The Democrats (Italy)

Last updated

The Democrats
I Democratici
President Romano Prodi (1999)
Arturo Parisi (1999–2002)
Founded27 February 1999
Dissolved23 March 2002
Merger of Democratic Union
Italy of Values
The Network
Merged into Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy
HeadquartersPiazza dei Santi Apostoli, 73
Rome, Italy
Ideology Social liberalism
Christian left
Social democracy
Political position Centre to centre-left
National affiliation The Olive Tree
European affiliation European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
European Parliament group European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party Group
Colours  Orange   Light blue

The Democrats (Italian : I Democratici, Dem) was a centrist [1] and social-liberal political party in Italy.

Contents

The party was launched in 1999 by Romano Prodi, a few months after his dismissal as Prime Minister and leader of The Olive Tree coalition. Three parties merged into The Democrats: the Democratic Union, Italy of Values and The Network. Also splinters from the Italian People's Party joined. In 2002 The Democrats were merged into Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, which would be merged into the Democratic Party in 2007.

History

Early groups of "Olivists" were formed in 1995–1996, during the campaign for the 1996 general election, by close supporters of Prodi who were not members of any party of The Olive Tree coalition, like Prodi himself. "Clubs for Prodi" and the "Citizens for The Olive Tree" association were organised. Although most Olivists took part to the campaign only as activists, some were elected with the Populars for Prodi list, whose main constituent parties were the Christian-democratic Italian People's Party (PPI) and the social-liberal Democratic Union (UD). The Olive Tree won the election, the PPI–UD joint list obtained 6.8% of the vote, and Prodi was sworn in as Prime Minister, at the head of the Prodi I Cabinet.

After being ousted as Prime Minister and replaced by Massimo D'Alema (leader of the Democrats of the Left) in November 1998, Prodi launched the new party in February 1999. The Democrats were joined by PPI splinters, grassroots activists, the UD (leader: Antonio Maccanico), The Network (leader: Leoluca Orlando), Italy of Values (leader: Antonio Di Pietro) – which would be re-established as an independent party in May 2000 –, and the so-called "Movement of Mayors" (leaders: Francesco Rutelli, a former Green, and Massimo Cacciari, a former Democrat of the Left).

After a few months after the party's foundation, Prodi gave way to his close associate Arturo Parisi as president.

Prodi led The Democrats to a good result in the 1999 European Parliament election (7.7%), much more than the PPI (4.3%). Six Democratic MEPs were elected: Cacciari, Di Pietro, Rutelli, Paolo Costa, Pietro Mennea and Giovanni Procacci. In September Prodi was appointed President of the European Commission.

In December 1999 the party joined D'Alema II Cabinet with four ministers: Maccanico as minister of Institutional Reforms, Enzo Bianco (who had missed the election as MEP for a few votes) minister of the Interior, Willer Bordon ministers of Public Works, and Paolo De Castro minister of Agriculture. Of these, all but the latter would be confirmed in Amato II Cabinet, which was formed in April 2000, after the coalition's defeat in the regional elections.

In early 2000 Parisi asked the Democrats of the Left, then led by Walter Veltroni, to dissolve into a new "Democratic Party". The proposal was not received, thus in October 2000 The Democrats agreed with the PPI, Italian Renewal and the Union of Democrats for Europe to form a joint list for the 2001 general election, under the leadership of Rutelli, who was also The Olive Tree's "candidate for Prime Minister". The list, which gained a considerable success (14.5%), was transformed into a party in March 2002 under the name of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy. [2] This party, led by Rutelli, would be eventually merged into the Democratic Party in October 2007. [3]

Ideology

Several party members were either former Christian Democrats (Prodi, Parisi, Costa, Orlando, etc.), while several others were formerly affiliated to the Italian Republican Party (Maccanico, Bianco, etc.). The ideology of the party thus ranged from Prodi's "social Catholicism" to Rutelli's and the former Republicans' social liberalism, Di Pietro's populism and social democracy. At the European level, The Democrats were affiliated to the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.

The party was fervently "Olivist" (that is to say interested in the creation of a more united centre-left and, possibly, a joint centre-left party) and Europeanist, while also favouring the establishment of a two-party system. The name and symbol of the party were a direct reference to the Democratic Party of the United States. [3]

Electoral results

Italian Parliament

Chamber of Deputies
Election yearVotes%Seats+/−Leader
2001 In Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy
23 / 630
Senate of the Republic
Election yearVotes%Seats+/−Leader
2001 In the Olive Tree
9 / 315

European Parliament

European Parliament
Election yearVotes%Seats+/−Leader
1999 2,402,435 (5th)7.7
6 / 87

Leadership

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democrats of the Left</span> Italian political party

The Democrats of the Left was a social-democratic political party in Italy. Positioned on the centre-left, the DS, successor of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) and the Italian Communist Party, was formed in 1998 upon the merger of the PDS with several minor parties. A member of The Olive Tree coalition, the DS was successively led by Massimo D'Alema, Walter Veltroni, and Piero Fassino, and merged with Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy and a number of minor centre-left parties to form the Democratic Party in October 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Olive Tree (Italy)</span> Political party in Italy

The Olive Tree was a denomination used for several successive centre-left political and electoral alliances of Italian political parties from 1995 to 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy</span> Former political party in Italy

Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, commonly known simply as The Daisy, was a centrist political party in Italy. The party was formed from the merger of three parties within the centre-left coalition: the Italian People's Party, The Democrats and Italian Renewal. The party president and leader was Francesco Rutelli, former mayor of Rome and prime ministerial candidate during the 2001 general election for The Olive Tree coalition, within which The Daisy electoral list won 14.5% of the national vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pier Ferdinando Casini</span> Italian politician (born 1955)

Pier Ferdinando Casini is an Italian politician. He served as President of the Chamber of Deputies from 2001 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Democratic Centre</span> Political party in Italy

The Christian Democratic Centre was a Christian-democratic political party in Italy from 1994 to 2002. Formed from a right-wing split from Christian Democracy, the party joined the centre-right coalition, and was a member of the European People's Party (EPP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Party of the Left</span> Italian political party

The Democratic Party of the Left was a democratic-socialist and social-democratic political party in Italy. Founded in February 1991 as the post-communist evolution of the Italian Communist Party, the party was the largest in the Alliance of Progressives and The Olive Tree coalitions. In February 1998, the party merged with minor parties to form Democrats of the Left. At its peak in 1991, the party had a membership of 989,708; by 1998, it was reduced to 613,412.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Italian general election</span>

The 1996 Italian general election was held on 21 April 1996 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. Romano Prodi, leader of the centre-left The Olive Tree, won the election, narrowly defeating Silvio Berlusconi, who led the centre-right Pole for Freedoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian People's Party (1994)</span> Political party in Italy

The Italian People's Party was a Christian-democratic, centrist and Christian-leftist political party in Italy. The party was a member of the European People's Party (EPP).

The Democratic Union was a small social-liberal political party in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arturo Parisi</span> Italian politician (born 1940)

Arturo Parisi is an Italian politician, leader of the Ulivist faction of the Democratic Party and a four-time member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. He was also minister of defence in the cabinet of Prime Minister Romano Prodi from 2006 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Party (Italy)</span> Italian social democratic political party

The Democratic Party is a social democratic political party in Italy. The party's secretary is Elly Schlein, elected in the 2023 leadership election, while the party's president is Stefano Bonaccini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pact for Italy</span> Italian electoral alliance

The Pact for Italy was a centrist political and electoral alliance in Italy launched by Mario Segni and Mino Martinazzoli in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliance of Progressives</span> Political party in Italy

The Alliance of Progressives was a left-wing political alliance of parties in Italy formed in 1994, with relevant predecessors at local level in 1993. The leader of the alliance was Achille Occhetto. The alliance was a predecessor of the modern-day centre-left coalition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberal Democrats (Italy)</span> Political party in Italy

The Liberal Democrats, whose complete name is Liberal Democrats for Renewal, is a liberal and centrist political party in Italy.

The Olivists (Ulivisti) are a faction within the Democratic Party (PD), a political party in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massimo D'Alema</span> Italian politician (born 1949)

Massimo D'Alema is an Italian politician and journalist who was the 53rd prime minister of Italy from 1998 to 2000. He was Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2008. D'Alema also served for a time as national secretary of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS). Earlier in his career, D'Alema was a member of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and was the first former Communist party member to become prime minister of a NATO country and the only former PCI prime minister of Italy. Due to his first name and for his dominant position in the left-wing coalitions during the Second Republic, he is referred to as Leader Maximo. He is also the author of several books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pole for Freedoms</span> Political party in Italy

The Pole for Freedoms was a centre-right political and electoral alliance in Italy, which was active from 1996 to 2000. It included Forza Italia (FI), the National Alliance (AN), Union of the Centre (UdC), Christian Democratic Centre (CCD), United Christian Democrats (CDD), and Pannella–Sgarbi List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union of Democrats for Europe</span> Political party in Italy

The Union of Democrats for Europe, also known as UDEUR Populars, was a minor centrist, Christian-democratic political party in Italy.

The centre-left coalition is a political alliance of political parties in Italy active under several forms and names since 1995, when The Olive Tree was formed under the leadership of Romano Prodi. The centre-left coalition has ruled the country for more than fifteen years between 1996 and 2021; to do so, it had mostly to rely on a big tent that went from the more radical left-wing, which had more weight between 1996 and 2008, to the political centre, which had more weight during the 2010s, and its main parties were also part of grand coalitions and national unity governments.

References

  1. Daniela Giannetti; Rosa Mulé (2007). "The Democratici di Sinistra: In Search of a New Identity". In Anna Bosco (ed.). Party Change in Southern Europe. Routledge. p. 125. ISBN   978-1-136-76777-7.
  2. Bernard Grofman; Daniela Giannetti (2011). "Electoral Reform and Factional Politics in Italy and Japan: Similarities and Differences". In Daniela Giannetti; Bernard Grofman (eds.). A Natural Experiment on Electoral Law Reform: Evaluating the Long Run Consequences of 1990s Electoral Reform in Italy and Japan. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 85. ISBN   978-1-4419-7228-6.
  3. 1 2 Edoardo Ongaro (2009). Public Management Reform and Modernization: Trajectories of Administrative Change in Italy, France, Greece, Portugal and Spain. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 55. ISBN   978-1-84980-228-4.