Italian Democratic Socialist Party
Encyclopedia
The Italian Democratic Socialist Party is a minor social-democratic
political party in Italy. Mimmo Magistro is the party leader. The PSDI, before the 1990s decline in votes and members, had been an important force in Italian politics
, being the longest serving partner in government for Christian Democracy
.
Longstanding PSDI leader Giuseppe Saragat
served as President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.
in 1947 by a splinter group of the Italian Socialist Party
(PSI), due to the decision of the latter to join the Italian Communist Party
(PCI) in the Popular Democratic Front's electoral list for the 1948 general election
.
The split, led by Giuseppe Saragat
and the sons of Giacomo Matteotti
, took the name of scissione di Palazzo Barberini from the name of a palace in Rome where it took place. In 1952, the party ultimately became the Italian Democratic Socialist Party, after joining forces with the smaller United Socialist Party
in 1951.
In 1963 the party joined PSI to form the Unified Socialist Party, but in 1968, after a dismaying result at the general election
, it left the new party, returning to the PSDI name in 1971.
In 1980 the party joined Christian Democracy
, the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Republican Party
and the Italian Liberal Party
in the five-party coalition (Pentapartito) which ruled the country until 1994 (since 1991 without the Republicans). However the party's role in the coalition was minimal and was over-shadowed by the more powerful PSI.
The PSDI was a member of Socialist International
and the Party of European Socialists
, and representation in the European parliament
from 1979 until 1994 as part of the Socialist Group
.
scandals known as Tangentopoli
and almost disappeared from the political scene. The 1994 general election
resulted in an almost overnight decline of the Pentopartito coalition parties and the rise of Silvio Berlusconi
-led Forza Italia
, which absorbed many PSDI voters. In January 1995 Gian Franco Schietroma was elected national secretary of the party replacing Enrico Ferri, who wanted to join the centre-right Pole of Freedoms
. The followers of Ferri left and established the European Liberal Social Democracy
and joined the centre-right Christian Democratic Centre.
In 1998 the party, led by Schietroma, finally joined the Italian Socialists
, one of the heirs of PSI, to form the Italian Democratic Socialists
. By then most members and voters of the party have joined other parties: Forza Italia (as Carlo Vizzini
, party leader in 1992–1993), the Christian Democratic Centre (as Enrico Ferri, party leader in 1993–1995) and The Democrats (as Franco Bruno).
The party was re-established in 2004 with the same name, "Italian Democratic Socialist Party", as the continuation of the party of Saragat, so that the new PSDI numbers its congresses in perfect continuity with the late PSDI. The first secretary of the party was Giorgio Carta.
in the general election
and, subsequently, resigned as secretary in November. He was replaced by Renato D'Andria, whose election was contested by many members of the party (including Carta) on the basis that it was rigged. The new secretary consequently ousted all the members who contested his election (including Carta) from the party.
In April 2007 a tribunal in Rome sided with the former leadership and declared invalid both the election of D'Andria as secretary and the XVII Congress of the party, which confirmed him as leader in January. The party was led ad interim by Carta, until the Congress of October 2007 (the XVII, though that of January was declared invalid) elected Mimmo Magistro as new secretary. D'Andria, who continues to consider himself to be the legitimate leader of PSDI, launched in June his Party of Democratic Reformers
(PRD), open to "socialists, Christians, radicals, liberals, republicans and greens".
PSDI tried to form an alliance with the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC), but finally it did not participate with the Union of the Centre coalition. Instead, on 29 March 2008, the National Committee proposed to its members and voters to vote according to their conscience, favouring those political forces which could stop the emerging two-party system
. Most regional sections, on the example of Tuscany
, indicated to vote for the Socialist Party in the election of the Chamber of Deputies
and for The Left – The Rainbow
in the election of the Senate
. Some regional sections made different indications, notably in Veneto
and Lazio in favour of the Union of the Centre, in Lombardy
in favour of the People of Freedom
and in Sicily
in favour of the Movement for Autonomy.
The PSDI had its best result at its first appareance in the 1948 general election
, when it gained 7.1% of the vote. In that occasion the party was able to steal many votes from the Italian Socialist Party
, which was damaged by the split and by the alliance with the Italian Communist Party
. The party had its heartlands in Northern Italy
: 12.9% in the Province of Torino, 11.9% in Cuneo
, 10.6% in Milan
, 13.9% in Sondrio
, 12.6% in Treviso
, 15.9% in Belluno
and 14.9% in Udine
.
From 1953
to 1987
the party's support was around 4-5%, with the exception of 1963
, when it gained 6.1%. In the 1992 general election
, the last before the Tangentopoli
scandals, the PSDI won only 2.7% of the vote. The party maintained for decades its strongholds in the North-West and the North-East, but since the 1960s
it started to gain more support in Southern Italy. By 1987
the party's strongholds had moved South and especially to Campania
, Apulia
, Basilicata
, Calabria
and Sicily
, in line to what also the other parties of Pentapartito coalition (Christian Democrats
, Socialists
, Republicans
and Liberals
) were experiencing, also due to the growth of regionalist
parties in the North, united as Lega Nord since 1991.
After the Tangentopoli political crisis, the PSDI almost disappeared electorally, although it retains some support locally in the South and especially in Apulia. In the 2005 Apulian regional election
the party won 2.2% of the vote along with other two minor parties and got one deputy elected to the Regional Council.
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. Mimmo Magistro is the party leader. The PSDI, before the 1990s decline in votes and members, had been an important force in Italian politics
Politics of Italy
The politics of Italy is conducted through a parliamentary, democratic republic with a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised collectively by the Council of Ministers, which is led by the President of the Council of Ministers, referred to as "Presidente del Consiglio" in Italian...
, being the longest serving partner in government for 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 ....
.
Longstanding PSDI leader Giuseppe Saragat
Giuseppe Saragat
Giuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents....
served as President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.
The years of the First Republic
The party was founded as the Socialist Party of Italian WorkersSocialist Party of Italian Workers
Socialist Party of Italian Workers is the name for a political party that has been used by three distinct organizations of the Left in Italy.- Partito Socialista dei Lavoratori Italiani :...
in 1947 by a splinter group of the Italian Socialist Party
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
(PSI), due to the decision of the latter to join 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...
(PCI) in the Popular Democratic Front's electoral list for the 1948 general election
Italian general election, 1948
The Italian elections of 1948 were the second democratic elections with universal suffrage ever held in Italy, taking place after the 1946 elections to the Constituent Assembly, responsible for drawing up a new Italian Constitution...
.
The split, led by Giuseppe Saragat
Giuseppe Saragat
Giuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents....
and the sons of Giacomo Matteotti
Giacomo Matteotti
Giacomo Matteotti was an Italian socialist politician. On 30 May 1924, he openly spoke in the Italian Parliament alleging the Fascists committed fraud in the recently held elections, and denounced the violence they used to gain votes...
, took the name of scissione di Palazzo Barberini from the name of a palace in Rome where it took place. In 1952, the party ultimately became the Italian Democratic Socialist Party, after joining forces with the smaller United Socialist Party
United Socialist Party (Italy, 1949–1951)
The United Socialist Party was a social-democratic political party in Italy 1949-1951.On 1 May 1951 PSU fused with the Italian Socialist Workers' Party to give birth to the Italian Democratic Socialist Party ....
in 1951.
In 1963 the party joined PSI to form the Unified Socialist Party, but in 1968, after a dismaying result at the general election
Italian general election, 1968
The Italian elections of 1968 were held on May 19. The fifth Parliament of republican Italy was selected, while voters were 35,566,681 for the Chamber of Deputies and 33,003,249 for the Italian Senate, with an increment of some 3,000,000 in both elections from 1963.Democrazia Cristiana remained...
, it left the new party, returning to the PSDI name in 1971.
In 1980 the party joined 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 ....
, the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Republican Party
Italian Republican Party
The Italian Republican Party is a liberal political party in Italy.The PRI is party with old roots that originally took a left-wing position, claiming descent from the political position of Giuseppe Mazzini...
and the Italian Liberal Party
Italian Liberal Party
The Italian Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Italy.-Origins:The origins of liberalism in Italy came from the so-called "Historical Right", a parliamentary group formed by Camillo Benso di Cavour in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia following the 1848 revolution...
in the five-party coalition (Pentapartito) which ruled the country until 1994 (since 1991 without the Republicans). However the party's role in the coalition was minimal and was over-shadowed by the more powerful PSI.
The PSDI was a member of Socialist International
Socialist International
The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
and 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...
, and representation 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...
from 1979 until 1994 as part of the Socialist Group
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...
.
Decline and re-foundation
PSDI was involved in the corruptionPolitical corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
scandals known as 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...
and almost disappeared from the political scene. 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....
resulted in an almost overnight decline of the Pentopartito coalition parties and the rise of 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...
-led 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....
, which absorbed many PSDI voters. In January 1995 Gian Franco Schietroma was elected national secretary of the party replacing Enrico Ferri, who wanted to join the centre-right 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...
. The followers of Ferri left and established the European Liberal Social Democracy
Party of Social Democrats
The Party of Social Democrats is a tiny social-democratic Italian political party.It was founded in 1994 as European Liberal Social Democracy by Enrico Ferri and Luigi Preti, both historical leaders of the Italian Democratic Socialist Party .Since its foundation, the party sided with the...
and joined the centre-right Christian Democratic Centre.
In 1998 the party, led by Schietroma, finally joined the Italian Socialists
Italian Socialists
The Italian Socialists were a minor social-democratic political party in Italy active in Italy from 1994 to 1998....
, one of the heirs of PSI, to form 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...
. By then most members and voters of the party have joined other parties: Forza Italia (as Carlo Vizzini
Carlo Vizzini
-Political life:Vizzini was Secretary of the Italian Democratic Socialist Party from 1992 to 1993, Minister of Mails, and Minister for Cultural Assets and Activities , and was a member of the Italian Senate from Sicily for Forza Italia and latterly The People of Freedom...
, party leader in 1992–1993), the Christian Democratic Centre (as Enrico Ferri, party leader in 1993–1995) and The Democrats (as Franco Bruno).
The party was re-established in 2004 with the same name, "Italian Democratic Socialist Party", as the continuation of the party of Saragat, so that the new PSDI numbers its congresses in perfect continuity with the late PSDI. The first secretary of the party was Giorgio Carta.
Legal dispute and split
In April 2006 Giorgio Carta was elected to the Chamber of DeputiesItalian 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...
in the 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...
and, subsequently, resigned as secretary in November. He was replaced by Renato D'Andria, whose election was contested by many members of the party (including Carta) on the basis that it was rigged. The new secretary consequently ousted all the members who contested his election (including Carta) from the party.
In April 2007 a tribunal in Rome sided with the former leadership and declared invalid both the election of D'Andria as secretary and the XVII Congress of the party, which confirmed him as leader in January. The party was led ad interim by Carta, until the Congress of October 2007 (the XVII, though that of January was declared invalid) elected Mimmo Magistro as new secretary. D'Andria, who continues to consider himself to be the legitimate leader of PSDI, launched in June his Party of Democratic Reformers
Party of Democratic Reformers
The Party of Democratic Reformers is a minor Italian leftist political party in Italy.It was founded in June 2007 by Renato D'Andria, a former member of the internal left-wing of the Italian Democratic Socialist Party , after his attempt to take over the party earlier in 2007 was declared illegal...
(PRD), open to "socialists, Christians, radicals, liberals, republicans and greens".
2008 general election
For the 2008 general electionItalian 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...
PSDI tried to form an alliance with the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC), but finally it did not participate with the Union of the Centre coalition. Instead, on 29 March 2008, the National Committee proposed to its members and voters to vote according to their conscience, favouring those political forces which could stop the emerging 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...
. Most regional sections, on the example of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, indicated to vote for the Socialist Party in the election of 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...
and for The Left – The Rainbow
The Left – The Rainbow
The Left – The Rainbow , frequently referred as Rainbow Left , was a left-wing federation of parties in Italy....
in the election of 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...
. Some regional sections made different indications, notably in 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...
and Lazio in favour of the Union of the Centre, in Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
in favour 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....
and in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
in favour of the Movement for Autonomy.
Recomposition?
In July 2011 a tribunal in Rome declared Renato D'Andria legitimate secretary of the party. Magistro proposed a reconciliation between the two factions.Popular support
Italian general election, 1948
The Italian elections of 1948 were the second democratic elections with universal suffrage ever held in Italy, taking place after the 1946 elections to the Constituent Assembly, responsible for drawing up a new Italian Constitution...
, when it gained 7.1% of the vote. In that occasion the party was able to steal many votes from the Italian Socialist Party
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
, which was damaged by the split and by the alliance with 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...
. The party had its heartlands 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...
: 12.9% in the Province of Torino, 11.9% in Cuneo
Province of Cuneo
ayr is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ....
, 10.6% in Milan
Province of Milan
The Province of Milan : /) is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Milan. The provincial territory is highly urbanized, resulting in the third highest population density among the Italian provinces with more than 2,000 inhabitants/km2, just behind the provinces of...
, 13.9% in Sondrio
Province of Sondrio
The Province of Sondrio is in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the town of Sondrio.It has an area of 3,212 km², and a total population of 176,856...
, 12.6% in Treviso
Province of Treviso
The Province of Treviso is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Treviso.The province has an area of 2,477 km², and a total population of 886.886 . There are 95 municipalities in the province .-Municipalities:-External links:*...
, 15.9% in Belluno
Province of Belluno
TheThe Province of Belluno is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Belluno.It has an area of 3,678 km², and a total population of 214,026 .-Geography:...
and 14.9% in Udine
Province of Udine
The Province of Udine is a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, bordering Austria and Slovenia. Its capital is the city of Udine....
.
From 1953
Italian general election, 1953
The Italian elections of 1953 were held on June 7. They were a test for leading centrist coalition ruled by Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi. Italian electors chose the second Parliament of the Italian Republic.-The Scam Law:...
to 1987
Italian general election, 1987
The Italian election of 1987 was held on June 14. Italian citizens chose the tenth Parliament of the Italian Republic.This election marked the final inversion of the trend of the entire republican history of Italy: for the first time, the distance between the Christian Democrats and the Communists...
the party's support was around 4-5%, with the exception of 1963
Italian general election, 1963
The Italian elections of 1963 were held on April 28. The fourth Parliament of republican Italy was selected.It was the first election with a fixed number of MPs to be elected, as decided by the second Constitutional Reform in February 1963...
, when it gained 6.1%. In the 1992 general election
Italian general election, 1992
The Italian general elections of 1992 were held on the 5 April 1992.The 1992 elections were the first without the traditionally second most important political force in Italy, the Italian Communist Party , which had been disbanded in 1991...
, the last before the 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...
scandals, the PSDI won only 2.7% of the vote. The party maintained for decades its strongholds in the North-West and the North-East, but since the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
it started to gain more support in Southern Italy. By 1987
Italian general election, 1987
The Italian election of 1987 was held on June 14. Italian citizens chose the tenth Parliament of the Italian Republic.This election marked the final inversion of the trend of the entire republican history of Italy: for the first time, the distance between the Christian Democrats and the Communists...
the party's strongholds had moved South and especially to Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
, Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
, Basilicata
Basilicata
Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...
, Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
and Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, in line to what also the other parties of Pentapartito coalition (Christian Democrats
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 ....
, Socialists
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
, Republicans
Italian Republican Party
The Italian Republican Party is a liberal political party in Italy.The PRI is party with old roots that originally took a left-wing position, claiming descent from the political position of Giuseppe Mazzini...
and Liberals
Italian Liberal Party
The Italian Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Italy.-Origins:The origins of liberalism in Italy came from the so-called "Historical Right", a parliamentary group formed by Camillo Benso di Cavour in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia following the 1848 revolution...
) were experiencing, also due to the growth of regionalist
Regionalism
In politics, regionalism is a political ideology that focuses on the interests of a particular region or group of regions, whether traditional or formal...
parties in the North, united as Lega Nord since 1991.
After the Tangentopoli political crisis, the PSDI almost disappeared electorally, although it retains some support locally in the South and especially in Apulia. In the 2005 Apulian regional election
Apulian regional election, 2005
The Apulian regional election of 2005 took place on 3-4 April 2005.Nichi Vendola defeated incumbent Raffaele Fitto ....
the party won 2.2% of the vote along with other two minor parties and got one deputy elected to the Regional Council.
Leadership
- Secretary: Giuseppe SaragatGiuseppe SaragatGiuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents....
(1947–1948), Alberto Simonini (1948), Ugo Guido Mondolfo (1949), Ludovico D'Aragona (1949), Giuseppe SaragatGiuseppe SaragatGiuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents....
(1949–1952), Ezio Vigorelli (1952), Giuseppe Romita (1952), Giuseppe SaragatGiuseppe SaragatGiuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents....
(1952–1954), Gian Matteo Matteotti (1954–1957), Giuseppe SaragatGiuseppe SaragatGiuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents....
(1957–1964), Mario TanassiMario TanassiMario Tanassi was an Italian politician, who was several times Minister of the Italian Republic. In 1979 he was condemned by the Constitutional Court of Italy for his involvement in the Lockheed bribery scandal.-Biography:...
(1964–1966), unification with PSIItalian Socialist PartyThe Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
in the PSU (1966–1969), Mauro Ferri (1969–1972), Mario TanassiMario TanassiMario Tanassi was an Italian politician, who was several times Minister of the Italian Republic. In 1979 he was condemned by the Constitutional Court of Italy for his involvement in the Lockheed bribery scandal.-Biography:...
(1972), Flavio Orlandi (1972–1975), Mario TanassiMario TanassiMario Tanassi was an Italian politician, who was several times Minister of the Italian Republic. In 1979 he was condemned by the Constitutional Court of Italy for his involvement in the Lockheed bribery scandal.-Biography:...
(1975–1976), Giuseppe SaragatGiuseppe SaragatGiuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents....
(1976), Pier Luigi RomitaPier Luigi RomitaPier Luigi Romita was an Italian politician who was several time minister of the Italian Republic.-Biography:Romita was born in Turin, the son of Giuseppe Romita, a long-time member of the Italian Socialist Party and Minister of the Interior in 1946...
(1976–1978), Pietro LongoPietro LongoPietro Longo is an Italian politician.Longo was born in Rome. His mother, Rosetta Longo, from Campobasso, was an old member of the Italian Socialist Party...
(1978–1985), Franco NicolazziFranco NicolazziFranco Nicolazzi is an Italian politician.Nicolazzi was born at Gattico, in the province of Novara, and during World War II fought against the German occupation of Italy in the Brigate Matteotti...
(1985–1988), Antonio Cariglia (1988–1992), Carlo VizziniCarlo Vizzini-Political life:Vizzini was Secretary of the Italian Democratic Socialist Party from 1992 to 1993, Minister of Mails, and Minister for Cultural Assets and Activities , and was a member of the Italian Senate from Sicily for Forza Italia and latterly The People of Freedom...
(1992–1993), Enrico Ferri (1993–1995), Gian Franco Schietroma (1995–1998), unification with the SIItalian SocialistsThe Italian Socialists were a minor social-democratic political party in Italy active in Italy from 1994 to 1998....
in the SDIItalian Democratic SocialistsThe 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...
(1998–2004), Giorgio Carta (2004–2007), Mimmo Magistro (2007–present) - President: Giuseppe SaragatGiuseppe SaragatGiuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents....
(1975–1976), Alberto Tomassini (2007–2010), Angelo Scavone (2010–present) - Honorary President: Antonio Cariglia (2005–2006), Giorgio Carta (2007–2008)
- 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...
: Giuseppe Modigliani (1947), Rocco Gullo (1947–1948), Mario Langhena (1948–1950), Luigi Benanni (1950–1951), Ezio Vigorelli (1951–1954), Paolo Rossi (1954–1956), Alberto Simonini (1956–1958), Giuseppe SaragatGiuseppe SaragatGiuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents....
(1958–1963), Virginio Bertinelli (1963–1966), Mario TanassiMario TanassiMario Tanassi was an Italian politician, who was several times Minister of the Italian Republic. In 1979 he was condemned by the Constitutional Court of Italy for his involvement in the Lockheed bribery scandal.-Biography:...
(1966), Egidio Ariosto (1966–1969), Flavio Orlandi (1969–1972), Antonio Cariglia (1972–1976), Luigi PretiLuigi PretiLuigi Preti was an Italian politician and minister of Italian Democratic Socialist Party.-Biography:Preti was born in Ferrara. He graduated in law in Bologna and lecturer of public law. He died in Bologna in 2009....
(1976–1978), Franco NicolazziFranco NicolazziFranco Nicolazzi is an Italian politician.Nicolazzi was born at Gattico, in the province of Novara, and during World War II fought against the German occupation of Italy in the Brigate Matteotti...
(1978–1979), Alessandro Reggiani (1979–1987), Filippo Caria (1987–1992), Dino Madaudo (1992), Enrico Ferri (1992–1994)