The Sardinian Reformers ( it, Riformatori Sardi, RS) is a

liberal-conservative Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by lib ...

and regionalist,

Christian-democratic Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic i ...

political party in Sardinia, led by Michele Cossa. The party, which has always been part of the centre-right at the

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label= Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, af ...

n regional level, is a keen supporter of the

free market In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any o ...

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, ind ...

globalization Globalization, or globalisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences), is the process of foreign relation ...

and a

two-party system A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually refe ...

History

The party emerged in 1993 as the Sardinian section of the Segni Pact. This list was launched by Mario Segni, a former

Christian Democrat Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

from Sardinia, and was composed of former Christian Democrats and Liberals. When the Segni Pact entered The Olive Tree centre-left coalition in the run-up for the

1996 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1996. * 1995–1996 Azerbaijani parliamentary election * 1996 Beninese presidential election * 1996 Comorian presidential election * 1996 New Zealand general election * 1996 Nicaraguan general election ...

(through

Italian Renewal Italian Renewal ( it, Rinnovamento Italiano, RI) was a centrist and liberal political party in Italy. The party was a member of The Olive Tree and centre-left coalition, while also affiliated to the European People's Party from 1998 to 2004. ...

), the RS gained some independence from the mother-party, and, when at the 1999 European Parliament election Segni formed a joint

electoral list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...

with National Alliance, some of their members looked closer to

Forza Italia Forza ItaliaThe name is not usually translated into English: ''forza'' is the second-person singular imperative of ''forzare'', in this case translating to "to compel" or "to press", and so means something like "Forward, Italy", "Come on, Ital ...

. Led by Michele Cossa and Massimo Fantola, the RS were part of the centre-right in Sardinia since 1999 and, at the 2001 general election, Cossa was elected deputy in a single-seat constituency in

Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitan ...

for the

House of Freedoms The House of Freedoms ( it, Casa delle Libertà, CdL) was a major centre-right political and electoral alliance in Italy, led by Silvio Berlusconi. History The CdL was the successor of the Pole of Freedoms/ Pole of Good Government and the Pol ...

coalition. During the years in government of

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...

(2001–2006), the RS started to be critical of the centre-right. In 2003 the RS contributed to the foundation of the new national party of Mario Segni named Pact of Liberal Democrats. This party was on the ballot at the

2004 European Parliament election The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for, but electe ...

and won only a misere 0.5% (7.4% in Sardinia). In the same year RS won 5.9% of the vote at the

regional election In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

, having four Reformers elected to the Regional Council. In the 2006 general election Fantola was elected senators for the

Union of Christian and Centre Democrats The Union of the Centre ( it, Unione di Centro, UdC), whose complete name is "Union of Christian and Centre Democrats" (''Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democratici di Centro'', UDC), is a Christian-democratic political party in Italy. Loren ...

(UDC), at the time member of the House of Freedoms, while Cossa, candidate for the Chamber of Deputies, failed to be elected. For the 2008 general election they tried to form an alliance with

The People of Freedom The People of Freedom ( it, Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The PdL, launched by Silvio Berlusconi on 18 November 2007, was initially a federation of political parties, notably including Forza Italia ...

, but talks failed. At the 2009 regional election the party was part of the centre-right coalition in support of Ugo Cappellacci, who was elected president. The RS won 6.8% of the vote (having their strongholds in the provinces of Oristano and Olbia-Tempio, where they gained 10.0 and 8.7%, respectively) and five regional councillors (including Cossa) plus one (

Franco Meloni Franco Meloni is a former Italian racing driver. He entered eight races between 1949 and 1954, of which he drove five in a Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo ...

, a former leading member of the

Sardinian Action Party The Sardinian Action Party ( sc, Partidu Sardu, it, Partito Sardo d'Azione, PSd'Az or PSdA) is a Sardinian nationalist, regionalist and separatist political party in Sardinia. While being traditionally part of the Sardinian centre-left, the p ...

) elected in Cappellacci's regional list. At the 2010 provincial elections the party was strongest in

Oristano Oristano (; sc, Aristanis ) is an Italian city and ''comune'', and capital of the Province of Oristano in the central-western part of the island of Sardinia. It is located on the northern part of the Campidano plain. It was established as the ...

(9.0%), Olbia-Tempio (8.9%) and

(7.3%). In 2011 Fantola was the centre-right candidate for mayor of Cagliari, but he was severely defeated by his left-wing opponent. In the

2013 general election Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

the RS were part of

Civic Choice Civic Choice ( it, Scelta Civica; SC) was a centrist and liberal political party in Italy founded by Mario Monti. The party was formed in the run-up of the 2013 general election to support the outgoing Prime Minister Monti and continue his polit ...

and Reformer Pierpaolo Vargiu was elected to the Chamber. In the 2014 regional election, during which Cappellacci lost to Francesco Pigliaru, the RS won 6.0% of the vote and three regional councillors.Sardegna - Elezioni Regionali del 16 febbraio 2014 - la Repubblica.it
/ref> In the 2019 regional election the RS supported the winning President, Christian Solinas of the Sardinian Action Party, won 5.0% of the vote and three regional councillors.

Popular support

The electoral results of the RS in

since 1994 are shown in the table below.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{Political parties in Italy Political parties in Sardinia Political parties established in 1993 1993 establishments in Italy