The Liberal Democratic Foundation (Fondazione Liberaldemocratica, FLD) was a Christian-democratic

Christian Democracy

Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...

 and liberal

Liberalism

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

 Italian political party.

It was founded on 28 April 1994 by splinters from 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...

 led by Giulio Tremonti

Giulio Tremonti

Giulio Tremonti is an Italian politician. He served in the government of Italy as Minister of Economy and Finance under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from 1994 to 1995, from 2001 to 2004, from 2005 to 2006, and from 2008 to 2011....

 (an ex-Socialist

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 Alberto Michelini (an ex-Christian-Democrat

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 ....

). They ackonowledged the defeat of their party (which won 4.7% of the votes and got elected only 13 deputies 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....

, in coalition with the Italian People's Party) and, after that they understood that Mario Segni

Mario Segni

Mariotto Segni, more often known as Mario, is an Italian politician, son of Antonio Segni, one time President of the Republic of Italy....

 would have led it into an alliance with the left-wing

Left-wing politics

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

 Democratic Party of the Left

Democratic Party of the Left

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

 (that happened for the 1995 regional elections through the 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...

), they decided to join forces with the centre-right

Centre-right

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

 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...

 and to support Berlusconi I Cabinet

Berlusconi I Cabinet

The Berlusconi I Cabinet was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 10 May 1994 to January 17, 1995.It was composed of 26 ministers and 38 under-secretaries, for a total of 64 members.Composition of the government:...

 (Tremonti even became Finance Minister).

Some of the members of FLD took part to the foundation of the Federalists and Liberal Democrats

Federalists and Liberal Democrats

The Federalists and Liberal Democrats was a federalist and liberal Italian political party.-History:...

 group in the Chamber of Deputies

Italian Chamber of Deputies

The Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...

 along with disgruntled members of Lega Nord on 16 December and, by 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...

, all of them had joined 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...

's 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....

.