Daisy—Democracy is Freedom
Encyclopedia
Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy was a centrist
Italian political party. The party president and leader was Francesco Rutelli, former Mayor of Rome
and former candidate for Prime Minister of Italy
during the 2001 general election
for The Olive Tree coalition.
DL was formed by former leftist Christian Democrats
, centrists (former Liberals
and former Republicans
), as well as more leftist politicians, especially former Socialists
and Greens
. DL merged with the Democrats of the Left
and minor parties to found the Democratic Party
on 14 October 2007.
there were actually two centrist lists within the Italian centre-left
: that of the Italian People's Party (PPI), including Democratic Union
(UD), the Italian Republican Party
(PRI) and the South Tyrolean People's Party
(SVP), and that of Italian Renewal
(RI), including the Italian Socialists
(SI), which merged into the Italian Democratic Socialists
(SDI) in 1998, and Patto Segni
(PS). In 1998 splinters from the centre-right coalition formed the Democratic Union for the Republic
(UDR), later transformed into UDEUR Populars
, in order to support the D'Alema I Cabinet. In 1999 splinters of PPI, UD and other groups formed The Democrats (Dem).
Between 1998 and 2000, in Northeast Italy
, there were several precursors of such idea at the regional and local level, notably the Reform Popular Centre
in Friuli-Venezia Giulia
, the Daisy Civic List
in Trentino and Together for Veneto
in Veneto
. Initially some of these experiments were intended to include both Christian-inspired parties and more secular ones, such as SDI and PRI, but, in October 2000, only PPI, Dem, UDEUR and RI agreed to join forces in a joint list called "The Daisy" for the 2001 general election
. The Daisy, led by Francesco Rutelli (who was also candidate for Prime Minister for the whole centre-left), won 14.5% of the vote, only two points less than the Democrats of the Left
(DS).
Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy was established as a single party during the founding congress of Parma
in February 2002. In that occasion the Italian People's Party, The Democrats and Italian Renewal merged in the new party, while the Union of Democrats for Europe decided to remain a separate party.
In the 2006 general election
, the party was member of the winning The Union
coalition and won 39 out of 315 senators. The Olive Tree list, to which DL was part since the 2004 European Parliament election
, won 220 seats out of 630 in the Italian Chamber of Deputies
. On 14 October 2007, DL, DS and numerous minor parties merged to form the Democratic Party
.
party, with a strong support among Catholics, especially progressive ones. The party put together social conservatives
with social progressives, economic liberals
and social democrats
. Many former members of the Italian People's Party, one of the ancestor parties of DL, were members or close supporters of the Italian Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions
(CISL), the Catholic trade union.
After the 2004 European elections
the new party decided not to become a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
(ELDR) nor of the European People's Party
, but founded the European Democratic Party
(EDP) together with the Union for French Democracy
. In the European Parliament
, the EDP and ELDR Europarties
formed the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
group.
In 2005, DL participated in the foundation of the Alliance of Democrats, a worldwide network of centrist
parties, along with the New Democrat Coalition
of the United States Democratic Party
, the EDP member parties and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats
.
The results of 1994 (general) refer to the combined result of PPI, Patto Segni
and AD
, those of 1994 to the combined result of PPI and Pact of Democrats
(joint-list of Patto Segni and AD, including also SI
), those of 1996 (general and Sicilian regional) to the combined result of the joint-list of PPI and UD
and RI
(whose list comprised Patto Segni and SI), those of 1999 (European) and 2000 (regional) to the combined result of PPI, Dem and RI, those of 2001 (general and Sicilian regional) the DL federation (comprising at the time PPI, Dem, UDEUR Populars and RI).
From 2004 (European) the results refer to DL, formed by PPI, Dem and RI, after the defection of UDEUR. The result for the 2006 general election refers to the election for the Senate, indeed DL contested the election for the Chamber of Deputies in a joint list with Democrats of the Left
.
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...
Italian political party. The party president and leader was Francesco Rutelli, former Mayor of 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...
and former candidate for Prime Minister of Italy
Prime minister of Italy
The Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...
during 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....
for The Olive Tree coalition.
DL was formed by former leftist 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 ....
, centrists (former 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...
and former 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...
), as well as more leftist politicians, especially former 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...
and 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:...
. DL merged with 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...
and minor parties to found the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Italy)
The Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election....
on 14 October 2007.
History
The idea of uniting the centrist components of The Olive Tree coalitions, which were divided in many parties, was discussed at least since 1996. In the 1996 general electionItalian 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...
there were actually two centrist lists within the Italian 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...
: that of the Italian People's Party (PPI), including Democratic Union
Democratic Union (Italy)
The Democratic Union was a small social-liberal party in Italy.It was founded in 1996 by Antonio Maccanico , Willer Bordon and Giorgio Benvenuto, both members of Democratic Alliance...
(UD), 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...
(PRI) and the South Tyrolean People's Party
South Tyrolean People's Party
The South Tyrolean People's Party is a regionalist Christian democratic political party active in the Italian province of South Tyrol.Founded in 1945, the SVP represents the German-speaking population of the province, as well as Ladin speakers. Since the first election of the Provincial Council in...
(SVP), and that of 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...
(RI), including the Italian Socialists
Italian Socialists
The Italian Socialists were a minor social-democratic political party in Italy active in Italy from 1994 to 1998....
(SI), which merged into 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...
(SDI) in 1998, and Patto Segni
Patto Segni
Patto Segni was a Christian-democratic and liberal political party in Italy, named after Mario Segni.-History:The party was founded in 1993 as a split from Democratic Alliance and as the continuation of the Populars for the Reform, a split from Christian Democracy in 1992, whose principal aim was...
(PS). In 1998 splinters from the centre-right coalition formed the Democratic Union for the Republic
Democratic Union for the Republic
The Democratic Union for the Republic was a short-lived centrist political party in Italy.It was founded in February 1998 by Francesco Cossiga, Clemente Mastella , Rocco Buttiglione , Mario Segni The Democratic Union for the Republic (Unione Democratica per la Repubblica, UDR) was a short-lived...
(UDR), later transformed into UDEUR Populars
UDEUR Populars for the South
UDEUR Populars for the South is a small centrist and Christian-democratic political party in Italy. Led by Clemente Mastella, the party has been at times very strong in Southern Italy, but almost irrelevant in Northern Italy...
, in order to support the D'Alema I Cabinet. In 1999 splinters of PPI, UD and other groups formed The Democrats (Dem).
Between 1998 and 2000, in Northeast Italy
Northeast Italy
Northeast Italy is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics , a first level NUTS region and a European Parliament constituency...
, there were several precursors of such idea at the regional and local level, notably the Reform Popular Centre
Reform Popular Centre
Reform Popular Centre was a centrist coalition active in Friuli-Venezia Giulia from 1998 to 2003.The coalition was launched for the 1998 regional election and comprised five parties:*Italian People's Party...
in Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli–Venezia Giulia is one of the twenty regions of Italy, and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The capital is Trieste. It has an area of 7,858 km² and about 1.2 million inhabitants. A natural opening to the sea for many Central European countries, the region is...
, the 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...
in Trentino and Together for Veneto
Together for Veneto
Together for Veneto was a centrist Italian coalition of parties active in Veneto.It was formed for the 2000 regional election by the local sections of three national parties: the Italian People's Party, The Democrats and Italian Renewal...
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...
. Initially some of these experiments were intended to include both Christian-inspired parties and more secular ones, such as SDI and PRI, but, in October 2000, only PPI, Dem, UDEUR and RI agreed to join forces in a joint list called "The Daisy" for the 2001 general election
Italian general election, 2001
A national general election was held in Italy on May 13, 2001 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The 14th Parliament of the Italian republic was chosen....
. The Daisy, led by Francesco Rutelli (who was also candidate for Prime Minister for the whole centre-left), won 14.5% of the vote, only two points less than 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...
(DS).
Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy was established as a single party during the founding congress of Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
in February 2002. In that occasion the Italian People's Party, The Democrats and Italian Renewal merged in the new party, while the Union of Democrats for Europe decided to remain a separate party.
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...
, the party was member of the winning 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:...
coalition and won 39 out of 315 senators. The Olive Tree list, to which DL was part since 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...
, won 220 seats out of 630 in the Italian 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...
. On 14 October 2007, DL, DS and numerous minor parties merged to form the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Italy)
The Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election....
.
Ideology
Democracy Is Freedom was a pro-European centristCentrism
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...
party, with a strong support among Catholics, especially progressive ones. The party put together social conservatives
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
with social progressives, economic liberals
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
and social democrats
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...
. Many former members of the Italian People's Party, one of the ancestor parties of DL, were members or close supporters of the Italian Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions
Italian Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions
The Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori is an Italian trade union association representing various Roman Catholic-inspired groups linked with Christian Democracy....
(CISL), the Catholic trade union.
After the 2004 European elections
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...
the new party decided not to become a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party is a European political party mainly active in the European Union, composed of 56 national-level liberal and liberal-democratic parties from across Europe...
(ELDR) nor of the European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
, but founded 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...
(EDP) together with the Union for French Democracy
Union for French Democracy
The Union for French Democracy was a French centrist political party. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over the right. This name was chosen due to the title of Giscard d'Estaing's...
. 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...
, the EDP and ELDR Europarties
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...
formed 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...
group.
In 2005, DL participated in the foundation of the Alliance of Democrats, a worldwide network of 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...
parties, along with the New Democrat Coalition
New Democrat Coalition
The New Democrat Coalition is a Congressional Member Organization within the United States Congress made up of Democrats who support an agenda that the organization describes as moderate and pro-growth. A July 2009 Press release described the organization as "the largest moderate coalition in the U.S...
of 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...
, the EDP member parties and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats
Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats
The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats is a regional organization of liberal and democratic political parties in Asia. The Council was created on October 15, 1993, in a meeting in Taipei...
.
Members
Leading members of the party included:- Former Christian DemocratsChristian 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 ....
: Gerardo Bianco, Rosy BindiRosy BindiMaria Rosaria Bindi, best known as Rosy Bindi is an Italian politician and the current President of the Democratic Party.-Career:...
, Enzo Carra, Pierluigi Castagnetti, Luigi CocilovoLuigi CocilovoLuigi Cocilovo is an Italian Member of the European Parliament and a University researcher in Law. He was elected on the Olive Tree ticket and sits with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group....
, Sergio D'Antoni, Ciriaco De MitaCiriaco de MitaCiriaco Luigi de Mita is an Italian politician. He served as the 47th Prime Minister of Italy from 1988 to 1989 and is currently Member of the European Parliament.-Biography:De Mita was born in Nusco, in the Avellinese hinterland....
, Giuseppe FioroniGiuseppe FioroniGiuseppe 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....
, Dario FranceschiniDario FranceschiniDario 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...
, Enrico LettaEnrico LettaEnrico Letta is an Italian politician, and was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the 2006 General election for the Olive Tree coalition...
, Renzo Lusetti, Nicola MancinoNicola MancinoNicola Mancino is an Italian politician. He was President of the Italian Senate from 1996 to 2001. He was also Minister of the Interior from 1992 to 1994.Mancino was born in Montefalcione, province of Avellino...
, Franco MariniFranco MariniFranco 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:...
, Sergio MattarellaSergio MattarellaSergio Mattarella is an Italian politician.-Life:Mattarella was born in Palermo . He is son of Bernardo Mattarella and brother of Piersanti Mattarella, both politician into Democrazia Cristiana....
, Lapo PistelliLapo PistelliLapo Pistelli is an Italian politician and Member of the European Parliament for Central Italy, first elected in the 2004 European Parliament election with the Democratic Party...
, Vittorio ProdiVittorio ProdiVittorio Prodi is an Italian politician andMember of the European Parliamentfor North-Eastwith the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and sits on...
, Rosa Russo Jervolino, Patrizia ToiaPatrizia ToiaPatrizia Toia is an Italian politician andMember of the European Parliamentfor North-Westwith the Margherita Party,part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and sits on... - Former SocialistsItalian 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...
: Laura Fincato, Giuseppe La Ganga, Linda Lanzillotta, Enrico Manca, Pierluigi Mantini, Tiziano Treu - Former Social DemocratsItalian Democratic Socialist PartyThe 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...
: Franco Bruno, Sandro GoziSandro GoziSandro Gozi is an Italian politician and Member of the Parliament of Italy. He was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the lower chamber of Parliament, in 2008, as a representative of the Democratic Party....
, Andrea Papini, Italo Tanoni - Former LiberalsItalian Liberal PartyThe 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...
: Cinzia Dato, Natale D'Amico, Lamberto Dini, Valerio ZanoneValerio ZanoneValerio 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.... - Former RepublicansItalian Republican PartyThe 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...
: Enzo BiancoEnzo BiancoEnzo Bianco is an Italian politician and a member of Daisy-Democracy is Freedom. He was Minister of the Interior and Mayor of Catania.-External links:* at Italian Senate, XIII Legislature...
, Antonio Maccanico, Roberto Manzione - Former RadicalsItalian RadicalsItalian Radicals is an Italian political party which describes itself as a liberale, liberista e libertario political movement .It was...
: Francesco Rutelli, Roberto Giachetti - Former GreensFederation of the GreensThe 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:...
: Paolo GentiloniPaolo GentiloniPaolo 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, Francesco Rutelli, Gianni VernettiGianni 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:... - Former CommunistsItalian Communist PartyThe 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...
: Willer Bordon, Massimo CacciariMassimo CacciariMassimo Cacciari is an Italian philosopher and politician.Born in Venice, Massimo Cacciari graduated in philosophy from the University of Padua , where he also received his doctorate, writing a thesis on Immanuel Kant's "Critique of Judgment." In 1985, he became professor of Aesthetics at the...
, Maurizio FistarolMaurizio FistarolMaurizio Fistarol is an Italian politician from Veneto.A member of the Italian Communist Party and, later, of the Democratic Party of the Left, Fistarol was elected Mayor of Belluno in 1993. Re-elected in 1997, he was active in the North-East Movement and The Democrats...
, Antonio Polito
Factions
DL was mainly composed of four factions, the first three of them supporting Francesco Rutelli's leadership:- Rutelliani. It was Rutelli's own group, was composed of Paolo GentiloniPaolo GentiloniPaolo 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....
, Roberto Giacchetti, Renzo Lusetti, Ermete Realacci, Gianni VernettiGianni 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:...
, Luigi Lusi, Rino Piscitello, Maurizio FistarolMaurizio FistarolMaurizio Fistarol is an Italian politician from Veneto.A member of the Italian Communist Party and, later, of the Democratic Party of the Left, Fistarol was elected Mayor of Belluno in 1993. Re-elected in 1997, he was active in the North-East Movement and The Democrats...
and Riccardo Villari. This group was supportive of the idea of forming a 'Democratic Party' with DSDemocrats of the LeftThe 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...
, but they wanted to model it on the United States Democratic Party and for this reason they supported the foundation of the European Democratic PartyEuropean Democratic PartyThe 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...
. Many Rutelliani, including Francesco Rutelli himself, eventually left the Democratic Party in order to found the Alliance for ItalyAlliance for ItalyAlliance 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...
on 11 November 2009. - Popolari. This group represented the core of the former Italian People's Party (a leftish Christian democratic party), as Franco MariniFranco MariniFranco 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:...
, Ciriaco De MitaCiriaco de MitaCiriaco Luigi de Mita is an Italian politician. He served as the 47th Prime Minister of Italy from 1988 to 1989 and is currently Member of the European Parliament.-Biography:De Mita was born in Nusco, in the Avellinese hinterland....
, Pierluigi Castagnetti, Gerardo Bianco, Nicola MancinoNicola MancinoNicola Mancino is an Italian politician. He was President of the Italian Senate from 1996 to 2001. He was also Minister of the Interior from 1992 to 1994.Mancino was born in Montefalcione, province of Avellino...
, Enrico LettaEnrico LettaEnrico Letta is an Italian politician, and was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the 2006 General election for the Olive Tree coalition...
, Dario FranceschiniDario FranceschiniDario 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...
, Giuseppe FioroniGiuseppe FioroniGiuseppe 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....
, Rosy BindiRosy BindiMaria Rosaria Bindi, best known as Rosy Bindi is an Italian politician and the current President of the Democratic Party.-Career:...
, Lapo PistelliLapo PistelliLapo Pistelli is an Italian politician and Member of the European Parliament for Central Italy, first elected in the 2004 European Parliament election with the Democratic Party...
and Sergio D'Antoni. This group supported Rutelli as leader of the party, although there were some differences about the future Democratic Party with DS, as Popolari were proud of their supposedly Christian-democratic identity and some of them preferred to re-join the European People's PartyEuropean People's PartyThe European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
, rejecting the idea of joining the Party of European SocialistsParty of European SocialistsThe 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...
. - Teodem. This was a group of socially conservativeSocial conservatismSocial Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
Christian democrats, formed by Paola BinettiPaola BinettiPaola 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...
, Luigi Bobba, Enzo Carra, Patrizia ToiaPatrizia ToiaPatrizia Toia is an Italian politician andMember of the European Parliamentfor North-Westwith the Margherita Party,part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and sits on...
, Emanuela Baio Dossi and Marco Calgaro. Usually considered the right wing of the party, they supported Rutelli as leader of the party. - Ulivisti. This group represented the core of the former Democrats, as Arturo ParisiArturo ParisiArturo Parisi is an Italian politician, leader of the Ulivist faction of the Democratic Party and four-time member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies...
, Enzo BiancoEnzo BiancoEnzo Bianco is an Italian politician and a member of Daisy-Democracy is Freedom. He was Minister of the Interior and Mayor of Catania.-External links:* at Italian Senate, XIII Legislature...
, Willer Bordon, Antonio Maccanico, Franco Monaco, Pierluigi Mantini, Marina Magistrelli, Roberto Manzione, Cinzia Dato and Giovanni ProcacciGiovanni ProcacciGiovanni Procacci , is an Italian politician, and was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the 2006 General election...
. This group, very close to Romano ProdiRomano ProdiRomano 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...
, was the most supportive of the Democratic Party project and tended to be more secularSecularismSecularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
, although most of its members have Catholic connections.
Popular support
The electoral results of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy in the 10 most populated Regions of Italy are shown in the table below. As DL was founded in 2002, the electoral results from 1994 to 2001 refer to the combined result of the precursor parties.The results of 1994 (general) refer to the combined result of PPI, Patto Segni
Patto Segni
Patto Segni was a Christian-democratic and liberal political party in Italy, named after Mario Segni.-History:The party was founded in 1993 as a split from Democratic Alliance and as the continuation of the Populars for the Reform, a split from Christian Democracy in 1992, whose principal aim was...
and AD
Democratic Alliance (Italy)
The Democratic Alliance was an Italian political party founded in 1993, with the intent of becoming the container of an alliance of centre-left forces. However, the project did not succeed, and it presented itself as a minor party, mainly composed of former Republicans and former Communists...
, those of 1994 to the combined result of PPI and Pact of Democrats
Pact of Democrats
The Pact of Democrats was an electoral alliance in Italy.It was launched for the 1995 regional elections by Patto Segni, Italian Socialists and Democratic Alliance. After the election, in which PD scored everywhere between 3 and 6%, with the exception of Abruzzo and tiny Molise , the alliance was...
(joint-list of Patto Segni and AD, including also SI
Italian Socialists
The Italian Socialists were a minor social-democratic political party in Italy active in Italy from 1994 to 1998....
), those of 1996 (general and Sicilian regional) to the combined result of the joint-list of PPI and UD
Democratic Union (Italy)
The Democratic Union was a small social-liberal party in Italy.It was founded in 1996 by Antonio Maccanico , Willer Bordon and Giorgio Benvenuto, both members of Democratic Alliance...
and RI
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...
(whose list comprised Patto Segni and SI), those of 1999 (European) and 2000 (regional) to the combined result of PPI, Dem and RI, those of 2001 (general and Sicilian regional) the DL federation (comprising at the time PPI, Dem, UDEUR Populars and RI).
From 2004 (European) the results refer to DL, formed by PPI, Dem and RI, after the defection of UDEUR. The result for the 2006 general election refers to the election for the Senate, indeed DL contested the election for the Chamber of Deputies in a joint list with 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...
.
| 1994 general | 1995 regional | 1996 general | 1999 European | 2000 regional | 2001 general | 2004 European | 2005 regional | 2006 general | |
| Piedmont | 13.1 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 11.3 | 7.9 | 15.1 | with Ulivo | 10.4 | 11.7 |
| Lombardy | 15.0 | 9.4 | 10.4 | 10.1 | with Ulivo | 15.1 | with Ulivo | with Ulivo | 10.0 |
| Veneto | 21.1 | 15.0 | 13.3 | 12.7 | 13.7 | 14.9 | with Ulivo | with Ulivo | 11.9 |
| Emilia-Romagna | 14.8 | 9.3 | 11.8 | 10.9 | 7.7 | 15.5 | with Ulivo | with Ulivo | 9.4 |
| Tuscany | 15.7 | 6.4 | 10.0 | 9.1 | 6.9 | 13.4 | with Ulivo | with Ulivo | 9.0 |
| Lazio | 14.4 | 6.0 | 10.0 | 11.9 | 9.6 | 16.1 | with Ulivo | with Ulivo | 9.1 |
| Campania | 16.8 | 13.8 | 12.2 | 17.9 | 18.7 | 12.1 | with Ulivo | 16.0 | 12.8 |
| Apulia | 22.2 | 13.6 | 8.9 | 16.7 | 13.7 | 16.1 | with Ulivo | 9.7 | 11.1 |
| Calabria | 19.8 | 15.1 | 11.0 | 18.0 | 13.4 | 10.7 | with Ulivo | 14.5 | 10.3 |
| Sicily | 14.2 | 12.3 (1996) | 10.1 | 19.6 | 12.3 (2001) | 13.9 | with Ulivo | 12.0 (2006) | 11.8 |
| ITALY | 18.9 | - | 11.1 | 14.6 | - | 14.5 | - | - | 10.5 |
Leadership
- President: Francesco Rutelli (2001–2007)
- President of the Federal Assembly: Arturo ParisiArturo ParisiArturo Parisi is an Italian politician, leader of the Ulivist faction of the Democratic Party and four-time member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies...
(2001–2006), Willer Bordon (2006–2007), Enzo BiancoEnzo BiancoEnzo Bianco is an Italian politician and a member of Daisy-Democracy is Freedom. He was Minister of the Interior and Mayor of Catania.-External links:* at Italian Senate, XIII Legislature...
(2007) - Executive Coordinator: Dario FranceschiniDario FranceschiniDario 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...
(2001–2006), Antonello Soro (2006–2007) - Organizational Secretary: Franco MariniFranco MariniFranco 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:...
(2001–2006), Nicodemo Nazzareno Oliviero (2006–2007)
- 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...
: Pierluigi Castagnetti (2001–2006), Dario FranceschiniDario FranceschiniDario 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...
(leader of The Olive Tree's group, 2006–2007) - Party Leader in the SenateItalian SenateThe Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...
: Willer Bordon (2001–2006), Luigi Zanda (deputy-leader of The Olive Tree's group, 2006–2007) - Party Leader in the European ParliamentEuropean ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
: Lapo PistelliLapo PistelliLapo Pistelli is an Italian politician and Member of the European Parliament for Central Italy, first elected in the 2004 European Parliament election with the Democratic Party...
(2004–2007), Alfonso AndriaAlfonso AndriaAlfonso Andria is an Italian politician andMember of the European Parliamentfor Southernwith the Margherita Party,part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and sits on...
(2007–2008), Gianluca SustaGianluca SustaGianluca Susta is an Italian politician. He is a member of the European Parliament since May 8, 2006, when he took up a seat vacated after the 2006 Italian general election. He represents the Margherita within the ALDE parliamentary group.-External links:*...
(2008–2009)