Christian Democratic Center
Encyclopedia
The Christian Democratic Centre (Centro Cristiano Democratico, CCD) was a Christian democratic
political party in Italy.
(DC), in 1994. Its leader were Pier Ferdinando Casini
and Clemente Mastella
who advocated an alliance with Silvio Berlusconi
's Forza Italia
(FI), while the PPI advocated a centrist
alliance with Patto Segni
, the Pact for Italy
. The CCD represented the right wing of the old DC, while the PPI was largely the heir of the party's left wing, especially after the split of the United Christian Democrats
(CDU) in 1995.
In the 1994 general election
the CCD joined FI into the Pole of Freedoms
in Northern Italy
and the Pole of Good Government
in Southern Italy, forming a joint list with FI for the proportional system and gaining 27 deputies and 12 senators. After the election the CCD joined Berlusconi I Cabinet
with Clemente Mastella becoming Minister of Labour and Francesco D'Onofrio Minister of Education.
After the sudden fall of Berlusconi in December 1994, when Lega Nord left the government majority, a new general election
took place in 1996. The CCD formed a joint list with the CDU. The alliance proved successful, gaining 5.8% of the vote, 30 deputies and 15 senators, however, as the centre-right lost the election to The Olive Tree centre-left coalition, the party remained into opposition
.
In 1998 Clemente Mastella and several other MPs left the party to form, along with the CDU, the Democratic Union for the Republic
(UDR), that came into support to the centre-left government. In 1999 the UDR was transformed into the Union of Democrats for Europe and the CDU re-organized themselves as a party, returning to the alliance with the CCD.
Once again CCD and CDU formed an alliance for the 2001 general election
, this time gaining only 3.2% of the vote, as part of the winning House of Freedoms
coalition composed mainly of Forza Italia, the National Alliance
and Lega Nord. In 2002 the CCD, the CDU and European Democracy
(DE) formally merged into one party, the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC).
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
political party in Italy.
History
The party emerged from a split from Italian People's Party (PPI), direct heir of the Christian DemocracyChristian Democracy (Italy)
Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield ....
(DC), in 1994. Its leader were Pier Ferdinando Casini
Pier Ferdinando Casini
Pier Ferdinando Casini is an Italian politician.-Biography:President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2001 to 2006...
and Clemente Mastella
Clemente Mastella
Mario Clemente Mastella is an Italian politician. He is currently leader of Popular-UDEUR, a minor centrist Italian party. He was Minister of Labour in the Berlusconi government from 10 May 1994 to 17 January 1995, and Minister of Justice in the Prodi government from 17 May 2006 to 17 January 2008...
who advocated an alliance with Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
's Forza Italia
Forza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
(FI), while the PPI advocated a centrist
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
alliance with Patto Segni
Patto Segni
Patto Segni was a Christian-democratic and liberal political party in Italy, named after Mario Segni.-History:The party was founded in 1993 as a split from Democratic Alliance and as the continuation of the Populars for the Reform, a split from Christian Democracy in 1992, whose principal aim was...
, the Pact for Italy
Pact for Italy
The Pact of Italy was a centrist electoral coalition in Italy, launched by Mario Segni and Mino Martinazzoli in 1994....
. The CCD represented the right wing of the old DC, while the PPI was largely the heir of the party's left wing, especially after the split of the United Christian Democrats
United Christian Democrats
The United Christian Democrats was a Christian democratic party in Italy.-History:It began in 1995 by a split of those members of the Italian People's Party who wanted to enter into an alliance with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia...
(CDU) in 1995.
In the 1994 general election
Italian general election, 1994
An early national general election was held in Italy on March 27, 1994 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right alliance won handily the election for the Chamber and only narrowly lost that for the Senate....
the CCD joined FI into the Pole of Freedoms
Pole of Freedoms
The Pole of Freedoms was a centre-right electoral alliance in Italy, launched at the 1994 general election by Silvio Berlusconi.The alliance was composed primarily of Forza Italia and the Lega Nord, but also included Christian Democratic Centre and the Union of the Centre...
in Northern Italy
Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
and the Pole of Good Government
Pole of Good Government
The Pole of Good Government was a centre-right electoral alliance in Italy, launched at the 1994 general election by Silvio Berlusconi.The alliance was composed primarily of Forza Italia and the National Alliance, but also included Christian Democratic Centre , the Union of the Centre and Liberal...
in Southern Italy, forming a joint list with FI for the proportional system and gaining 27 deputies and 12 senators. After the election the CCD joined Berlusconi I Cabinet
Berlusconi I Cabinet
The Berlusconi I Cabinet was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 10 May 1994 to January 17, 1995.It was composed of 26 ministers and 38 under-secretaries, for a total of 64 members.Composition of the government:...
with Clemente Mastella becoming Minister of Labour and Francesco D'Onofrio Minister of Education.
After the sudden fall of Berlusconi in December 1994, when Lega Nord left the government majority, a new general election
Italian general election, 1996
An early national general election was held in Italy on 21 April, 1996 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic...
took place in 1996. The CCD formed a joint list with the CDU. The alliance proved successful, gaining 5.8% of the vote, 30 deputies and 15 senators, however, as the centre-right lost the election to The Olive Tree centre-left coalition, the party remained into opposition
Opposition (politics)
In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government , party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country...
.
In 1998 Clemente Mastella and several other MPs left the party to form, along with the CDU, the Democratic Union for the Republic
Democratic Union for the Republic
The Democratic Union for the Republic was a short-lived centrist political party in Italy.It was founded in February 1998 by Francesco Cossiga, Clemente Mastella , Rocco Buttiglione , Mario Segni The Democratic Union for the Republic (Unione Democratica per la Repubblica, UDR) was a short-lived...
(UDR), that came into support to the centre-left government. In 1999 the UDR was transformed into the Union of Democrats for Europe and the CDU re-organized themselves as a party, returning to the alliance with the CCD.
Once again CCD and CDU formed an alliance for the 2001 general election
Italian general election, 2001
A national general election was held in Italy on May 13, 2001 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The 14th Parliament of the Italian republic was chosen....
, this time gaining only 3.2% of the vote, as part of the winning House of Freedoms
House of Freedoms
The House of Freedoms , was a major Italian centre-right political and electoral alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. It was initially composed of several political parties:*Forza Italia *National Alliance...
coalition composed mainly of Forza Italia, the National Alliance
National Alliance (Italy)
National Alliance was a conservative political party in Italy.Gianfranco Fini was the leader of the party since its foundation in 1995, however he stepped down in 2008 after being elected to the nominally non-partisan post of President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and was succeeded by...
and Lega Nord. In 2002 the CCD, the CDU and European Democracy
European Democracy
European Democracy was a minor christian-democratic Italian political party.It was founded in 2000 by Sergio D'Antoni , Giulio Andreotti and Ortensio Zecchino, all three spliters from the Italian People's Party...
(DE) formally merged into one party, the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC).
Leadership
- Secretary: Pier Ferdinando CasiniPier Ferdinando CasiniPier Ferdinando Casini is an Italian politician.-Biography:President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2001 to 2006...
(1994–2001), Marco FolliniMarco FolliniMarco Follini is an Italian centre-wing politician.Follini was born in Rome. He was National Secretary of the Democrats' Centre Union party until October 15, 2005...
(2001–2002) - President: Clemente MastellaClemente MastellaMario Clemente Mastella is an Italian politician. He is currently leader of Popular-UDEUR, a minor centrist Italian party. He was Minister of Labour in the Berlusconi government from 10 May 1994 to 17 January 1995, and Minister of Justice in the Prodi government from 17 May 2006 to 17 January 2008...
(1994–1998), Sandro Fontana (1998–2002)
- Party Leader in the Chamber of DeputiesItalian Chamber of DeputiesThe Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...
: Carlo GiovanardiCarlo GiovanardiCarlo Amedeo Giovanardi is an Italian politician and member of the Parliament..-Political career:He graduated in jurisprudence, and did his military service in the Carabinieri...
(1994–1998), Marco FolliniMarco FolliniMarco Follini is an Italian centre-wing politician.Follini was born in Rome. He was National Secretary of the Democrats' Centre Union party until October 15, 2005...
(1998–2001) - Party Leader in the SenateItalian SenateThe Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...
: Massimo Palombi (1994–1996), Francesco D'Onofrio (1996–2001) - Party Leader in the European ParliamentEuropean ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
: Sandro Fontana (1994–1999), Raffaele LombardoRaffaele LombardoRaffaele Lombardo is an Italian politician, President of Sicily and former Member of the European Parliament for Islands with the Movement for Autonomies and has sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.He is a substitute for the Committee on the...
(1999–2004)