Il Popolo della Libertà

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Il Popolo della Libertà
Party logo
Party executive Silvio Berlusconi (presidente)
Angelino Alfano (segretario)
Denis Verdini (2009–2013), Sandro Bondi (2009–2013), Ignazio La Russa (2009–2012) (coordinator)
Daniele Capezzone (portavoce)
founding March 29, 2009 (emerged from: Forza Italia and Alleanza Nazionale )
resolution November 16, 2013 (published in: Forza Italia , Nuovo Centrodestra and Fratelli d'Italia )
ideology Conservatism
Christian Democracy
Economic
Liberalism Populism
Berlusconism
European party EPP
EP Group EPP
Headquarters ItalyItaly Rome , Via dell'Umiltà 36
Party newspaper Il Giornale della Libertà
Website www.pdl.it

Il Popolo della Libertà ( PdL for short ; German  The People of Freedom ) was the name of a political party in Italy that emerged in 2009 from the merger of Forza Italia and Alleanza Nazionale and smaller parties. The founder was Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi . At his instigation, the PdL, last weakened by several spin-offs, renamed itself again to Forza Italia on November 16, 2013 .

Emergence

After the two largest parties of the Italian center-left had merged to form the Partito Democratico in autumn 2007 , Berlusconi proposed that the parties involved in the previous Casa delle Libertà coalition merge into a single political force of the center-right. However, all three major allies ( Alleanza Nazionale , Lega Nord and UDC ) spoke out against their own dissolution.

The project was therefore put on hold. After the fall of the Prodi government and in view of the early parliamentary elections , the plan for a joint party was quickly revived. Silvio Berlusconi and Gianfranco Fini announced on February 8, 2008 that Forza Italia and Alleanza Nazionale would compete with the joint list Popolo della Libertà and that the Lega Nord would form a coalition with them with its own list . The UDC confirmed its rejection of Berlusconi's project and did not enter into a coalition.

Political scientists assigned the party to the populist movements . In its special form, which was largely shaped by the interests of the founder and chairman Berlusconi, there was also talk of Berlusconism .

2008 election

The election manifesto of the party alliance, Rialzati, Italia! ("Rise again, Italy") was laid out in seven points (in that order): Revitalize Growth; Support families; more safety; more justice; Services to citizens; the South; Federalism; extraordinary measures for the public budget. Other points were the abolition of the municipal real estate tax on the primary residence and the preferential taxation of overtime.

In the parliamentary elections on April 13 and 14, 2008 , PdL and its allies Lega Nord and Movimento per l'Autonomia were able to record an election victory. 46.81% of the votes in the Chamber of Deputies and 47.32% in the Senate gave the coalition a clear majority in parliament. The Popolo della Libertà alone was able to collect 37.39% and 38.17% respectively.

The way to an independent party

After the election victory in 2008, a unified parliamentary group was formed, which included members of parliament and senators from Forza Italia, Alleanza Nazionale and some micro-parties. The People of Freedom was not yet an independent party, especially since the founding parties had retained their independence until further notice.

On November 21, 2008, Silvio Berlusconi finally announced the dissolution of his old Forza Italia party. The Alleanza Nazionale dissolved on March 22nd, 2009. Less than a week later, the foundation of the Popolo della Libertà party was officially sealed at the congress in Rome (from March 27th to 29th). The people of freedom became a fully fledged party.

The original party anthem of Popolo della Libertà was dedicated to Berlusconi and was titled Fortunately there is Silvio . Three months after Berlusconi's resignation as Prime Minister, the new anthem was presented to the People of Freedom . In the 2013 parliamentary elections , the anthem Fortunately there is Silvio was sung again.

Founding parties

The following parties belonged to the founding committee of the Popolo della Libertà and have now all been absorbed into it:

The Per la Liguria (For Liguria) movement later became part of the PdL.

Other parties, such as the Pensioners' Party ( Partito Pensionati ) and the Republicans originally wanted to merge into the rallying party, but then decided to set up their own business. The Liberal Democratici have also remained independent, but their most prominent member, Italy's former Prime Minister Lamberto Dini , has converted to the PdL.

Weighting within the PdL

Silvio Berlusconi, president of the party

After the creation of the unity party Popolo della Libertà , efforts were made to maintain a balanced relationship between the two great founding members Forza Italia (FI) and Alleanza Nazionale (AN) when filling important offices.

After the parliamentary elections in 2008, Renato Schifani (FI) was elected President of the Senate, Italy's second highest office after the President, and Gianfranco Fini (AN) was elected President of the Chamber of Deputies and third highest dignitary . Fabrizio Cicchitto (FI) was chairman of the PdL parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies, while Maurizio Gasparri (AN) presided over the Senate .

In the Berlusconi IV cabinet , the balance of power looked like this:

  • former Forza Italia (FI): Prime Minister, 12 Ministers and 17 Under-Secretaries
  • former Alleanza Nazionale (AN): four ministers and eight under-secretaries
  • former Democrazia Cristiana per le Autonomie (DCA): a minister

Political origin

Many members of the Popolo della Libertà were already politically active during the so-called First Republic . According to their origins, they can be divided into three large groups:

In addition, members of the lost Partito Liberale Italiano such as the former Defense Minister Antonio Martino and the former Justice Minister Alfredo Biondi were based in the PdL, as were former Radicali Italiani , such as Daniele Capezzone (party spokesman).

Political currents

Officially there were no currents ( correnti ) within the PdL. Nevertheless, there were associations and foundations belonging to the party, some of which represented different positions.

  • Rete Italia , a Christian Democratic association that represented positions close to Comunione e Liberazione : Roberto Formigoni , Maurizio Lupi and the European Parliamentarian Mario Mauro belonged to this movement.
  • Riformismo e Libertà , by Fabrizio Cicchitto, a former socialist.
  • Italia Protagonista , by Maurizio Gasparri.
  • Promotori della Libertà , by Sandro Bondi and Michela Vittoria Brambilla.
  • Task Force Italia , by Franco Frattini (who later left the party).
  • ResPublica , by Giulio Tremonti (who founded a new party).
  • Nuova Italia , by Rome's Mayor Gianni Alemanno .
  • Destra-PdL , from Domenico Nania.
  • Nostra Destra , by Ignazio La Russa (who founded a new party).

Until Gianfranco Fini left the party, two camps could be identified:

  • The vast majority stood united behind Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (Berlusconiani) ;
  • A minority represented the positions of Chamber President Fini (Finiani) .

Spin-offs

There were several violent political and personal quarrels between the founding fathers of the PdL, Berlusconi and Fini. Gianfranco Fini took a liberal course on ethical and immigration issues and openly distanced himself from the alliance partner Lega Nord. He also repeatedly criticized Berlusconi's “ Caesarist ” leadership style and his “attacks” against the institutions.

The rifts led in July / August 2010 to a split of the followers Finis (among others Italo Bocchino, Benedetto Della Vedova , Adolfo Urso). They founded their own parliamentary groups with the name Futuro e Libertà per l'Italia (Future and Freedom for Italy). In the Chamber of Deputies, 34 members (and Fini) of the new parliamentary group joined for the time being, ten in the Senate. Futuro e Libertà per l'Italia became an independent party, but had little support. Some parliamentarians terminated their membership and rejoined the PdL or other parties.

The former finance minister Giulio Tremonti resigned from the PdL after disagreements with Berlusconi and founded the Lista Lavoro e Libertà (3L; "List of Work and Freedom"), which ran together with the Northern League in the 2013 parliamentary elections.

In the run-up to the 2013 parliamentary elections, a new party split off in agreement with the top of the PdL, Fratelli d'Italia - Centrodestra Nazionale (Brothers of Italy - Center-Right National), led by Ignazio La Russa and the former minister of youth Giorgia Meloni .

PdL in regions, provinces, municipalities

Finally, the PdL provides the regional president in four regions: Abruzzo , Campania , Calabria and Sardinia . In addition, the party is involved in the regional governments of Piedmont , Lombardy and Veneto , in which the Lega Nord provided the president.

In the provincial and local elections in spring 2009, when there were elections in 62 provinces and numerous municipalities , the PdL and its allies were able to assert themselves. Before the election, only twelve provinces were ruled by center-right coalitions, after which there were 34.

In the local elections in 2012, the first after the fall of the fourth Berlusconi government , the party suffered an electoral defeat. Of the 26 provincial capitals that were elected, the party was only able to hold six. In the stronghold of Palermo, where the party ruled until now, the PdL candidate only got 12% of the vote. In the local elections in 2013, the PdL was defeated in Rome, among others.

PdL in the EU Parliament

In the 2004-2009 legislative period, Forza Italia and Alleanza Nazionale were represented by a total of 27 members in different parliamentary groups, namely the European People's Party and the Alliance for a Europe of Nations .

In the European elections in Italy in 2009 , the PdL was able to achieve 35.26% of the votes and, with 29 MPs, was the second largest member of the European People's Party after the German CDU, on par with the French Union pour un mouvement populaire . Eight MEPs have since left the PdL.

Election 2013

In the 2013 parliamentary elections , the PdL had to lose over a third of the votes of 2008 and came to 21.56% in the Chamber of Deputies and 22.30% in the Senate. Within a grand coalition with the Democratic Party and the Scelta Civica citizen list , the PdL took part in the Letta cabinet , where he appointed the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister ( Angelino Alfano ) as well as the Transport ( Maurizio Lupi ), Agriculture ( Nunzia De Girolamo ), Health ( Beatrice Lorenzin ) and Reform Minister ( Gaetano Quagliariello ) presented.

Renaming to Forza Italia and spin-off of Nuovo Centrodestra

On October 25, 2013, PdL President Berlusconi declared that his party should now be called Forza Italia again . Against the background of the already simmering conflicts, the party chairman Angelino Alfano and his ministerial colleagues in the Letta cabinet announced that they would not support this decision. There was already clear evidence of a split.

A party congress was convened to clarify this, but Alfano and his government colleagues, as announced in advance, did not take part. Around 800 of the remaining party members decided on November 16, 2013 to start over under the old name. Berlusconi was quoted as saying: "I am happy that we have returned to this name that we all still have in our hearts: Forza Italia ."

In the evening, Alfano presented his new party Nuovo Centrodestra , which, in addition to the five PdL ministers, included a total of 30 of the 98 senators and 27 of the 97 members of the Chamber of Deputies , enough to hold the government majority even without Forza Italia .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ La lista unica spacca il centrodestra [The merged list split center-right], Corriere della Sera , February 8, 2008
  2. ↑ PdL party program ( Memento of the original from January 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.forzaitalia.it
  3. ↑ Forza Italia si scioglie, ora è Pdl , [Forza Italia dissolves, now it's PdL], Corriere della Sera , November 21, 2008
  4. ^ Meno male che Silvio c'è . youtube
  5. ↑ Gente della libertà .
  6. ↑ Founding Committee PdL ( Memento of the original of February 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ilpopolodellaliberta.it
  7. ↑ Venti PDL in uno , German "Twenty PdL in one", Il Riformista , August 4, 2009
  8. ↑ La balena azzurra [The light blue whale], Milano Finanza, November 14, 2009
  9. ↑ z. B. Consulta, scontro Berlusconi-Fini ( Memento of the original from December 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , [Constitutional Court, dispute between Berlusconi and Fini], La Stampa , December 10, 2009 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lastampa.it
  10. ^ L'Espresso, accessed on August 6, 2010
  11. ↑ Provinciali, il Pdl strappa Milano e Venezia ( Memento of the original from June 26, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , [Provincial elections, PdL conquers Milan and Venice], Il Messaggero, June 22, 2009 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ilmessaggero.it
  12. ↑ Italy's ex-prime minister: Berlusconi intensifies the dispute in his own party. In: Spiegel online . October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013 .
  13. ↑ Power struggle in Italy: Berlusconi's party threatens to split. In: rp-online . October 27, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013 .
  14. ↑ Berlusconi party splits. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013 .
  15. ↑ Berlusconi reanimates Forza Italia. In: dradio.de . November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013 .
  16. ↑ Berlusconi's ministers change to Alfano. In: The Standard . November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013 .