# Politics of Sardinia

The Politics of Sardinia (Sardinia, Italy) takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democracy, whereby the President of Regional Government is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the Regional Government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Regional Council of Sardinia.

## Legislative branch

The Regional Council of Sardinia (Consiglio Regionale della Sardegna) is composed of 60 members. The Assembly is elected for a five-year term, but, if the President suffers a vote of no confidence, resigns or dies, under the simul stabunt vel simul cadent clause, also the Assembly will be dissolved and there will be a fresh election.

## Executive branch

The Regional Government (Giunta Regionale) is presided by the President of the Region (Presidente della Regione), who is elected for a five-year term, and is composed by the President and the Ministers (Assessori), who are currently 12.

### List of presidents
#### Elected by the Regional Council (1949–1994)

| № | Name | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Legislature |
| 1 | Luigi Crespellani | 31 May 1949 | 3 July 1953 | DC | I (1949) |
| 1 | Luigi Crespellani | 3 July 1953 | 21 January 1954 | DC | II (1953) |
| 2 | Alfredo Corrias | 21 January 1954 | 21 June 1955 | DC | II (1953) |
| 3 | Giuseppe Brotzu | 21 June 1955 | 2 July 1957 | DC | II (1953) |
| 3 | Giuseppe Brotzu | 2 July 1957 | 13 November 1958 | DC | III (1957) |
| 4 | Efisio Corrias | 13 November 1958 | 3 July 1961 | DC | III (1957) |
| 4 | Efisio Corrias | 3 July 1961 | 3 July 1965 | DC | IV (1961) |
| 4 | Efisio Corrias | 3 July 1965 | 16 March 1966 | DC | V (1965) |
| 5 | Paolo Dettori | 16 March 1966 | 14 February 1967 | DC | V (1965) |
| 6 | Giovanni Del Rio | 14 February 1967 | 3 July 1969 | DC | V (1965) |
| 6 | Giovanni Del Rio | 3 July 1969 | 2 February 1970 | DC | VI (1969) |
| 7 | Lucio Abis | 2 February 1970 | 5 January 1971 | DC | VI (1969) |
| 8 | Antonio Giagu De Martini | 5 January 1971 | 11 February 1972 | DC | VI (1969) |
| 9 | Pietro Soddu | 11 February 1972 | 18 March 1972 | DC | VI (1969) |
| 10 | Salvator Angelo Spanu | 18 March 1972 | 7 December 1972 | DC | VI (1969) |
| (8) | Antonio Gagiu De Martini | 7 December 1972 | 10 December 1973 | DC | VI (1969) |
| (6) | Giovanni Del Rio | 10 December 1973 | 3 July 1974 | DC | VI (1969) |
| (6) | Giovanni Del Rio | 3 July 1974 | 8 May 1976 | DC | VII (1974) |
| (9) | Pietro Soddu | 8 May 1976 | 31 July 1979 | DC | VII (1974) |
| 11 | Mario Puddu | 31 July 1979 | 25 September 1979 | DC | VIII (1979) |
| 12 | Alessandro Ghinami | 15 September 1979 | 7 October 1980 | PSDI | VIII (1979) |
| (9) | Pietro Soddu | 7 October 1980 | 12 November 1980 | DC | VIII (1979) |
| (11) | Mario Puddu | 12 November 1980 | 4 December 1980 | DC | VIII (1979) |
| 13 | Francesco Rais | 4 December 1980 | 18 May 1982 | PSI | VIII (1979) |
| 14 | Mario Melis | 18 May 1982 | 16 June 1982 | PSd'Az | VIII (1979) |
| 15 | Angelo Rojch | 16 June 1982 | 24 August 1984 | DC | VIII (1979) |
| (14) | Mario Melis | 24 August 1984 | 8 August 1989 | PSd'Az | IX (1984) |
| 16 | Mario Floris | 8 August 1989 | 13 November 1991 | DC | X (1989) |
| 17 | Antonello Cabras | 13 November 1991 | 5 August 1994 | PSI | X (1989) |

#### Directly-elected presidents (since 1994)

| N. | President | Term of office | Term of office | Tenure (Years and days) | Party | Coalition | Legislature |
| 18 | Federico Palomba (1937– ) | 5 August 1994 | 9 August 1999 | 5 years, 4 days | PDS | PDS–PRC–FD | XI (1994) |
| 19 | Mauro Pili (1966– ) | 9 August 1999 | 18 October 1999 | 70 days | FI | FI–AN–RS–CCD | XII (1999) |
| 20 | Gian Mario Selis (1944– ) | 18 October 1999 | 16 November 1999 | 29 days | PPI | PDS–PPI–FD–Dem–SDI–PRC | XII (1999) |
| (16) | Mario Floris (1937– ) | 16 November 1999 | 25 October 2001 | 1 year, 343 days | UDR | PDS–DL–UDR–FD–Dem–SDI–PRC | XII (1999) |
| (19) | Mauro Pili (1966– ) | 25 October 2001 | 28 August 2003 | 1 year, 307 days | FI | FI–AN–RS–CCD | XII (1999) |
| 21 | Italo Masala (1937– ) | 28 August 2003 | 26 June 2004 | 303 days | AN | FI–AN–RS–CCD | XII (1999) |
| 22 | Renato Soru (1957– ) | 26 June 2004 | 27 February 2009 | 4 years, 246 days | DS PD | PD–PS–PRC–SDI–UDEUR–PdCI–IdV | XIII (2004) |
| 23 | Ugo Cappellacci (1960– ) | 27 February 2009 | 12 March 2014 | 5 years, 13 days | PdL FI | PdL–UDC–RS–PSd'Az | XIV (2009) |
| 24 | Francesco Pigliaru (1954– ) | 12 March 2014 | 20 March 2019 | 5 years, 8 days | PD | PD–SEL–PdS–RM–CD–PRC– UPC–PSI–IdV–FdV–iRS–LB | XV (2014) |
| 25 | Christian Solinas (1976– ) | 20 March 2019 | 20 March 2024 | 5 years, 0 days | PSd'AZ | Lega–PSd'Az–FI–RS–FdI–UDC | XVI (2019) |
| 26 | Alessandra Todde (1969– ) | 20 March 2024 | Incumbent | 203 days | M5S | PD–M5S–AVS–OC–PP–SF–PSI | XVII (2024) |

## Local government
### Municipalities

Sardinia is also divided in 377 comuni (municipalities), which have even more history, having been established in the Middle Ages when they were the main places of government.

#### Provincial capitals

| Municipality | Inhabitants | Mayor | Party | Election |
| Cagliari | 154,106 | Paolo Truzzu | Brothers of Italy | 2019 |
| Nuoro | 36,316 | Andrea Soddu | Independent | 2015 |
| Oristano | 31,750 | Andrea Lutzu | Forza Italia | 2017 |
| Sassari | 127,018 | Nanni Campus | Independent (centre-right) | 2019 |

#### Others with 25,000+ inhabitants

| Municipality | Inhabitants | Mayor | Party | Election |
| Quartu Sant'Elena | 70,453 | Graziano Ernesto Milia | Independent (centre-left) | 2020 |
| Olbia | 60,432 | Settimo Nizzi | Forza Italia | 2016 |
| Alghero | 43,964 | Mario Conoci | Sardinian Action Party | 2019 |
| Selargius | 28,666 | Pier Luigi Concu | Forza Italia | 2017 |
| Carbonia | 28,103 | Paola Massidda | Five Star Movement | 2016 |
| Assemini | 26,774 | Sabrina Licheri | Five Star Movement | 2018 |
| Iglesias | 26,678 | Mauro Usai | Independent (centre-left) | 2018 |

## Political parties and elections
### Latest regional election

The latest regional election took place on 25 February 2024. Alessandra Todde of the Five Star Movement, at the head of a centre-left coalition centred on the Democratic Party, narrowly defeated Paolo Truzzu of Brothers of Italy, who replaced incumbent president Christian Solinas of the Sardinian Action Party as standard-bearer of the centre-right coalition. In a fragmented party system, with the presence of several regional and/or Sardinian nationalist parties, the Democratic Party was narrowly ahead of Brothers of Italy as largest party.
25 February 2024 Sardinia regional election results :
| Results by party Results by coalition ||||||||||
| Candidates | Candidates | Votes | % | Seats | Parties | Parties | Votes | % | Seats |
| | Alessandra Todde | 334,160 | 45.4 | 1 | | Democratic Party | 95,285 | 13.8 | 11 |
| | Alessandra Todde | 334,160 | 45.4 | 1 | | Five Star Movement | 53,613 | 7.8 | 7 |
| | Alessandra Todde | 334,160 | 45.4 | 1 | | Greens and Left Alliance (Incl. SI, EV, Pos) | 32,145 | 4.7 | 4 |
| | Alessandra Todde | 334,160 | 45.4 | 1 | | United for Alessandra Todde | 27,422 | 4.0 | 3 |
| | Alessandra Todde | 334,160 | 45.4 | 1 | | Shared Horizon (Incl. ScN) | 20,984 | 3.0 | 3 |
| | Alessandra Todde | 334,160 | 45.4 | 1 | | Progressive Party | 20,868 | 3.0 | 3 |
| | Alessandra Todde | 334,160 | 45.4 | 1 | | Future Left | 20,574 | 3.0 | 3 |
| | Alessandra Todde | 334,160 | 45.4 | 1 | | Italian Socialist Party – SIE | 11,637 | 1.7 | 1 |
| | Alessandra Todde | 334,160 | 45.4 | 1 | | Fortza Paris | 6,068 | 0.9 | – |
| | Alessandra Todde | 334,160 | 45.4 | 1 | | Solidary Democracy | 4,692 | 0.7 | – |
| | Alessandra Todde | 334,160 | 45.4 | 1 | Total | Total | 293,288 | 42.5 | 36 |
| | Paolo Truzzu | 331,099 | 45.0 | 1 | | Brothers of Italy | 93,921 | 13.6 | 7 |
| | Paolo Truzzu | 331,099 | 45.0 | 1 | | Sardinian Reformers | 49,629 | 7.2 | 3 |
| | Paolo Truzzu | 331,099 | 45.0 | 1 | | Forza Italia | 43,892 | 6.4 | 3 |
| | Paolo Truzzu | 331,099 | 45.0 | 1 | | Sardinia in the Centre 2020 | 37,950 | 5.5 | 3 |
| | Paolo Truzzu | 331,099 | 45.0 | 1 | | Sardinian Action Party | 37,341 | 5.4 | 3 |
| | Paolo Truzzu | 331,099 | 45.0 | 1 | | Sardinia Alliance – PLI | 28,203 | 4.1 | 2 |
| | Paolo Truzzu | 331,099 | 45.0 | 1 | | League | 25,957 | 3.8 | 2 |
| | Paolo Truzzu | 331,099 | 45.0 | 1 | | Union of the Centre | 19,237 | 2.8 | 1 |
| | Paolo Truzzu | 331,099 | 45.0 | 1 | | Christian Democracy with Rotondi | 2,110 | 0.3 | – |
| | Paolo Truzzu | 331,099 | 45.0 | 1 | Total | Total | 333,873 | 48.4 | 23 |
| | Renato Soru | 63,666 | 8.7 | – | | Sardinia Project | 23,872 | 3.5 | – |
| | Renato Soru | 63,666 | 8.7 | – | | Vote Sardinia | 10,830 | 1.6 | – |
| | Renato Soru | 63,666 | 8.7 | – | | Action – More Europe – LDE – UPC | 10,577 | 1.5 | – |
| | Renato Soru | 63,666 | 8.7 | – | | Liberu | 4,993 | 0.7 | – |
| | Renato Soru | 63,666 | 8.7 | – | | Communist Refoundation Party | 4,534 | 0.7 | – |
| | Renato Soru | 63,666 | 8.7 | – | Total | Total | 54,569 | 7.9 | – |
| | Lucia Chessa | 7,261 | 1.0 | – | | Sardigna R-Esiste | 4,067 | 0.6 | – |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 21,412 | – | | | | | | |
| Total candidates | Total candidates | 736,186 | 100.00 | 2 | Total parties | Total parties | 690.401 | 100.00 | 58 |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | 1.447.753 | | | | | | | |
| Source: Autonomous Region of Sardinia – Results ||||||||||