HelvEthica Ticino rocked by internal dispute over name and Il Noce alliance

The HelvEthica Ticino party can no longer use the name and logo of the national party. That is the decision of the national presidency, following a dispute over the alliance that Werner Nussbaumer and Brenno Martignoni Polti, of the Il Noce movement, formed for the cantonal government elections on April 11.

HelvEthica's national president, Patrick De Sépibus, told RSI that two decisions had not been communicated as required from the start: Nussbaumer's candidacy as president of HelvEthica Ticino, a role De Sépibus says does not exist, and the alliance with Il Noce. He said the national membership was largely opposed. For this reason, the presidency asked the Ticino committee to stop using the party's name until a solution is found. De Sépibus added that he had sought an agreement with the Ticino section but had never received the documents needed to assess the situation.

Thirty-four members have since requested an extraordinary general assembly. The stated aim is to save HelvEthica, an outcome the national presidency also hopes for. It is not yet clear whether the party will run in the next cantonal elections. In Bellinzona, the group had already effectively disappeared: both Roberto Ostinelli and Maria Pia Ambrosetti had resigned from HelvEthica and now sit in the cantonal parliament as independents.

A new project and mutual accusations

Nussbaumer, meanwhile, already has another political project ready. On Thursday he will present the Viva Ticino movement to the press as its president. For De Sépibus, the matter would be settled if Nussbaumer formally resigned from HelvEthica Ticino, something he has not confirmed. De Sépibus said it is up to the committee to convene the general assembly, which must decide whether Nussbaumer can keep both roles at once, a situation he called pointless.

Contacted by RSI, Nussbaumer replied that the national presidency has no authority to intervene, since it has only shown up in Ticino once. He said he agreed to stop using the logo, but asserted the Ticino section's autonomy. In his view, the dispute concerns the people involved, not the party's political line.

The story continues on Thursday, with the presentation of Viva Ticino.