Sicilian regional election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The Sicilian regional election of 2006 for the renewal of the Regional Assembly and the Presidency of Sicily
was held on 28 May 2006.
The election was competed by three competitors: Salvatore Cuffaro
, incumbent President and House of Freedoms
candidate; Rita Borsellino
, candidate of The Union
; and Nello Musumeci
, MEP elected for the National Alliance
and now leader of the autonomist movement Sicilian Alliance
. In the end, Cuffaro won the election, despite a heavy loss of support compared with five years before, when he was elected with 59.1% of votes.
which saw the centre-right win all the 61 Sicilian ridings. Cuffaro is a prominent member of Union of Christian and Centre Democrats, a Christian democratic party. Often associated to the mafia by his critics because of an open investigation by the magistrature of Palermo
which brought to a trial commitment, Cuffaro will nevertheless head the regional UDC list of candidates for the April general election
.
Rita Borsellino, 61, sister of the late judge Paolo
assassinated by the mafia, gained the centre-left candidacy after having won a primary election
with over 67% of votes. She is not member of any party. If elected, she would be the first female president ever in Sicily.
Nello Musumeci, 51, is a former member of the right-wing National Alliance party; he served as President of the Province of Catania
from 1994 to 2003. He left National Alliance on September 2005 in order to found a new autonomist party, Sicilian Alliance
, of which he is the leader. Despite his past political experiences, Musumeci is highly unlikely to have some actual possibility to win the election.
Pollster claimed this election to be much closer than five years ago, and majority of surveys even put Borsellino to lead over Cuffaro. http://www.freeforumzone.com/FastshowMessaggi.aspx?f=18245&target=_top&idd=2730 However, Sicily confirmed one more time in the April 2006 national election, in which the House of Freedoms obtained 57% of regional votes, to be still a centre-right stronghold. The election was in fact characterized by separate contemporary votes for centre-right parties and Rita Borsellino as president, as the sum of centre-right coalition parties obtained over 60% of votes. In any case, the disjoint vote was not sufficient to ensure Borsellino to win the election, and Cuffaro was confirmed president of Sicily.
Source: Sicily Region
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
was held on 28 May 2006.
The election was competed by three competitors: Salvatore Cuffaro
Salvatore Cuffaro
Salvatore "Totò" Cuffaro is an Italian politician, former President of Sicily, currently serving a 7 years sentence for aiding the Mafia...
, incumbent President and House of Freedoms
House of Freedoms
The House of Freedoms , was a major Italian centre-right political and electoral alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. It was initially composed of several political parties:*Forza Italia *National Alliance...
candidate; Rita Borsellino
Rita Borsellino
Rita Borsellino is an anti-Mafia activist, Sicilian politician, and sister of the late judge Paolo Borsellino, killed by the Corleonesi in 1992 by a car bomb...
, candidate of The Union
The Union (political coalition)
The Union was an centre-left coalition of political parties in Italy. It was led by Romano Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy from April 2006 to April 2008, and former President of the European Commission.-Parties:...
; and Nello Musumeci
Nello Musumeci
Sebastiano Musumeci is an Italian politician and Member of the European Parliament for Islands, part of the Union for a Europe of Nations and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries and its Committee on Industry, Research and Energy...
, MEP elected for the National Alliance
National Alliance (Italy)
National Alliance was a conservative political party in Italy.Gianfranco Fini was the leader of the party since its foundation in 1995, however he stepped down in 2008 after being elected to the nominally non-partisan post of President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and was succeeded by...
and now leader of the autonomist movement Sicilian Alliance
Sicilian Alliance
The Sicilian Alliance is a minor autonomist and national-conservative political party in Sicily, Italy.It was founded in 2005 and was led by Nello Musumeci, a MEP who was elected on the National Alliance's list....
. In the end, Cuffaro won the election, despite a heavy loss of support compared with five years before, when he was elected with 59.1% of votes.
Candidates
Salvatore Cuffaro, 48, was first elected at the Sicilian Presidency in the July 2001 with 59.1% of regional votes; that election was held immediately after the national electionItalian general election, 2001
A national general election was held in Italy on May 13, 2001 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The 14th Parliament of the Italian republic was chosen....
which saw the centre-right win all the 61 Sicilian ridings. Cuffaro is a prominent member of Union of Christian and Centre Democrats, a Christian democratic party. Often associated to the mafia by his critics because of an open investigation by the magistrature of Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
which brought to a trial commitment, Cuffaro will nevertheless head the regional UDC list of candidates for the April general election
Italian general election, 2006
In the Italian general election, 2006 for the renewal of the two Chambers of the Parliament of Italy held on April 9 and April 10, 2006 the incumbent prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, leader of the center-right House of Freedoms, was narrowly defeated by Romano Prodi, leader of the center-left The...
.
Rita Borsellino, 61, sister of the late judge Paolo
Paolo Borsellino
Paolo Borsellino was an Italian anti-Mafia magistrate who was killed by a Mafia car bomb in Palermo, less than two months after his fellow anti-Mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone had been assassinated....
assassinated by the mafia, gained the centre-left candidacy after having won a primary election
Primary elections in Italy
The mechanism of primary elections was used for the first time in Italy by Lega Nord in 1995, but was scarcely used until before the 2005 regional elections, for which the centre-left The Union coalition delegated its potential electors to select candidates for office as President of the Regions of...
with over 67% of votes. She is not member of any party. If elected, she would be the first female president ever in Sicily.
Nello Musumeci, 51, is a former member of the right-wing National Alliance party; he served as President of the Province of Catania
Province of Catania
Catania is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital is the city of Catania.It has an area of 3,552 km², and a total population of 1,073,881 . There are 58 comunes in the province, see Comunes of the Province of Catania...
from 1994 to 2003. He left National Alliance on September 2005 in order to found a new autonomist party, Sicilian Alliance
Sicilian Alliance
The Sicilian Alliance is a minor autonomist and national-conservative political party in Sicily, Italy.It was founded in 2005 and was led by Nello Musumeci, a MEP who was elected on the National Alliance's list....
, of which he is the leader. Despite his past political experiences, Musumeci is highly unlikely to have some actual possibility to win the election.
Pollster claimed this election to be much closer than five years ago, and majority of surveys even put Borsellino to lead over Cuffaro. http://www.freeforumzone.com/FastshowMessaggi.aspx?f=18245&target=_top&idd=2730 However, Sicily confirmed one more time in the April 2006 national election, in which the House of Freedoms obtained 57% of regional votes, to be still a centre-right stronghold. The election was in fact characterized by separate contemporary votes for centre-right parties and Rita Borsellino as president, as the sum of centre-right coalition parties obtained over 60% of votes. In any case, the disjoint vote was not sufficient to ensure Borsellino to win the election, and Cuffaro was confirmed president of Sicily.
Results
| Candidates & parties | votes | votes (%) | seats reg. list |
seats prov. lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salvatore Cuffaro Salvatore Cuffaro Salvatore "Totò" Cuffaro is an Italian politician, former President of Sicily, currently serving a 7 years sentence for aiding the Mafia... |
1,374,706 | 53.1 | 2 | 53 |
| Forza Italia Forza Italia Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy.... |
471,634 | 19.2 | → | 17 |
| Union of Christian and Centre Democrats | 319,349 | 13.0 | → | 11 |
| Movement for Autonomy Movement for Autonomy The Movement for Autonomies is a regionalist Christian democratic political party in Italy. It demands economic development and greater autonomy for Sicily, mainly, and for other regions of Southern Italy... –New Sicily New Sicily New Sicily is a regionalist social-democratic political party based in Sicily. Its founder and current leader is Bartolo Pellegrino. It is composed mainly by former members of the Italian Socialist Party... |
308,219 | 12.5 | → | 10 |
| National Alliance National Alliance (Italy) National Alliance was a conservative political party in Italy.Gianfranco Fini was the leader of the party since its foundation in 1995, however he stepped down in 2008 after being elected to the nominally non-partisan post of President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and was succeeded by... |
259,927 | 10.6 | → | 9 |
| The Kite – President List | 139,344 | 5.7 | → | 6 |
| others | 15,058 | 0.6 | → | - |
| Rita Borsellino Rita Borsellino Rita Borsellino is an anti-Mafia activist, Sicilian politician, and sister of the late judge Paolo Borsellino, killed by the Corleonesi in 1992 by a car bomb... |
1,078,179 | 41.6 | 8 | 27 |
| Democrats of the Left Democrats of the Left The Democrats of the Left was a social-democratic Italian political party and part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition, which merged with a number of centrist and leftist groups to form the Democratic Party on 14 October 2007... |
344,551 | 14.0 | → | 12 |
| Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy | 295,762 | 12.0 | → | 12 |
| Socialists Italian Democratic Socialists The Italian Democratic Socialists were a small social-democratic political party in Italy. Led by Enrico Boselli, the party was the direct continuation of the Italian Socialists, the legal successor of the historical Italian Socialist Party... –IdV Italy of Values Italy of Values is a centrist, populist and anti-corruption political party in Italy. The party, which is affiliated to the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party , is headed by former Mani pulite prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro, who entered politics in 1996.The party aims to gather and give... –PRC Communist Refoundation Party The Communist Refoundation Party is a communist Italian political party. Its current secretary is Paolo Ferrero.... –PdCI Party of Italian Communists The Party of Italian Communists is a communist political party in Italy. Its long-time leader is Oliviero Diliberto.-Foundation and early years:... –Greens Federation of the Greens The Federation of the Greens is a green political party in Italy, which includes also a large eco-socialist faction. Since 2009 the party leader is Angelo Bonelli.-Early years:... –Spring |
127,947 | 5.2 | → | 3 |
| Rita – My Commitment for Sicily | 119,177 | 4.8 | → | - |
| Nello Musumeci Nello Musumeci Sebastiano Musumeci is an Italian politician and Member of the European Parliament for Islands, part of the Union for a Europe of Nations and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries and its Committee on Industry, Research and Energy... |
136,545 | 5.3 | - | - |
| Sicilian Alliance Sicilian Alliance The Sicilian Alliance is a minor autonomist and national-conservative political party in Sicily, Italy.It was founded in 2005 and was led by Nello Musumeci, a MEP who was elected on the National Alliance's list.... |
59,380 | 2.4 | → | - |
| Total | 2,589,430 | 100.0 | 10 | 80 |
Source: Sicily Region