Italian People's Party (1994-2002)
Encyclopedia
The Italian People's Party was a Christian democratic
political party in Italy
(DC) in January 1994. The first secretary of the party was Mino Martinazzoli, replaced by Rocco Buttiglione
in June, after that the party was soundly defeated in the 1994 general election
by both the centre-right and the centre-left, gaining only the 11.1%, as part of a centrist
alliance named Pact for Italy
.
In 1995, when Buttiglione's proposal to join the centre-right Pole of Freedoms
coalition (composed of Forza Italia
, the National Alliance
and the Christian Democratic Centre) was rejected by the party's National Council, the outgoing secretary, along with Roberto Formigoni
and Gianfranco Rotondi
, formed the United Christian Democrats
, leaving the PPI in the hands of the leftist factions of the late DC.
For the 1996 general election
the party formed a list (the Populars for Prodi) with Democratic Union
, the Italian Republican Party
and the South Tyrolean People's Party
. The list was part of The Olive Tree coalition and won 6.8% of the vote. The PPI was represented in Romano Prodi's first government
by three ministers: Beniamino Andreatta
was Minister of Defense, Rosy Bindi
Minister of Health and Michele Pinto
Minister of Agriculture.
In the 1999 European Parliament election
the party was damaged by the competition from The Democrats (Dem), a centrist and social-liberal
party launched by Romano Prodi
: the PPI won only 4.3% of the vote, while The Democrats took the 7.7%.
For the 2001 general election
the PPI formed an electoral alliance with The Democrats, the Union of Democrats for Europe (UDEUR) and Lamberto Dini's Italian Renewal
(RI). The alliance won 14.5% of vote. In January 2002 the party finally chose to merge into the new centrist party, called Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, along with The Democrats and Italian Renewal. The PPI was transformed in a think tank
: The Populars
("I Popolari"). In October 2007, Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy merged into the Democratic Party
, within which The Populars became an internal faction.
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
political party in Italy
History
The party emerged as the successor to Christian DemocracyChristian Democracy (Italy)
Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield ....
(DC) in January 1994. The first secretary of the party was Mino Martinazzoli, replaced by Rocco Buttiglione
Rocco Buttiglione
Rocco Buttiglione is an Italian Christian Democrat politician and an academic.His nomination for a post as European Commissioner with a portfolio that was to include civil liberties, resulted in controversy as some political groups opposed him for his Roman Catholic views on homosexuality, despite...
in June, after that the party was soundly defeated in the 1994 general election
Italian general election, 1994
An early national general election was held in Italy on March 27, 1994 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right alliance won handily the election for the Chamber and only narrowly lost that for the Senate....
by both the centre-right and the centre-left, gaining only the 11.1%, as part of a centrist
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
alliance named Pact for Italy
Pact for Italy
The Pact of Italy was a centrist electoral coalition in Italy, launched by Mario Segni and Mino Martinazzoli in 1994....
.
In 1995, when Buttiglione's proposal 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...
coalition (composed of 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....
, the National Alliance
National Alliance (Italy)
National Alliance was a conservative political party in Italy.Gianfranco Fini was the leader of the party since its foundation in 1995, however he stepped down in 2008 after being elected to the nominally non-partisan post of President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and was succeeded by...
and the Christian Democratic Centre) was rejected by the party's National Council, the outgoing secretary, along with Roberto Formigoni
Roberto Formigoni
Roberto Formigoni is an Italian politician, and the current President of Lombardy Region, Italy.-Life and career:Graduated in Philosophy at the Catholic University of Milan, he studied political economy at the Sorbonne, in Paris....
and Gianfranco Rotondi
Gianfranco Rotondi
Gianfranco Rotondi is an Italian politician, and the current leader of the Christian Democracy for Autonomies since June 2005.- Biography :Rotondi was born in Avellino, Campania....
, formed the United Christian Democrats
United Christian Democrats
The United Christian Democrats was a Christian democratic party in Italy.-History:It began in 1995 by a split of those members of the Italian People's Party who wanted to enter into an alliance with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia...
, leaving the PPI in the hands of the leftist factions of the late DC.
For the 1996 general election
Italian general election, 1996
An early national general election was held in Italy on 21 April, 1996 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic...
the party formed a list (the Populars for Prodi) with 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...
, 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 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...
. The list was part of The Olive Tree coalition and won 6.8% of the vote. The PPI was represented in Romano Prodi's first government
Prodi I Cabinet
The Prodi I Cabinet was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 18 May 1996 to 21 October 1998.-Sources:*...
by three ministers: Beniamino Andreatta
Beniamino Andreatta
Beniamino Andreatta was an Italian economist and politician.He was a leftish Christian Democrat and one of the founders of the Italian People's Party in 1994.Andreatta was born in Trento...
was Minister of Defense, Rosy Bindi
Rosy Bindi
Maria Rosaria Bindi, best known as Rosy Bindi is an Italian politician and the current President of the Democratic Party.-Career:...
Minister of Health and Michele Pinto
Michele Pinto
Michele Pinto is a retired Italian Christian Democrat politician and Italy's agriculture minister from 18 May 1996 to 21 October 1998...
Minister of Agriculture.
In the 1999 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 1999
The European Parliament Election, 1999 was a European election for all 626 members of the European Parliament held across the 15 European Union member states on 10, 11 and 13 June 1999. The voter turn-out was generally low, except in Belgium and Luxembourg, where voting is compulsory and where...
the party was damaged by the competition from The Democrats (Dem), a centrist and social-liberal
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
party launched by Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...
: the PPI won only 4.3% of the vote, while The Democrats took the 7.7%.
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 PPI formed an electoral alliance with The Democrats, the Union of Democrats for Europe (UDEUR) and Lamberto Dini's 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). The alliance won 14.5% of vote. In January 2002 the party finally chose to merge into the new centrist party, called Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, along with The Democrats and Italian Renewal. The PPI was transformed in a think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
: The Populars
The Populars
The Populars is a loose association within the Democratic Party , a political party in Italy.The Populars are the heirs of the Italian People's Party, a christian-democratic party of the Christian left, and of the left-wing of the late Christian Democracy...
("I Popolari"). In October 2007, Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy merged into 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....
, within which The Populars became an internal faction.
Leadership
- Secretary: Mino Martinazzoli (1994), Rocco ButtiglioneRocco ButtiglioneRocco Buttiglione is an Italian Christian Democrat politician and an academic.His nomination for a post as European Commissioner with a portfolio that was to include civil liberties, resulted in controversy as some political groups opposed him for his Roman Catholic views on homosexuality, despite...
(1994–1995), Gerardo Bianco (1995–1997), 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:...
(1997–1999), Pierluigi Castagnetti (1999–2002)- Deputy Secretary: 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...
(1997–1999), 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...
(1999–2002) - 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...
(1997–1999), 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...
(1999–2002)
- Deputy Secretary: Dario Franceschini
- President: Rosa Russo Jervolino (1994), Giovanni BianchiGiovanni BianchiGiovanni Bianchi also known as Jano Planco , was an Italian anatomist, archaeologist, zoologist and intellectual.He wrote numerous medical texts and De Conchis minus notis liber , a work on Foraminifera. and maintained a cabinet of curiosities-External Links:* Bio...
(1994–1997), Gerardo Bianco (1997–1999)
- 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...
: Nino Andreatta (1994–1996), Antonello Soro (1996–2001) - Party Leader in the SenateItalian SenateThe Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...
: 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...
(1994–1996), Leopoldo EliaLeopoldo EliaLeopoldo Elia was an Italian politician.Born in Fano, Marche, he was judge of the Constitutional Court, in Carlo Azeglio Ciampi's government was Minister for Reforms and briefly Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1994, when Beniamino Andreatta belong President of Popular Party parliamentary...
(1996–2001) - Party Leader in the European ParliamentEuropean ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
: Pierluigi Castagnetti (1994–1999), Guido BodratoGuido Bodrato-Biography:Bodrato was born in Monteu Roero, in Piedmont, and graduated in jurisprudence. He entered Christian Democracy and was elected in the Italian Chamber of Deputies for that party from 1968 to 1994. He was also municipal councillor in Turin...
(1999–2004)