ABSTRACT
Despite its political achievements, the scientific focus on this party has been relatively limited. The historical antecedents and the origins of this party have been explored (Knüsel & Hottinger 1994), as has its relationship with Ticino’s political system (Mazzoleni 1999), and mention has been made of the ways in which the LdT is similar to and different from the largest Swiss party, the Swiss People’s Party (Mazzoleni 2003) and its simultaneously localist, regionalist, and nationalist rhetoric (Bohrer 1993: 47 ff.; Mazzoleni 2005; Albertazzi 2007). However, there has been no up-to-date analysis of its electoral success, its success in office, its policy success, or the relationships that exist between these different types of success. In what way has electoral success translated into success in office, and what are the conditions in which policy success has been able to gain ground in recent years?
