La legislazione elettorale trentina, indice della speciale autonomia provinciale

The provincial electoral legislation in Trentino can be examined by framing it in the provisions of the special Statute of the Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol Region. Some provisions are common to special autonomies, such as, for example, the primary nature of legislative competence and the attribution of passive electorate only to the residents in the Region. These provisions differentiate the special autonomies from the ordinary Regions. Other provisions are specific instead only to the autonomous Provinces of the Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol Region, such as, for example, the provincial character of the legislative competence and the guaranteed representation of a linguistic minority (the Ladin one). These provisions differentiate the autonomous Provinces of Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol Region from all the other Italian Regions. The analysis of the Trentino electoral legislation highlights some characteristics of the special autonomy of the Trento Province: on the one hand, the possibility of applying institutional solutions similar to those of the ordinary Regions, i.e. the direct popular election of the President and the provision of a majority bonus to the lists connected to him, once the representation of the Ladin minority is guaranteed; on the other hand, its belonging to the Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol Region, together with the autonomous Province of Bolzano, which in any case conditions the application of these institutional solutions, with particular reference to the possibility to derogate from the simul stabunt simul cadent clause.