Sardinian President Alessandra Todde has signed a decree to establish a new province called Northeast Gallura, created by splitting off the province of Sassari, which has now become a metropolitan city. The establishment of the new entity completes the reform of Sardinia's provinces, which have been canceled, reinstated and modified several times over the past 20 years until the current arrangement. There are now two metropolitan cities in the region - Cagliari and Sassari - and six provinces: Medio Campidano, Sulcis Iglesiente, Ogliastra, Nuoro, Oristano and Northeast Gallura. Sardinia can freely decide its institutional structure because it is a special administrative region. Over the years, this condition has allowed the various councils to establish provinces with fewer municipalities and inhabitants than most Italian provinces.