " Young Union ", in recent years, have a great activity and an increase of members. The current youth coordinator is Helmut Taber.

In the local elections in the spring of 1995, the Union for South Tyrol won in 40 municipalities 50 council seats. At the parliamentary elections in 1996, the UfS participated to " offer an alternative to the South Tyrolean loyal to Rome policy the SVP ".

The Union for South Tyrol could inflict a crushing defeat in these elections, the SVP. The top candidate of the UfS Eva Klotz reached 49 760 votes, ie 19%.

In the state elections of 1998, the UfS could improve the result by 2,000 votes in 1993, but reached only two seats, which was repeated in the parliamentary elections of 2003. However, the UfS in the state elections in 2003 reached the first German - Ladin opposition party in South Tyrol more than 20,000 votes and missed the third mandate to only 150 votes.

In the local elections in 2005 the party was able to improve its position and increase its seats from 34 to 67. Thus, they confirmed its position as the second-strongest (behind the SVP) confirm at the community level and expand.

In winter 2006 and spring 2007, the Union launched with over 15,600 signatures the first South Tyrolean referendums: For priority of the locals in the housing subsidy, for referendums on major projects and for addressing urban sprawl and sell the home.

In May 2007, there was a national meeting at which the State Secretary proposed amendments to the Constitution which provided, to replace the five -member board by a party chairman. The group led by Eva Klotz was against these amendments because they feared an increasing strengthening the position Pöders. The amendments were adopted scarce and the structural reform was tackled. Eva Klotz and her family, and a good half of their supporters withdrew from the Union and formed the new movement South Tyrolean freedom. Also, some local councils of the Union changed after this cleavage to South Tyrolean freedom. A month later, the Union chose as part of a provincial assembly with results of over 90 percent, a new party leadership.

The Union has given itself a new logo and a renewed appearance. It defines itself as a " noisy center."

Andreas Pöder was elected as expected to the party chairman.

In the next state election in South Tyrol, on 26 October 2008, the Union for South Tyrol reached only a vote share of 2.3 %, which is crashed to historic lows. You will receive a residual mandate, which occupies the re-elected with 3,981 preferential votes Andreas Pöder.

Renewal - Civil Union

After the party continued its priorities increasingly in family policy and social spheres, the end of 2011 was renamed at the state party in Civil Union decided upon (the full NEMEN the party is a citizen of the Union for South Tyrol, but in general only civil union is used). The re-elected party chairman Andreas Pöder and the newly elected National Management presented the renewed party before the public in January 2012. It was referred to primarily social and family policy direction of the party.

Is headed the Civic Union of the two national speakers Andreas Pöder and Josefa Brugger and members of the National Management Harald Grünbacher, Roland Stauder and Dietmar Zwerger.

As before, the Civil Union calls for the separation of South Tyrol from Rome. However, they advocated the formation of a European Region Tyrol together with North and East Tyrol. The formation of the Free State of South Tyrol and South Tyrol 's return to Austria rejects the party. In the Union citizens ' working group European Region Tyrol " was launched and selected Dietmar Zwerger their spokesman in pursuit of this objective.

List Alliance Civic Union - Ladin Dolomites South Tyrol - We

Ahead of the state elections in October 2013, the Union citizens entered into alliance with the list Ladin party " Ladin Dolomites" one. A short time later also joined the party "We Tyrol " in the alliance. In the state elections, the alliance could list "Citizens Union - Laden Dolomites South Tyrol - We " despite a very short preparatory phase immediately unite 2.1% of the votes. Andreas Pöder was elected with 3,045 preferential votes for the list of alliance in the parliament.

Objectives

The party program of the Civic Union includes the demands for more democracy, protection of the family, social justice, conservation and management of " nepotism " and " cronyism " and for the self-determination of the Tyrol south of the Brenner - there will be a reunion of South Tyrol with North and East Tyrol required. At the same time, the party aims to reduce the influence of Italianisation in South Tyrol - it shall require, for example, to abolish invented by Ettore Tolomei and are still in use Italian place names and field names in favor of purely German and Ladin name and the victory monument from the period of fascism in the center grind of Bolzano.

In summary, one can summarize the objectives of the Civil Union in three areas:

Junge Union

The Junge Union, the youth organization of the Citizens Union. The current youth coordinator is Helmut Taber.