“Restoring” autonomy: Arno Compacher returns to…

The South Tyrol state parliament re-elected current governor Arno Kombacher of the SVP party. 19 representatives voted in favor of it and 16 opposed it.

The South Tyrol state parliament re-elected Arno Kombacher as state governor on Thursday. 19 members of the state parliament voted in favor of it, compared to 16 against it. This is entirely consistent with the majority of the new centre-right five-party coalition formed by Kombacher, which consists of the South Tyrol People's Party, the South Tyrol Freedom Party, Fratelli d'Italia, Lega and La Civica.

In his short government statement to the state parliament, Compacher earlier referred to the drift of society, but also to the political scene, which now includes twelve factions in the state parliament. The world and the country have become more complex. This is also reflected in the formation of the government of five parties.

Compacher's most important goal: to “restore” autonomy to South Tyrol

The governor, who was later re-elected, described “restoring” autonomy as an important goal. But creating social balance will also be a central task for the new state government. People's problems were addressed. Compacher spoke of a “very good” coalition agreement. The governor stressed that South Tyrol has a bridge function and is “a little Europe within Europe.” To do well, it is necessary to “overcome the gaps”.

The five-party coalition was only reached on Wednesday after difficult negotiations. Until recently, there was a fierce struggle over the number and size of Italian-speaking members of the Council of State in the government. Ultimately, an agreement was reached on the formation of an eleven-member government. The Italian parties Fratelli d'Italia and Lega each have a regional advisor. The small list of citizens, La Civica, will not be represented in state government. According to coalition members, state MP Angelo Genacaro will be proposed for the position of Speaker of the State Parliament, among others. The new state government is scheduled to be elected in the state parliament on January 31. (Abba)