Abstract
South Tyrol, an Italian province with German- and Ladin-speaking populations and a sophisticated system of territorial autonomy and consociational democracy (the so-called second Statute of Autonomy), is consider a model to deal with "ethnic" tensions. However, in the past decades South Tyrol witnessed the gradual erosion of some of its autonomous powers, raising concerns in the province. Meanwhile the last 2023 elections for the Provincial Council seems to have marked a turning point since for the first time, the Südtiroler Volkspartei, the party that historically represented the German-speaking population, has lost its dominant position and has been forced to create a broader governing alliance involving more than one Italian and/or German party, including Fratelli d'Italia, the party heir to the Italian nationalist and post-fascist tradition. The recovery of the lost autonomous power will be among the priority of the next government coalition. Also of note is the electoral success of Südtiroler Freiheit, a party that prioritizes secessionist goals over autonomy.
In light of the recent political dynamics that emerged in the last Provincial Council election, this paper aims to analyze the political developments of South Tyrolean autonomy. Specifically, the research investigates how the Statute of Autonomy affected the relations at the political level between South Tyrolean linguistic groups and the evolution of the narratives and perceptions of South Tyrolean political forces towards the autonomy system. To this end I examine the political discourses of relevant South Tyrolean parties as emerged in their electoral manifestos for the last 2023 election, comparing them with selected previous programs and discourses in order to highlight whether, how and to what extent perceptions and views over the autonomy system have changed over time. The analysis will reveal the challenges, opportunities and contradictions of South Tyrolean autonomy in times of changes and turmoil.