Democratic Party (Italy) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Democratic Party is a social-democratic

Social democracy

Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...

political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani

Pier Luigi Bersani

Pier Luigi Bersani is an Italian politician and the current Secretary of the Democratic Party of Italy, the main center-left political party in Italy . He was Minister of Industry, Commerce and Craftmanship from 1996 to 1999, Minister of Transports from 1999 to 2001, and Minister of Economic...

, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election

Democratic Party (Italy) leadership election, 2009

The 2009 Democratic Party leadership election was held in July–November 2009 following the resignation of Walter Veltroni in February 2009, after 16 months as secretary of the Democratic Party , the second-largest political party in Italy....

.

The party was founded on 14 October 2007 as a merger of various left-wing and centrist parties which were part of The Union

The Union (political coalition)

The Union was an centre-left coalition of political parties in Italy. It was led by Romano Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy from April 2006 to April 2008, and former President of the European Commission.-Parties:...

in the 2006 general election

Italian general election, 2006

In the Italian general election, 2006 for the renewal of the two Chambers of the Parliament of Italy held on April 9 and April 10, 2006 the incumbent prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, leader of the center-right House of Freedoms, was narrowly defeated by Romano Prodi, leader of the center-left The...

. Several parties merged into the Democratic Party, however its bulk was formed by the Democrats of the Left

Democrats of the Left

The Democrats of the Left was a social-democratic Italian political party and part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition, which merged with a number of centrist and leftist groups to form the Democratic Party on 14 October 2007...

(heirs of the Italian Communist Party

Italian Communist Party

The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played...

) and Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy. Within the party, an important role is played also by Christian left

Christian left

The Christian left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe a spectrum of left-wing Christian political and social movements which largely embraces social justice....

ists, who are the direct heirs of the late Christian Democracy

Christian 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 ....

party's left.

The Olive Tree

In the early 1990s, following Tangentopoli
Tangentopoli
Tangentopoli is a term which was coined to describe pervasive corruption in the Italian political system exposed in the 1992-6 Mani Pulite investigations, as well as the resulting scandal, which led to the collapse of the hitherto dominant Christian Democracy party and its allies.-Popular distrust...

, the end of the so-called First Republic and the transformation of the Italian Communist Party

Italian Communist Party

into the Democratic Party of the Left

Democratic Party of the Left

The Democratic Party of the Left was a post-communist, democratic socialist political party in Italy.-History:...

, a process
aimed at uniting left-wing and centre-left forcees into a single political entity started. In 1995–1996 Romano Prodi

Romano Prodi

Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...

, formerly close to the left-wing of Christian Democracy

Christian Democracy (Italy)

, entered politics and founded The Olive Tree, a centre-left coalition including the former Communists, the Italian People's Party, the Federation of the Greens

Federation of the Greens

The Federation of the Greens is a green political party in Italy, which includes also a large eco-socialist faction. Since 2009 the party leader is Angelo Bonelli.-Early years:...

, Italian Renewal

Italian Renewal

The Italian Renewal was a liberal-centrist political party in Italy.It was founded in 1996 by Lamberto Dini along with some former Liberals, Socialists, Christian Democrats, Republicans and Social Democrats...

, the Italian Socialists

Italian Socialists

The Italian Socialists were a minor social-democratic political party in Italy active in Italy from 1994 to 1998....

and Democratic Union. The coalition, in alliance with the Communist Refoundation Party

Communist Refoundation Party

The Communist Refoundation Party is a communist Italian political party. Its current secretary is Paolo Ferrero....

, won the 1996 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...

and Prodi was sworn in as Prime Minister.

Later steps transformed the Democratic Party of the Left into the Democrats of the Left

Democrats of the Left

in 1998, with the merging of other centre-left parties, and in 2002 centrists in the coalition to form Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy. This was born by the merger of the Italian People's Party, The Democrats, launched by Romano Prodi

Romano Prodi

Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...

in 1999 with a centre-left platform, and Italian Renewal

Italian Renewal

. In 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....

these three parties, alongside with UDEUR Populars, formed an electoral alliance under the leadership of Francesco Rutelli, then Prime Ministerial candidate for The Olive Tree coalition, and then transformed it into a single centrist party, without the participation of UDEUR Populars.

In the summer of 2003, Romano Prodi suggested that the centre-left forces participate in the 2004 European Parliament election

European Parliament election, 2004 (Italy)

Elections to the European Parliament were held in Italy on 12 and 13 June 2004. Italy's highly fragmented party system made it hard to identify an overall trend, but the results were generally seen as a defeat for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and a victory for the centre-left opposition...

with a common list. Whereas the UDEUR Populars and the far left parties refused the offer, four parties accepted it: the Democrats of the Left, Democracy is Freedom, the Italian Democratic Socialists

Italian Democratic Socialists

The Italian Democratic Socialists were a small social-democratic political party in Italy. Led by Enrico Boselli, the party was the direct continuation of the Italian Socialists, the legal successor of the historical Italian Socialist Party...

and the European Republicans Movement. They launched a joint-list named "United in the Olive Tree" which ran in the election, scoring 31.1% nationally. The project was later abandoned in 2005 by the Italian Democratic Socialists, which preferred to run in an alliance, the Rose in the Fist

Rose in the Fist

The Rose in the Fist was a coalition of parties in Italy.The RnP was composed of the social-democratic Italian Democratic Socialists , the libertarian Italian Radicals and some independent members gathered in the Association for the Rose in the Fist The Rose in the Fist was a coalition of...

, with the Italian Radicals

Italian Radicals

Italian Radicals is an Italian political party which describes itself as a liberale, liberista e libertario political movement .It was...

. In the 2006 general election

Italian general election, 2006

, the Olive Tree list ran only for the Chamber of Deputies, obtaining 31.3%.

Road to the new party

The 2006 election result, anticipated by the 2005 primary election

Primary elections in Italy

The mechanism of primary elections was used for the first time in Italy by Lega Nord in 1995, but was scarcely used until before the 2005 regional elections, for which the centre-left The Union coalition delegated its potential electors to select candidates for office as President of the Regions of...

in which over four million voters endorsed Prodi as prime-ministerial candidate, gave a push to the project of a unified centre-left party. Francesco Rutelli and Piero Fassino

Piero Fassino

Pietro Franco "Piero" Fassino is an Italian politician with the Democratic Party, the current Mayor of Turin and a former national secretary of the Democrats of the Left party.-Biography:...

, party leaders of Democracy is Freedom and the Democrats of the Left, scheduled their parties' conventions for April 2007 in order to formally approve the merger.

The term Partito Democratico was first used in the Regional Council

Regional Council of Veneto

The Regional Council of Veneto is the regional parliament of Veneto.It was first elected in 1970, when the ordinary Regions were instituted, on the basis of the Constitution of Italy of 1948.-Composition:...

of Veneto

Veneto

Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...

, where the Democrats of the Left and Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy form a joint parliamentary group called L'Ulivo – Partito Democratico Veneto (The Olive Tree – Venetian Democratic Party).

On 19 April 2007 the Democrats of the Left held their last party congress, since approximately 75% of party members voted in support of the creation of the Democratic Party as soon as possible, while the left-wing minority, led by Minister Fabio Mussi

Fabio Mussi

Fabio Mussi is an Italian politician, formerly Minister of University and Research in the Prodi II Cabinet. A former member of Italian Communist Party and then Democrats of the Left, he became a lead founding member of the Democratic Left...

opposed to the project, obtained circa 15% of the support within the party. A third motion, presented by Gavino Angius

Gavino Angius

Gavino Angius is an Italian politician.-Biography:Born at Sassari , after the degree in Political Sciences, he became a member of the Italian Communist Party , for which he was secretary of his city's section...

and supportive of the Democratic Party only within the Party of European Socialists

Party of European Socialists

The Party of European Socialists is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The...

, obtained 10% of votes. During and following the Democrats of the Left national convention, both Mussi and Angius announced their intention not to join the Democratic Party and founded a new leftist

Left-wing politics

In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...

party called Democratic Left

Democratic Left (Italy)

Democratic Left was a democratic socialist political party in Italy.It was founded on 5 May 2007 by splinters of the Democrats of the Left centred around Fabio Mussi and Gavino Angius, who opposed the merger of the DS into the Democratic Party...

more keen on uniting the Italian far left under a united banner. This ultimately led Angius to abandon the new party in favour of the creation of a much more moderate social-democratic party with the Italian Democratic Socialists, the Socialist Party.

On 22 May 2007 the composition of the organising committee of the nascent party was announced. It featured 45 members, mainly politicians from the two major parties involved in the process, but included also external figures such as Marco Follini

Marco Follini

Marco 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...

, Ottaviano Del Turco

Ottaviano Del Turco

Ottaviano Del Turco is an Italian politician. After a career in trade unionism in the Italian General Confederation of Labour Del Turco rose to the top of Bettino Craxi's Italian Socialist Party before it was swept away in the Tangentopoli scandals of 1992-94.Del Turco was the president of the...

, Luciana Sbarbati

Luciana Sbarbati

Luciana Sbarbati is an Italian politician andMember of the European Parliamentfor Centralwith the Movimento Repubblicani Europei,Member of the Bureau of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and sits on...

, Renato Soru

Renato Soru

Renato Soru is an Italian entrepreneur, the founder of the internet service company Tiscali, based in Cagliari. He was born in Sanluri, Sardinia....

, Giuliano Amato

Giuliano Amato

Giuliano Amato is an Italian politician. He was Prime Minister of Italy twice, first from 1992 to 1993 and then from 2000 to 2001. He was more recently Vice President of the Convention on the Future of Europe that drafted the new European Constitution and headed the Amato Group. He is commonly...

, Gad Lerner

Gad Lerner

Gad Lerner is an Italian journalist and writer.-Career:A member of the Jewish community, he began his news career in 1976, writing for the ultra-leftist daily Lotta Continua, belonging to the eponymous political entity, becoming its deputy director...

and Tullia Zevi

Tullia Zevi

Tullia Zevi née Calabi was an Italian journalist and writer. Zevi's family fled Italy to France and then to the United States of America after the rise of Fascism in the 1930s. While in New York, she married Bruno Zevi. She returned to Europe in 1946, and was one of the few women journalists to...

. On 18 June the committee met to decide the rules for the open election of the 2,400 members of the party's constituent assembly. Prodi announced each voter would choose between a number of lists, each of them associated with a candidate for secretary.

The parties which agreed to merge into the PD were eight:

Democrats of the Left
Democrats of the Left
The Democrats of the Left was a social-democratic Italian political party and part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition, which merged with a number of centrist and leftist groups to form the Democratic Party on 14 October 2007...

(social-democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...

)
Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy (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...

).
Southern Democratic Party
Southern Democratic Party
The Southern Democratic Party was a centrist Italian political party based in Calabria.The Southern Democratic Party was founded in 2006, as a split from the regional organisation of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy. The PDM's leader was Agazio Loiero, President of Calabria Region since 2005...

(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...

);
Sardinia Project
Sardinia Project
The Sardinia Project was a social-democratic regionalist political party active in Sardinia, Italy.It was founded in 2003 and was led by Renato Soru, who was elected President of Sardinia at the head of a centre-left coalition in the 2004 regional election...

(social-democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...

);
European Republicans Movement (social-liberal
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...

);
Democratic Republicans
Democratic Republicans (Italy)
The Democratic Republicans were a tiny liberal political party in Italy.The party was founded in 2004 by splinters from the Italian Republican Party , who wanted to get rid of the alliance with the centre-right House of Freedoms coalition. Its leader was Giuseppe Ossorio...

(social-liberal
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...

);
Middle-of-the-Road Italy
Middle-of-the-Road Italy
Middle-of-the-Road Italy was an Italian centrist political grouping founded in 2006 by Marco Follini, Senate member and former leader of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats , and Riccardo Conti, member of the Chamber of Deputies...

(Christian democratic
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...

);
Reformist Alliance
Reformist Alliance
The Reformist Alliance was an Italian political party founded by Ottaviano Del Turco in April 2007 as a split from the Italian Democratic Socialists over the SDI's decision not to become a part of the Democratic Party...

(social-democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...

).

Party foundation

All candidates interested in running for the Democratic Party leadership must have presented at least 2,000 valid signatures not later than 30 July 2007 and be associated with one of the parties and associations forming the PD.

On the 30 July deadline, a total of ten candidates officially registered their candidacy: Walter Veltroni

Walter Veltroni

Walter Veltroni, Knight Grand Cross, is an Italian writer, journalist and politician, who served as the first leader of the Democratic Party within the centre-left opposition, until his resignation on 17 February 2009. He served as Mayor of Rome from 2001 to 2008.-Biography:Walter Veltroni was...

, Rosy Bindi

Rosy Bindi

Maria Rosaria Bindi, best known as Rosy Bindi is an Italian politician and the current President of the Democratic Party.-Career:...

, Enrico Letta

Enrico Letta

Enrico Letta is an Italian politician, and was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the 2006 General election for the Olive Tree coalition...

, Furio Colombo, Marco Pannella

Marco Pannella

Giacinto Pannella, better known as Marco Pannella is an Italian politician.He is the historic leader of the Italian Radicals...

, Antonio Di Pietro

Antonio Di Pietro

Antonio Di Pietro is an Italian politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament, an Italian Senator, and Minister of the Prodi Government...

, Mario Adinolfi, Pier Giorgio Gawronski, Jacopo G. Schettini

Jacopo Schettini Gherardini

Jacopo Schettini Gherardini , is an Economist. He was Candidate for the National Secretariat of the Democratic Party during the primary elections of 2007...

, Lucio Cangini and Amerigo Rutigliano. Of these, Pannella and Di Pietro were stopped because of their involvement in external parties (the Italian Radicals and Italy of Values

Italy of Values

Italy of Values is a centrist, populist and anti-corruption political party in Italy. The party, which is affiliated to the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party , is headed by former Mani pulite prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro, who entered politics in 1996.The party aims to gather and give...

respectively), whereas Cangini and Rutigliano did not manage to present the necessary 2,000 valid signatures for the 9pm deadline, and Colombo's candidacy was instead made into hiatus in order to give him 48 additional hours to integrate the required documentation; Colombo later decided to retire his candidacy citing his impossibility to fit with all the requirements. All rejected candidates had the chance against the decision in 48 hours' time, with Pannella and Rutigliano being the only two candidates to appeal against it. Both were rejected on 3 August.

On 14 October 2007 Veltroni was elected leader with circa 75% of the national votes in an open primary attended by over three million voters. Veltroni was officially crowned as first Democratic Party secretary during the founding constituting assembly held in Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

on 28 October 2007.

On 21 November, the new logo was unveiled; it depicts the party acronym (PD) with colours reminiscent of the Italian tricolour flag

Flag of Italy

The flag of Italy is a tricolour featuring three equally sized vertical pales of green, white, and red, with the green at the hoist side...

(green, white and red) and featuring also the olive branch, historical symbol of the Olive Tree. In the words of Ermete Realacci, green represents the ecologist and social-liberal cultures, white is for the Catholic solidarity and red for the socialist and social-democratic traditions. The “green-white-red” idea coined by Jacopo G. Schettini

Jacopo Schettini Gherardini

Jacopo Schettini Gherardini , is an Economist. He was Candidate for the National Secretariat of the Democratic Party during the primary elections of 2007...

during his campaign.

Walter Veltroni

After the premature fall of Prodi II Cabinet

Prodi II Cabinet

The Prodi II Cabinet was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008, a total of 722 days, or 1 year, 11 months and 21 days...

in January 2008, the party decided to run in the next election alone or at the head of a less diverse coalition. The party proposed to the Radicals

Italian Radicals

Italian Radicals is an Italian political party which describes itself as a liberale, liberista e libertario political movement .It was...

and the Socialist Party to join its lists, but only the Radicals accepted, and formed an alliance with Italy of Values

Italy of Values

(IdV), set to join the PD after the election. The party included many notable candidates and new faces in its lists and Walter Veltroni

Walter Veltroni

, who tried to present the PD as the party of the renewal in contrast both 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...

and the previous centre-left government, ran an intense and modern campaign, which led him to visit all provinces of Italy

Provinces of Italy

In Italy, a province is an administrative division of intermediate level between a municipality and a region .-Overview:...

, but that was not enough.

In the 2008 general election

Italian general election, 2008

A snap general election was held in Italy on 13 April and 14 April 2008. The election came after President Giorgio Napolitano dissolved parliament on 6 February 2008 following the defeat of the government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi in a January 2008 Senate vote, and the unsuccessful tentative...

the PD–IdV coalition won 37.5% of the vote and was defeated by the centre-right

Centre-right

The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...

coalition, composed of The People of Freedom

The People of Freedom

The People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy. With the Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties of the current Italian party system....

, Lega Nord and the Movement for Autonomy

Movement for Autonomy

The Movement for Autonomies is a regionalist Christian democratic political party in Italy. It demands economic development and greater autonomy for Sicily, mainly, and for other regions of Southern Italy...

(46.8%). The PD was able to absorb some votes from the parties of the far left (as also IdV did), but lost some voters to the Union of the Centre (UdC), ending up with 33.2% of the vote, 217 deputies and 119 senators. After the election Veltroni, who was anyway gratified by the result, formed a shadow cabinet

Shadow Cabinet of Italy (2008)

A Shadow Cabinet of Italy had been announced on 15 April 2008, by Walter Veltroni, Secretary of the Democratic Party, after the 2008 Italian general election and officially presented on 9 May....

, including most party leading figures. IdV, excited by its 4.4% which made it the fourth largest party in Parliament, refused to join both the Democratic groups in Parliament and the shadow cabinet.

The early months after the election were a difficult time for the PD and Veltroni, whose leadership was weakened by the growing influence of internal factions, because of the popularity of Berlusconi and the dramatic rise of IdV in opinion polls. IdV became a strong competitor of the PD and the relations between the two parties became tense. In the 2008 Abruzzo regional election

Abruzzo regional election, 2008

A regional election took place on 14–15 December 2008 in Abruzzo, due to the early resignation of President Ottaviano Del Turco, after his indictment for alleged corruption...

the PD was forced to support IdV candidate Carlo Costantini. In October 2008 Veltroni, who distanced from Di Pietro many times, declared that "on some issues he [Di Pietro] is distant from the democratic language of the centre-left". On 25 October the Democratic Party held its first national rally at Circo Massimo, Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, to protest against Silvio Berlusconi's policies. According to the organising committee, over 2.5 million people attended the rally.

Dario Franceschini

In February 2009, after a crushing defeat in the Sardinian regional election

Sardinian regional election, 2009

The Sardinian regional election of 2009 took place on 15-16 February 2009.Ugo Cappellacci, the centre-right candidate, defeated Renato Soru, the centre-left incumbent President, by a large margin and The People of Freedom was by far the largest party...

, Walter Veltroni

Walter Veltroni

resigned as party secretary and was replaced by his deputy Dario Franceschini

Dario Franceschini

Dario Franceschini is an Italian lawyer, writer, and politician, who served as the second leader of the Democratic Party. He has been a prominent member of the Italian People's Party , of the Daisy and the first Deputy Secretary of the Democratic Party...

on an interim basis to guide the party toward the selection of a new stable leader. Franceschini was elected interim secretary by the national assembly of the party 1,047 votes out of 1,258. His only opponent Arturo Parisi

Arturo Parisi

Arturo Parisi is an Italian politician, leader of the Ulivist faction of the Democratic Party and four-time member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies...

won just 92 votes.

The 2009 European Parliament election

European Parliament election, 2009 (Italy)

European elections to elect 72 members of the European Parliament representing Italy were held on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2009, as decided by the Italian government on December 18, 2008...

was considered an important test for the PD. Prior to the election, the Democratic Party considered offering hospitality to the Socialist Party and the Greens

Federation of the Greens

The Federation of the Greens is a green political party in Italy, which includes also a large eco-socialist faction. Since 2009 the party leader is Angelo Bonelli.-Early years:...

in its lists, and proposed a similar pact to Democratic Left

Democratic Left (Italy)

. However, the Socialists, the Greens and Democratic Left decided instead to contest the election together as Left and Freedom, which failed to achieve the 4% threshold required to return any MEPs, but damaged PD's electoral chances. The Democratic Party itself gained 26.1% of votes, returning 21 MEPs.

Following the election it was confirmed that a national convention was to be held in October and that it would be followed by a primary election, in compliance with the party rules. By July three candidates announced their bid: Pier Luigi Bersani

Pier Luigi Bersani

, Ignazio Marino

Ignazio Marino

Ignazio Marino is an Italian surgeon, specialising in liver transplantation, and politician in the Democratic Party. He is a member of the Italian Senate, being first elected in 2006.-Early life:...

and Dario Franceschini

Dario Franceschini

Pier Luigi Bersani

On 8 October 2009 the party's electoral commission released the results of the vote among party members. In the local congresses a 56.4% of party members got out and vote. Bersani was by far the most voted candidate with 55.1% of the vote, largely ahead of Franceschini (37.0%) and Marino (7.9%). On 25 October 2009 Bersani was elected new secretary of the party in a open primary that saw the participation of three million people by receiving about 53% of the vote. Franceschini got 34% and Marino 13%. On 7 November, during the first meeting of the new national assembly, Bersani was declared secretary, Rosy Bindi

Rosy Bindi

Maria Rosaria Bindi, best known as Rosy Bindi is an Italian politician and the current President of the Democratic Party.-Career:...

was elected party president (with Marina Sereni and Ivan Scalfarotto vice-presidents), Enrico Letta

Enrico Letta

Enrico Letta is an Italian politician, and was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the 2006 General election for the Olive Tree coalition...

deputy-secretary and Antonio Misiani treasurer.

In reaction to the election of Bersani, perceived by some centrists as an old-style social democrat, Francesco Rutelli, a long-time critic of the party's course, left in order to form a new centrist party, named Alliance for Italy

Alliance for Italy

Alliance for Italy is a centrist political party in Italy.The party, which is described in its manifesto as "democratic, liberal, popular" as opposed both to "right-wing populism" and the "social-democratic left, an experience with high and memorable value, yet by now run out", was launched on 11...

(ApI), along with Linda Lanzillotta, Gianni Vernetti

Gianni Vernetti

-Early life:Vernetti was born in Torino, Italy. In 1985 he obtained a degree in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Torino. In 1987 he was awarded a PhD in Urban Ecology from the Politecnico di Milano university.-Career:...

and other liberal and centrist Democrats. The new outfit was tipped to eventually join forces with the Union of the Centre (UdC) at the centre of the Italian political spectrum. Since March 2009, and especially after Bersani's victory, 12 deputies, 13 senators, one MEP and many regional/local councillors left the party in order to join UDC, ApI and other minor parties: they included many Rutelliani
Rutelliani
Rutelliani refers to the group around Francesco Rutelli, a former leading member of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy, and later leader of Alliance for Italy...

and most Theo-Dems.

At the big round of regional elections of 2010

Italian regional elections, 2010

A big round of regional elections in Italy took place on 28–29 March in 13 regions out of 20, including nine of the ten largest ones: Lombardy, Campania, Veneto, Lazio, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Apulia, Tuscany and Calabria...

the PD lost four regions to the centre-right (Piedmont

Piedmontese regional election, 2010

The Piedmontese regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010, as part of Italy's big round of regional elections.The incumbent President of the Region, Mercedes Bresso of the centre-left Democratic Party, lost her seat to Roberto Cota, leader of Lega Piemont and floor leader of Lega...

, Lazio

Lazio regional election, 2010

The Lazio regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010.Piero Marrazzo of the Democratic Party , who was elected President in 2005, seemed a strong candidate for the centre-left in 2010, being the most popular of the possible candidates and the winner in most head-to-head contests with...

, Campania

Campania regional election, 2010

The Campania regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010.The region came out from ten years of undisputed dominance by the centre-left led by Antonio Bassolino . A former Mayor of Naples and minister, he was re-elected by a landslide 61.6% of the vote in 2005...

and Calabria

Calabrian regional election, 2010

The Calabrian regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010.Giuseppe Scopelliti of The People of Freedom ousted by a landslide the incumbent President Agazio Loiero of the Democratic Party.-Results:Sources: and...

), while maintaining its traditional hold on six regions (Liguria

Ligurian regional election, 2010

The Ligurian regional election of 2010 will take place on 28–29 March 2010.The incumbent President Claudio Burlando of the centre-left Democratic Party faced Sandro Biasotti, backed by The People of Freedom and Lega Nord Liguria. Biasotti was President of the Region from 2000 to 2005, when he was...

, Emilia-Romagna

Emilia-Romagna regional election, 2010

The Emilia-Romagna regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010.The two-term incumbent President of the Region, Vasco Errani of the centre-left Democratic Party defeated Anna Maria Bernini and Gian Luca Galletti .Errani and the Democrats lost ground to the...

, Tuscany

Tuscan regional election, 2010

The Tuscan regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010.After two consecutive terms, Claudio Martini of the Democratic Party chose not run for a third term. His successor Enrico Rossi defeated by a landslide his centre-right opponent Monica Faenzi. The Democrats were by far the largest...

, Marche

Marche regional election, 2010

The Marche regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010.Gian Mario Spacca of the Democratic Party, supported also by the Union of the Centre and Alliance for Italy, defeated by a comfortable margin his centre-right opponent Erminio Marinelli and, thus, secured a second consecutive term...

, Umbria

Umbrian regional election, 2010

The Umbrian regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010.The three main candidates were Catiuscia Marini of the Democratic Party, Fiammetta Modena of The People of Freedom and Paola Binetti of the Union of the Centre....

and Basilicata

Basilicata regional election, 2010

The Basilicata regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010.The incumbent President Vito De Filippo of the Democratic Party was elected for a second-consecutive term by a landslide, thus becoming the most voted candidate in 2010 regional elections.-Results:Source:...

) plus Apulia

Apulian regional election, 2010

The Apulian regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010.The outgoing President Nichi Vendola of Left Ecology Freedom was elected for a second-consecutive term, after having won the a primary election in which he beat a Democrat and having benefited from the split of the centre-right,...

, a traditionally conservative region where, due to divisions within the centre-right, Nichi Vendola

Nichi Vendola

Nicola "Nichi" Vendola is an Italian left-wing politician and currently the President of Apulia.-Life:Born in Terlizzi, province of Bari , Vendola had been a member of the Italian Communist Youth Federation since the age of 14; he studied literature in university, presenting a dissertation about...

(Left Ecology Freedom) was re-elected with the PD's support.

On 16 September 2011 Bersani was invited by Antonio Di Pietro

Antonio Di Pietro

Antonio Di Pietro is an Italian politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament, an Italian Senator, and Minister of the Prodi Government...

's Italy of Values

Italy of Values

(IdV) to take part to its annual late summer convention in Vasto

Vasto

Vasto is a town and comune on the Adriatic coast of the Province of Chieti in southern Abruzzo, Italy. The population is now just over 40,000.-History:According to tradition, the town was founded by Diomedes, the Greek hero...

, Abruzzo

Abruzzo

Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...

. Bersani, who had been previously accused by Di Pietro of avoiding him in order to court the centre-right UdC, proposed the formation of a "New Olive Tree" coalition comprising the PD, IdV and Nichi Vendola

Nichi Vendola

's Left Ecology Freedom (SEL). The three party leaders agreed in what was soon the "pact of Vasto".

Ideology

The Democratic Party is a big tent

Big tent

In politics, a big tent party or catch-all party is a political party seeking to attract people with diverse viewpoints. The party does not require adherence to some ideology as a criterion for membership...

centre-left

Centre-left

Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...

party, strongly influenced by the ideas of social democracy

Social democracy

and the Christian left

Christian left

The Christian left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe a spectrum of left-wing Christian political and social movements which largely embraces social justice....

. The common roots of the founding components of the party reside in the Italian resistance movement

Italian resistance movement

The Italian resistance is the umbrella term for the various partisan forces formed by pro-Allied Italians during World War II...

, the writing of Italian Constitution and the Historic compromise

Historic Compromise

In Italian history, the Historic Compromise was an accommodation between the Christian Democrats and the Italian Communist Party in the 1970s, after the latter embraced eurocommunism under Enrico Berlinguer. The 1978 assassination of DC leader Aldo Moro put an end to the Compromesso storico...

, all three events which saw the Christian Democrats

Christian Democracy (Italy)

and the Italian Communist Party

Italian Communist Party

(the two major forerunners of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy and the Democrats of the Left

Democrats of the Left

, respectively) cooperate. The United States Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

and American liberalism

Liberalism in the United States

Liberalism in the United States is a broad political philosophy centered on the unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion for all belief systems, and the separation of church and state, right to due process...

are also an important source of inspiration.

The party stresses national and social cohesion, green issues

Green politics

Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...

, social progressivism, progressive taxation and Europeanism

Europeanism

Although this term is occasionally used to describe support for European integration , it is more commonly used in relation to the idea that Europeans have common norms and values that transcend national or state identity, that have been promoted most actively...

. In this respect the party's precursors strongly supported the need of balancing budgets in order to comply to Maastricht criteria. Under the leadership of Veltroni, the party took a strong stance in favour of constitutional reform and of a new electoral law, on the road toward a two-party system

Two-party system

A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...

International affiliation

The foundation of the Democratic Party was called into question by various cases of infighting among the prospective members of the new party. The discussion on which European political party

European political party

A European political party, formally a political party at European level, informally a Europarty, is a type of political party organization operating transnationally in Europe and in the institutions of the European Union. They are regulated and funded by the European Union and are usually made up...

to join was divided between the former Democrats of the Left

Democrats of the Left

being generally in favour of the Party of European Socialists

Party of European Socialists

(PES), and most former members of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy in favour of the European Democratic Party

European Democratic Party

The European Democratic Party is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration. It was initiated on April 16, 2004 and formally founded on December 9 in Brussels...

, a component of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

The Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is the current liberal/centrist political group of the European Parliament...

(ALDE).

After the party's formation, the new party's MEPs continued to sit with the PES and ALDE groups to which their former parties had been elected during the 2004 European Parliament election

European Parliament election, 2004 (Italy)

. Following the conclusion of the 2009 European Parliament election

European Parliament election, 2009 (Italy)

European elections to elect 72 members of the European Parliament representing Italy were held on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2009, as decided by the Italian government on December 18, 2008...

, the party chose to unite for the new term within a single European parliamentary group, formed with the PES, to be known as the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats

Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats

The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats is the social-democratic political group in the European Parliament, formed by MEPs of the Party of European Socialists and allied centre-left parties. The group dates its ancestry via various names back to the beginning of the European...

Factions

Although not officially recognised, the Democratic Party has several internal factions, most of whom trace the previous allegiances of party members. As the factions form different alliances depending on the issues, some party members have multiple factional allegiances.

2007 leadership election

After the election, which saw the victory of Walter Veltroni

Walter Veltroni

, the party's internal composition was as follows:

Majority led by Walter Veltroni

Walter Veltroni

(75.8%)
Three national lists supported the candidacy of Veltroni. The bulk of the former Democrats of the Left

Democrats of the Left

(Veltroniani
Veltroniani
Veltroniani refers to the faction around Walter Veltroni, leader of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy, from 2007 to 2009. Most of them are social democrats coming from the Democrats of the Left....

, Dalemiani
Dalemiani
Dalemiani refers to the faction around Massimo D'Alema, a leading member of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy.Dalemiani are generally social democrats who want the party to join the Party of European Socialists. D'Alema organized his faction as Reformists and Democrats, welcoming...

, Fassiniani), the Rutelliani
Rutelliani
Rutelliani refers to the group around Francesco Rutelli, a former leading member of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy, and later leader of Alliance for Italy...

of Francesco Rutelli (including the Theo-Dem

Theo-Dem

Theo-Dems are a Christian-democratic faction with the Italian Democratic Party, which combines social-conservative views on ethical issues with a Christian leftist approach on economic issues....

), The Populars

The Populars

The Populars is a loose association within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.The Populars are the heirs of the Italian People's Party, a christian-democratic party of the Christian left, and of the left-wing of the late Christian Democracy...

of Franco Marini

Franco Marini

Franco Marini is an Italian politician and a prominent member of the centre-left Democratic Party. From 2006 to 2008 he was President of the Italian Senate.-Biography:...

, Liberal PD

Liberal PD

The Liberal PD is a social-liberal faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.It was launched on 26 January 2008 by Senator Enzo Bianco , former Minister Franco Bassanini , Senator Valerio Zanone and Senator Enrico Morando The Liberal PD (Liberal PD) is a social-liberal...

, the Social Christians

Social Christians

Social Christians is a Christian social-democratic faction within the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy....

and smaller groups (Middle-of-the-Road Italy

Middle-of-the-Road Italy

Middle-of-the-Road Italy was an Italian centrist political grouping founded in 2006 by Marco Follini, Senate member and former leader of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats , and Riccardo Conti, member of the Chamber of Deputies...

, European Republicans Movement, Reformist Alliance

Reformist Alliance

The Reformist Alliance was an Italian political party founded by Ottaviano Del Turco in April 2007 as a split from the Italian Democratic Socialists over the SDI's decision not to become a part of the Democratic Party...

and the Reformists for Europe

Reformists for Europe

The Reformists for Europe were a small social-democratic group in Italy.They were formed in 1997 by splinters of Democratic Union...

) formed a joint-list named "Democrats with Veltroni" (43.7%). The Democratic Ecologists

Democratic Ecologists

The Democratic Ecologists are a green faction within the Italian Democratic Party .Its leaders are Ermete Realacci and Fabrizio Vigni and its composed by both former members of the Democrats of the Left and Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy The Democratic Ecologists (Ecologisti Democratici,...

of Ermete Realacci, together with Giovanna Melandri

Giovanna Melandri

Giovanna Melandri is an Italian politician.-Education:Giovanna Melandri was born in New York, USA.She earned a diploma "cum laude" in economics and commerce at the Sapienza University of Rome and one of her teachers was Federico Caffè.From 1983 to 1987 she was a coordinator for the work group on...

and Cesare Damiano

Cesare Damiano

Cesare Damiano is an Italian politician, member of the Democrats of the Left party.A former leading member of the CGIL trade union, Damiano has been a part of the Democrats of the Left national secretarship since 2001. He is a former Minister of Labour.-References:...

, formed "Environment, Innovation and Labour" (8.1%). The Democrats, Laicists, Socialists

Democrats, Laicists, Socialists

Democrats, Laicists, Socialists was a social-democratic faction within the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy....

, Say Left

Say Left

Say Left was a democratic-socialist faction within the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy. Its leader was Vincenzo Vita....

and the Labourites – Liberal Socialists

Labour Federation

The Labour Federation was a social-democratic party in Italy.It was founded in 1994 by former members of the Italian Socialist Party and was in close alliance with the Democratic Party of the Left , with which it merged in 1998 to form the Democrats of the Left...

presented a list named "To the Left

To the Left

To the Left is a social-democratic and democratic-socialist faction within the Democratic Party, a centre-left political party in Italy....

" (7.7%). Local lists in support of Veltroni got 16.4%.

Minorities led by Rosy Bindi

Rosy Bindi

Maria Rosaria Bindi, best known as Rosy Bindi is an Italian politician and the current President of the Democratic Party.-Career:...

(12.9%) and Enrico Letta

Enrico Letta

Enrico Letta is an Italian politician, and was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the 2006 General election for the Olive Tree coalition...

(11.0%)
The Ulivists

Ulivists

The Ulivists are a faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.The group includes both Christian left politicians, social democrats and social liberals. They has been close supporters of Romano Prodi and want the party to be stuck in the tradition of The Olive Tree...

, whose members were staunch supporters of Romano Prodi

Romano Prodi

Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...

, divided in two camps. The largest one, including the faction's main leader Arturo Parisi

Arturo Parisi

Arturo Parisi is an Italian politician, leader of the Ulivist faction of the Democratic Party and four-time member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies...

, endorsed Rosy Bindi

Rosy Bindi

Maria Rosaria Bindi, best known as Rosy Bindi is an Italian politician and the current President of the Democratic Party.-Career:...

, while a smaller one, including Paolo De Castro

Paolo De Castro

Paolo De Castro is an Italian politician, and former Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies. In 2009 he was elected to the European Parliament, and currently serves as chair of the parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.He has also served as professor of...

, endorsed Enrico Letta

Enrico Letta

Enrico Letta is an Italian politician, and was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the 2006 General election for the Olive Tree coalition...

, as Paolo De Castro

Paolo De Castro

. Bindi benefited also from the support of Agazio Loiero's Southern Democratic Party

Southern Democratic Party

The Southern Democratic Party was a centrist Italian political party based in Calabria.The Southern Democratic Party was founded in 2006, as a split from the regional organisation of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy. The PDM's leader was Agazio Loiero, President of Calabria Region since 2005...

, while Letta was endorsed by Lorenzo Dellai

Lorenzo Dellai

Lorenzo Dellai is an Italian politician, the governor of the province of Trentino and the President of the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol....

's Daisy Civic List

Daisy Civic List

The Daisy Civic List was a regionalist Christian-democratic and centrist Italian political party active in Trentino.-History:It was founded in 1998 by Lorenzo Dellai and other local politicians active in several centrist parties, both from the centre-left and the centre-right at the national...

, Renato Soru

Renato Soru

Renato Soru is an Italian entrepreneur, the founder of the internet service company Tiscali, based in Cagliari. He was born in Sanluri, Sardinia....

's Sardinia Project

Sardinia Project

The Sardinia Project was a social-democratic regionalist political party active in Sardinia, Italy.It was founded in 2003 and was led by Renato Soru, who was elected President of Sardinia at the head of a centre-left coalition in the 2004 regional election...

and Gianni Pittella's social democrats.

2009 leadership election

After the election, which saw the victory of Pier Luigi Bersani

Pier Luigi Bersani

, the party's internal composition was as follows:

Majority led by Pier Luigi Bersani

Pier Luigi Bersani

(53.2%)

Bersaniani
Bersaniani
Bersaniani refers to the faction around Pier Luigi Bersani, since 2009 leader of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy.Bersaniani, who were formerly affiliated with Dalemiani , represent traditional social democracy within the party and have their power base in the "red" regions, mainly...

and Dalemiani
Dalemiani
Dalemiani refers to the faction around Massimo D'Alema, a leading member of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy.Dalemiani are generally social democrats who want the party to join the Party of European Socialists. D'Alema organized his faction as Reformists and Democrats, welcoming...

: the social-democratic groups around Bersani and Massimo D'Alema
Massimo D'Alema
Massimo D'Alema is an Italian politician. He is also a journalist and a former national secretary of the Democratic Party of the Left...

(who wants the PD to be a traditional centre-left party in the European social-democratic tradition); D'Alema organized his faction as Reformists and Democrats
Reformists and Democrats
Reformists and Democrats is a predominantly social-democratic faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy....

, welcoming also some Lettiani and some Populars.
Lettiani
Lettiani
Lettiani refers to the faction around Enrico Letta, a leading member of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy.The followers of Letta are generally centrists proposing an alliance with the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and a liberal approach to the economy...

: the centrist group around Enrico Letta
Enrico Letta
Enrico Letta is an Italian politician, and was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the 2006 General election for the Olive Tree coalition...

, known also as 360 Association
360 Association
360 Association is a centrist faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy. It is led by Enrico Letta and that is why its members are often called Lettiani....

; its members are keen supporters of an alliance with the Union of the Centre, similarly to what also D'Alema proposes.
To the Left
To the Left
To the Left is a social-democratic and democratic-socialist faction within the Democratic Party, a centre-left political party in Italy....

: the social-democratic and democratic-socialist internal left led by Livia Turco
Livia Turco
Livia Turco is an Italian politician, member of the Democratic Party .She came from a working class background in Morozzo, Cuneo and studied in Cuneo and Torino. In Torino she began her political career by becoming onvolved with the communist party, becoming a deputy in 1987...

;
Democrats Really: the group around Rosy Bindi
Rosy Bindi
Maria Rosaria Bindi, best known as Rosy Bindi is an Italian politician and the current President of the Democratic Party.-Career:...

and composed mainly of the left-wing members of the late Italian People's Party.
Social Christians
Social Christians
Social Christians is a Christian social-democratic faction within the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy....

: a Christian social-democratic group, that was a founding component of the Democrats of the Left
Democrats of the Left
The Democrats of the Left was a social-democratic Italian political party and part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition, which merged with a number of centrist and leftist groups to form the Democratic Party on 14 October 2007...

.
Democracy and Socialism
Democracy and Socialism
Democracy and Socialism is a social-democratic political association in Italy. During the years it has been a faction within the Democrats of the Left, the Socialist Party and finally the Democratic Party, where it is now...

: a social-democratic group of splinters from the Socialist Party led by Gavino Angius
Gavino Angius
Gavino Angius is an Italian politician.-Biography:Born at Sassari , after the degree in Political Sciences, he became a member of the Italian Communist Party , for which he was secretary of his city's section...

.

Democratic Area

Democratic Area is a broad faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.The faction coordinator is Marina Sereni, a former Democrat of the Left close to Piero Fassino...

, minority led by Dario Franceschini

Dario Franceschini

(34.3%)

Veltroniani
Veltroniani
Veltroniani refers to the faction around Walter Veltroni, leader of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy, from 2007 to 2009. Most of them are social democrats coming from the Democrats of the Left....

: followers of Walter Veltroni
Walter Veltroni
Walter Veltroni, Knight Grand Cross, is an Italian writer, journalist and politician, who served as the first leader of the Democratic Party within the centre-left opposition, until his resignation on 17 February 2009. He served as Mayor of Rome from 2001 to 2008.-Biography:Walter Veltroni was...

, basically social democrats coming from the Democrats of the Left
Democrats of the Left
The Democrats of the Left was a social-democratic Italian political party and part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition, which merged with a number of centrist and leftist groups to form the Democratic Party on 14 October 2007...

who support the so-called "majoritarian vocation" of the party, the selection of party candidates and leaders through primaries and a two-party system
Two-party system
A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...

.
Populars
The Populars
The Populars is a loose association within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.The Populars are the heirs of the Italian People's Party, a christian-democratic party of the Christian left, and of the left-wing of the late Christian Democracy...

/Fourth Phase
Fourth Phase
Fourth Phase is a faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.The name of the faction was chosen to identify the new stage of left-wing Catholics in Italian politics, the first three being within the Italian People's Party , the Christian Democracy and the Italian People's...

: heirs of the Christian left
Christian left
The Christian left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe a spectrum of left-wing Christian political and social movements which largely embraces social justice....

tradition of the Italian People's Party and of the left wing of the late Christian Democracy
Christian 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 ....

.
Rutelliani
Rutelliani
Rutelliani refers to the group around Francesco Rutelli, a former leading member of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy, and later leader of Alliance for Italy...

: centrists and liberals gathered around Francesco Rutelli, known also as Free Democrats
Free Democrats (Italy)
The Free Democrats were the centrist faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy, around Francesco Rutelli, former leader of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, one of the two main parties that merged to form the PD in 2007.The faction was launched by Rutelli in June 2009 during...

; most of them left after Bersani's victory to form the Alliance for Italy
Alliance for Italy
Alliance for Italy is a centrist political party in Italy.The party, which is described in its manifesto as "democratic, liberal, popular" as opposed both to "right-wing populism" and the "social-democratic left, an experience with high and memorable value, yet by now run out", was launched on 11...

, while a minority (Paolo Gentiloni
Paolo Gentiloni
Paolo Gentiloni is an Italian politician, member of the Daisy—Democracy is Freedom party and currently the Italian Minister of Communications.-Biography:He is a professional journalist and has a degree in political sciences....

, Ermete Realacci, etc.) chose to stay.
Simply Democrats
Simply Democrats
Simply Democrats was a heterogeneous faction within the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy.At the 2009 leadership election the group supported the candidacy of Dario Franceschini, who eventually lost to Pier Luigi Bersani.Serracchiani and Filippo Civati...

: a list promoted by a diverse group of leading Democrats (Debora Serracchiani, Rita Borsellino
Rita Borsellino
Rita Borsellino is an anti-Mafia activist, Sicilian politician, and sister of the late judge Paolo Borsellino, killed by the Corleonesi in 1992 by a car bomb...

, Sergio Cofferati
Sergio Cofferati
Sergio Cofferati is an Italian politician who, after serving as mayor of Bologna for the Democrats of the Left from 2004 to 2009, and thus has been elected as Member of the European Parliament in 2009 for the Italian Democratic Party....

, David Sassoli and Francesca Barracciu) who were committed to renewal in party leadership and cleanliness of party elects.
Liberal PD
Liberal PD
The Liberal PD is a social-liberal faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.It was launched on 26 January 2008 by Senator Enzo Bianco , former Minister Franco Bassanini , Senator Valerio Zanone and Senator Enrico Morando The Liberal PD (Liberal PD) is a social-liberal...

: the liberal (mostly social-liberal) faction of the PD led by Valerio Zanone
Valerio Zanone
Valerio Zanone is an Italian politician, who was secretary and president of the Italian Liberal Party. He was also a senator of the Democratic Party.-Biography:Zanone was born in Turin....

; its members have been close to Veltroni and Rutelli.
Democratic Ecologists
Democratic Ecologists
The Democratic Ecologists are a green faction within the Italian Democratic Party .Its leaders are Ermete Realacci and Fabrizio Vigni and its composed by both former members of the Democrats of the Left and Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy The Democratic Ecologists (Ecologisti Democratici,...

: the green faction of the PD led by Ermete Realacci; its members have been close to Veltroni and Rutelli.
Theo-Dems: a tiny Christian-democratic group representing the right-wing of the party on ethical issues, albeit being progressive on economic issues; most Theo-Dems, including their leader Paola Binetti
Paola Binetti
Paola Binetti is an Italian Deputy who belonged to the Democratic Party before 2010. Now she belongs the Union of the Centre.-Biography:Binetti was born in Rome...

, left the PD in 2009–2010 in order to join the Union of the Centre or Alliance for Italy, while others, led by Luigi Bobba, chose to stay.

Minority led by Ignazio Marino

Ignazio Marino

Ignazio Marino is an Italian surgeon, specialising in liver transplantation, and politician in the Democratic Party. He is a member of the Italian Senate, being first elected in 2006.-Early life:...

(12.5%)

un-affiliated social liberals, social democrats and supporters of a broad alliance including Italy of Values
Italy of Values
Italy of Values is a centrist, populist and anti-corruption political party in Italy. The party, which is affiliated to the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party , is headed by former Mani pulite prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro, who entered politics in 1996.The party aims to gather and give...

, the Radicals
Italian Radicals
Italian Radicals is an Italian political party which describes itself as a liberale, liberista e libertario political movement .It was...

and the parties to the left of the PD; after the election, most of them joined Marino in an association named Change Italy.
Democrats in Network
Democrats in Network
Democrats in Network were a social-democratic faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy....

: a social-democratic faction of former Veltroniani led by Goffredo Bettini.

Non-aligned factions

Ulivists
Ulivists
The Ulivists are a faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.The group includes both Christian left politicians, social democrats and social liberals. They has been close supporters of Romano Prodi and want the party to be stuck in the tradition of The Olive Tree...

: followers of Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...

who want the party to be stuck in the tradition of The Olive Tree; the group, which includes both Christian left exponents and social democrats is led by Arturo Parisi
Arturo Parisi
Arturo Parisi is an Italian politician, leader of the Ulivist faction of the Democratic Party and four-time member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies...

. Most Ulivists supported Bersani, while Parisi endorsed Franceschini.

2010–2011 developments

During the summer of 2010, Dario Franceschini

Dario Franceschini

, leader of Democratic Area

Democratic Area

Democratic Area is a broad faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.The faction coordinator is Marina Sereni, a former Democrat of the Left close to Piero Fassino...

(the single largest minority faction), and Piero Fassino

Piero Fassino

Pietro Franco "Piero" Fassino is an Italian politician with the Democratic Party, the current Mayor of Turin and a former national secretary of the Democrats of the Left party.-Biography:...

re-approached with Pier Luigi Bersani

Pier Luigi Bersani

and joined the party majority. As a response, Walter Veltroni

Walter Veltroni

formed Democratic Movement

Democratic Movement (Italy)

Democratic Movement is a faction within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.At the 2009 leadership election Dario Franceschini was defeated by Pier Luigi Bersani...

to defend the "original spirit" of the PD. In doing this he was supported by 75 deputies: 33 Veltroniani
Veltroniani
Veltroniani refers to the faction around Walter Veltroni, leader of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy, from 2007 to 2009. Most of them are social democrats coming from the Democrats of the Left....

, 35 Populars

The Populars

close to Giuseppe Fioroni

Giuseppe Fioroni

Giuseppe Fioroni , often nicknamed Beppe, is an Italian politician, member of the Democratic Party and formerly the Italian Minister of Education in the Prodi II Cabinet from 2006 to 2008....

and 7 former Rutelliani
Rutelliani
Rutelliani refers to the group around Francesco Rutelli, a former leading member of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy, and later leader of Alliance for Italy...

led by Paolo Gentiloni

Paolo Gentiloni

Paolo Gentiloni is an Italian politician, member of the Daisy—Democracy is Freedom party and currently the Italian Minister of Communications.-Biography:He is a professional journalist and has a degree in political sciences....

. During a meeting of the party's national board, held on 23 September, Franceschiniani
Franceschiniani
Franceschiniani refers to the faction around Dario Franceschini, a leading member of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy. See also The Populars....

and Fassiniani voted a motion proposed by Bersani, while most Veltroniani abstained from the vote: the resolution passed by a landslide. Some pundits hinted that the Bersani-Franceschini pact was envisioned in order both to marginalise Veltroni and to reduce the influence of Massimo D'Alema

Massimo D'Alema

Massimo D'Alema is an Italian politician. He is also a journalist and a former national secretary of the Democratic Party of the Left...

, the party bigwig behind Bersani, whose 2009 bid was supported primarily by Dalemiani
Dalemiani
Dalemiani refers to the faction around Massimo D'Alema, a leading member of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy.Dalemiani are generally social democrats who want the party to join the Party of European Socialists. D'Alema organized his faction as Reformists and Democrats, welcoming...

. Veltroni and D'Alema had been long-time rivals within the centre-left.

As of September 2010 the party's majority was composed of those who supported Bersani since the beginning (divided in five main factions: Bersaniani
Bersaniani
Bersaniani refers to the faction around Pier Luigi Bersani, since 2009 leader of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy.Bersaniani, who were formerly affiliated with Dalemiani , represent traditional social democracy within the party and have their power base in the "red" regions, mainly...

, Dalemiani, Lettiani
Lettiani
Lettiani refers to the faction around Enrico Letta, a leading member of the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy.The followers of Letta are generally centrists proposing an alliance with the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and a liberal approach to the economy...

, Bindiani and the party's left-wing) and Democratic Area of Franceschini and Fassino, who tended to be autonomous though. Then, there were two minority coalitions: Veltroni's Democratic Movement (Veltroniani, Fioroni's Populars, ex-Rutelliani, Democratic Ecologists

Democratic Ecologists

and a majority of Liberal PD

Liberal PD

members) and Change Italy of Ignazio Marino

Ignazio Marino

Ignazio Marino is an Italian surgeon, specialising in liver transplantation, and politician in the Democratic Party. He is a member of the Italian Senate, being first elected in 2006.-Early life:...

. Strangely enough, Arturo Parisi

Arturo Parisi

Arturo Parisi is an Italian politician, leader of the Ulivist faction of the Democratic Party and four-time member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies...

, leader of the group formerly known as Ulivists

Ulivists

, backed Veltroni.

According to Corriere della Sera
Corriere della Sera
The Corriere della Sera is an Italian daily newspaper, published in Milan.It is among the oldest and most reputable Italian newspapers. Its main rivals are Rome's La Repubblica and Turin's La Stampa.- History :...

, in November 2011 the party was divided mainly in three ideological camps battling for its soul:

a socialist
Democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...

left: its members (mostly young supporters of Bersani, as Stefano Fassina and Matteo Orfini), might rally behind Enrico Rossi
Enrico Rossi (politician)
Enrico Rossi is an Italian politician, since 2010 President of Tuscany....

, if Bersani were to step down;
a social-democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...

centre: it includes Bersani's core supporters (Bersaniani, Dalemiani, Bindiani); its members might eventually support Nicola Zingaretti
Nicola Zingaretti
Nicola Zingaretti is an Italian politician, president of the Province of Rome and erstwhile Member of the European Parliament for the Centre with the Democrats of the Left , part of the Socialist Group, and used to sit on the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs.He was a substitute for...

instead;
a "new right": Matteo Renzi
Matteo Renzi
Matteo Renzi is an Italian politician. He was elected as Mayor of Florence on June 22, 2009 with 59.96% of the vote. In February 2011 he publicly called on all the Italian politicians of the Berlusconi era to retire, citing the fact that Berlusconi is only six years younger than Renzi's...

's Big Bang
Big Bang (faction)
Big Bang is a centrist, liberal and modernizing movement within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.The movement, which is not organized as a faction yet, grew around Matteo Renzi, mayor of Florence since 2009. Born in 1975, Renzi is a devout Catholic and a Christian democrat...

; Renzi, who proposes an overtly liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...

political line, is openly critical of Bersani and might be endorsed by Veltroniani, ex-Rutelliani, Populars and, possibly, Lettiani and large chunks of Democratic Area.

Associate parties

Two small parties act as associate parties of the PD and in fact their MPs are members of the Democratic groups in the Chamber and the Senate: the Italian Radicals
Italian Radicals
Italian Radicals is an Italian political party which describes itself as a liberale, liberista e libertario political movement .It was...

and the Moderates for Piedmont
Moderates for Piedmont
Moderates for Piedmont is a regional centrist Italian political party active in Piedmont. Its leader is Giacomo Portas ....

. A third party, the European Republicans Movement left the PD in 2010.

Popular support

The electoral results of the Democratic Party in the 10 most populated Regions of Italy are shown in the table below. As PD was founded in 2007, the electoral results from 1994 to 2006 refer to the combined result of the two main percursor parties, the Democrats of the Left

Democrats of the Left

and Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy (and its preursors, 1994–2001), or to the joint-list called The Olive Tree.

	1994 general	1995 regional	1996 general	1999 European	2000 regional	2001 general	2004 European	2005 regional	2006 general	2008 general	2009 European	2010 regional
Piedmont	29.8	31.4	26.6	25.0	25.6	31.0	29.0	30.5	31.4	32.4	24.7	23.2
Lombardy	28.0	25.9	25.5	24.2	20.2	26.8	26.3	27.1	26.7	28.1	21.3	22.9
Veneto	33.3	31.5	25.1	23.8	26.0	25.6	26.7	28.9	26.7	26.5	20.3	20.3
Emilia-Romagna	51.4	52.3	47.5	43.7	43.9	44.3	43.0	48.1	44.8	45.7	38.6	40.6
Tuscany	49.4	47.2	44.8	41.0	44.1	44.3	41.6	48.8	43.3	46.8	38.7	42.2
Lazio	37.7	33.2	33.5	30.4	29.6	33.4	31.7	33.8	31.0	36.8	28.1	26.3
Campania	36.8	33.3	32.2	31.7	32.9	26.4	31.3	31.3	28.5	29.2	23.4	21.4
Apulia	42.1	35.7	31.0	30.8	29.4	29.0	26.3	28.9	29.1	30.1	21.7	20.8
Calabria	42.0	37.3	32.0	34.4	27.7	28.6	27.2	33.9	31.4	32.6	25.4	22.8
Sicily	30.7	26.4 (1996)	26.7	31.6	22.4 (2001)	24.2	28.6	34.8 (2006)	25.3	25.4	21.9	18.8 (2008)
ITALY	39.3	-	32.2	31.9	-	31.1	31.1	-	31.3	33.2	26.1	-

Leadership

Secretary: Walter Veltroni
Walter Veltroni
Walter Veltroni, Knight Grand Cross, is an Italian writer, journalist and politician, who served as the first leader of the Democratic Party within the centre-left opposition, until his resignation on 17 February 2009. He served as Mayor of Rome from 2001 to 2008.-Biography:Walter Veltroni was...

(2007–2009), Dario Franceschini
Dario Franceschini
Dario Franceschini is an Italian lawyer, writer, and politician, who served as the second leader of the Democratic Party. He has been a prominent member of the Italian People's Party , of the Daisy and the first Deputy Secretary of the Democratic Party...

(2009), Pier Luigi Bersani
Pier Luigi Bersani
Pier Luigi Bersani is an Italian politician and the current Secretary of the Democratic Party of Italy, the main center-left political party in Italy . He was Minister of Industry, Commerce and Craftmanship from 1996 to 1999, Minister of Transports from 1999 to 2001, and Minister of Economic...

(since 2009)
- Deputy-Secretary: Dario Franceschini
  Dario Franceschini
  Dario Franceschini is an Italian lawyer, writer, and politician, who served as the second leader of the Democratic Party. He has been a prominent member of the Italian People's Party , of the Daisy and the first Deputy Secretary of the Democratic Party...
  
  (2007–2009), Enrico Letta
  Enrico Letta
  Enrico Letta is an Italian politician, and was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the 2006 General election for the Olive Tree coalition...
  
  (2009–present)
- Executive Coordinator: Goffredo Bettini (2007–2009), Maurizio Migliavacca (2009–present)
- Organizational Coordinator: Giuseppe Fioroni
  Giuseppe Fioroni
  Giuseppe Fioroni , often nicknamed Beppe, is an Italian politician, member of the Democratic Party and formerly the Italian Minister of Education in the Prodi II Cabinet from 2006 to 2008....
  
  (2007–2009), Maurizio Migliavacca (2009), Nico Stumpo (2009–present)
- Treasurer: Mauro Agostini (2007–2009), Antonio Misiani (2009–present)
- Spokesperson: Andrea Orlando (2008–present)
President: Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...

(2007–2008), Anna Finocchiaro
Anna Finocchiaro
Anna Finocchiaro Fidelbo is an Italian politician. She is the Democratic Party's leader in the Senate. She served as Minister for Equal Opportunities in the cabinet of Romano Prodi from 1996-98.-Biography:...

(acting, 2008–2009), Rosy Bindi
Rosy Bindi
Maria Rosaria Bindi, best known as Rosy Bindi is an Italian politician and the current President of the Democratic Party.-Career:...

(2009–present)
- Vice Presidents: Marina Sereni / Ivan Scalfarotto (2009–present)

Party Leader in the Chamber of Deputies
Italian Chamber of Deputies
The 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...

: Antonello Soro (2007–2009), Dario Franceschini
Dario Franceschini
Dario Franceschini is an Italian lawyer, writer, and politician, who served as the second leader of the Democratic Party. He has been a prominent member of the Italian People's Party , of the Daisy and the first Deputy Secretary of the Democratic Party...

(2009–present)
Party Leader in the Senate
Italian Senate
The 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...

: Anna Finocchiaro
Anna Finocchiaro
Anna Finocchiaro Fidelbo is an Italian politician. She is the Democratic Party's leader in the Senate. She served as Minister for Equal Opportunities in the cabinet of Romano Prodi from 1996-98.-Biography:...

(2007–present)
Party Leader in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The 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...

: David Sassoli (2009–present)

External links

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