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The People of Freedom

November 25, 2023

The People of Freedom (Italian: Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The PdL launched by Silvio Berlusconi as an electoral list, including Forza Italia and National Alliance, on 27 February for the 2008 Italian general election.[13] The list was later transformed into a party during a party congress on 27–29 March 2009. The party's leading members included Angelino Alfano (national secretary), Renato Schifani, Renato Brunetta, Roberto Formigoni, Maurizio Sacconi, Maurizio Gasparri, Mariastella Gelmini, Antonio Martino, Giancarlo Galan, Maurizio Lupi, Gaetano Quagliariello, Daniela Santanchè, Sandro Bondi, and Raffaele Fitto.

The People of Freedom
Il Popolo della Libertà
PresidentSilvio Berlusconi
SecretaryAngelino Alfano (2011–2013)
Coordinator
SpokespersonDaniele Capezzone
Founded
  • 27 February 2008 (list)
  • 29 March 2009 (party)
Dissolved16 November 2013
Merger of
Succeeded byForza Italia
HeadquartersVia dell'Umiltà 36
00187 Rome
Newspaper
Student wingNational Student Movement
Youth wingYoung Italy
Membership (2011)1,150,000[1][2]
(disputed)[3][4][5]
IdeologyLiberal conservatism[6][7][8][9]
Christian democracy[6]
Liberalism[10]
Conservatism[11]
Political positionCentre-right[8]
National affiliationCentre-right coalition
European affiliationEuropean People's Party
European Parliament groupEuropean People's Party
Colors  Azure
AnthemMeno male che Silvio c'è[12]
("Thank goodness for Silvio")
Website
www.pdl.it

The PdL formed Italy's government from 2008 to 2011 in coalition with Lega Nord. After having supported Mario Monti's technocratic government in 2011–2012, the party was part of Enrico Letta's government with the Democratic Party, Civic Choice and the Union of the Centre. Alfano functioned as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior. In June 2013, Berlusconi announced Forza Italia's revival and the PdL's transformation into a centre-right coalition.[14][15] On 16 November 2013, the PdL's national council voted to dissolve the party and start a new Forza Italia party; the assembly was deserted by a group of dissidents, led by Alfano, who had launched the New Centre-Right the day before.[16]

History edit

Background edit

In the run-up to the 2006 Italian general election there was talk among the House of Freedoms coalition's member parties on merging into a "united party of moderates and reformers". Forza Italia (FI), National Alliance (AN) and the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) all seemed interested in the project. Soon after the election, however, UDC leader Pier Ferdinando Casini, who had been a reluctant coalition partner, started to distance from its historical allies. Another party of the coalition, Lega Nord (LN), showed no interest in the idea, because of its character as a regionalist party.

On 2 December 2006, during a big rally of the centre-right in Rome against Romano Prodi's government, Silvio Berlusconi proposed the foundation of a "freedom party", stressing that centre-right voters were all part of a single "people of freedom". On 21 August 2007 Michela Brambilla, president of the Clubs of Freedom (a grassroot group), registered the name and the symbol of the "Freedom Party" (Partito della Libertà) on Berlusconi's behalf,[17] but none of Berlusconi's allies seemed interested in joining such a party and some leading FI dignitaries looked disappointed.

"Running board revolution" edit

 
Silvio Berlusconi at a PdL rally.

On 18 November 2007, Berlusconi claimed that his supporters had collected over 7 million signatures on an appeal demanding the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, to call a fresh general election. Shortly afterwards, from the running board of a car in a crowded Piazza San Babila in Milan,[18] he announced that FI would soon merge or transform into a new "party of the Italian people".[19] The new course was thus called the "running board revolution" (rivoluzione del predellino) and this expression soon became very popular both among Berlusconi's supporters and his adversaries.[20][21]

At the beginning, the fate of FI remained unclear. Later, it was explained that the new party's core would consist of FI, the Clubs of Freedom and other grassroots groups, and that some minor parties of the House of Freedoms would join too. AN leader Gianfranco Fini made very critical statements in the days after Berlusconi's announcement, declaring the end of his support for Berlusconi as candidate for Prime Minister and that his party would not join the new party. Also UDC leader Casini criticised the idea from the start and seemed interested in an alternative coalition with Fini.[22][23]

Foundation and early years edit

On 24 January, the Prodi II Cabinet fell as a result of the 2008 Italian political crisis, paving the way for a new general election. The day after Berlusconi hinted that FI would probably contest its last election, and postponed the foundation of the new party until after the election. In an atmosphere of reconciliation with Fini, Berlusconi also stated that the new party could involve the participation of other parties.[24] On 8 February, Berlusconi and Fini agreed to form a joint list under the banner of The People of Freedom (PdL), in alliance with LN.[25]

In addition to Forza Italia and the National Alliance, several minor parties and groups chose to join the PdL: the Clubs of Freedom of Michela Vittoria Brambilla, the Clubs of Good Government of Marcello Dell'Utri, the Liberal Populars (a splinter group from the UDC) of Carlo Giovanardi, the Christian Democracy for Autonomies of Gianfranco Rotondi, the Pensioners' Party of Carlo Fatuzzo, Liberal Reformers of Benedetto Della Vedova, the Italian Republican Party of Francesco Nucara, the New Italian Socialist Party of Stefano Caldoro, the Liberal Democrats (a splinter group from The Daisy) of Daniela Melchiorre, Decide! of Daniele Capezzone, Italians in the World of Sergio De Gregorio, Social Action of Alessandra Mussolini, the Libertarian Right (a splinter group from The Right) of Luciano Buonocore and the Reformist Socialists of Donato Robilotta.

In the 2008 Italian general election, the PdL won 37.4% of the vote, getting elected 276 deputies and 146 senators and becoming the Italian largest party. The PdL was also the first party since Christian Democracy in the 1979 Italian general election to get more than 35% of the popular vote.

On 27–29 March 2009, the new party held its first congress in Rome and was officially founded. Berlusconi was elected president, while Sandro Bondi, Ignazio La Russa and Denis Verdini were appointed national coordinators, Maurizio Lupi organizational secretary and Daniele Capezzone spokesperson.

In the 2009 European Parliament election in Italy, the party won 35.2% of the national vote, returning 29 MEPs.[26]

In the big round of regional elections of 2010, the PdL retained Lombardy with Roberto Formigoni (in coalition with LN), gained Lazio with Renata Polverini (a former leader of the General Labour Union), Campania with Stefano Caldoro (a leading Socialist) and Calabria with Giuseppe Scopelliti (a former AN member). The PdL was also instrumental in the centre-right victories in Veneto and Piedmont, where two presidents of LN, Luca Zaia and Roberto Cota respectively, were elected.

Berlusconi vs. Fini edit

 
Gianfranco Fini

Between 2009 and 2010, Gianfranco Fini, former leader of the conservative AN and president of the Chamber of Deputies, became a vocal critic of the leadership of Berlusconi. Fini departed from party's majority line on stem cell research, end-of-life care, advance health care directive, and immigration,[27][28][29] and he was a proponent of a more structured party organisation.[30][31] His criticism was aimed at the leadership style of Berlusconi, who tended to rely on his personal charisma to lead the party from the centre, and supported a lighter form of party, which in his mind was to be a movement-party active only at election times,[32] as the original FI and on some respects that of political parties in the United States.

Although some Finiani, such as Italo Bocchino, Carmelo Briguglio and Fabio Granata, shared Fini's views on moral issues and immigration, many others, including Andrea Ronchi and Adolfo Urso, were traditionalist. In fact most Finiani were Southern conservatives who opposed Berlusconi's firm alliance with LN, federal reform and Giulio Tremonti's economic policy.[33][34] Fini made inroads among the liberal and centrist ranks of the former FI,[35] but he lost the support of most leading members of the former AN, notably including Ignazio La Russa, Maurizio Gasparri and Altero Matteoli, who became close allies of Berlusconi.[36][37] Others, including Gianni Alemanno and Alfredo Mantovano, found common ground with the party's Christian democrats.[38]

On 15 April 2010 Bocchino launched an association named Generation Italy to better represent Fini's views within the party.[39] Five days later 52 MPs (39 deputies and 13 senators) signed a document in support of Fini and his theses, while other 74 MPs former members of AN, including La Russa, Gasparri, Matteoli and Giorgia Meloni, plus Alemanno, mayor of Rome, signed an alternative document in which they reasserted their loyalty to the party and Berlusconi.[40][41] On 22 April 2010 the national council of the PdL convened in Rome for the first time in a year. The conflict between Fini and Berlusconi was covered live on television. At the end of the day a resolution proposed by Berlusconi's loyalists was put before the assembly and approved almost unanimously.[42]

Following then, clashes between Fini and Berlusconi became even more frequent and reached their height in late July, when Fini questioned the morality of some party bigwigs under investigation.[43] On 29 July 2010 the executive committee released a document (voted by 33 members out of 37) in which Fini was described as "incompatible" with the political line of the PdL and unable to perform his job of President of the Chamber of Deputies in a neutral way. Berlusconi asked Fini to step down and the executive proposed the suspension from party membership of Bocchino, Briguglio and Granata, who had harshly criticised Berlusconi and accused some party members of criminal offences.[44] As response, Fini and his followers formed their own groups in both chambers under the name of Future and Freedom (FLI).[45][46][47][48]

It was soon clear that FLI would leave the PdL and become an independent party. On 7 November, during a convention in Bastia Umbra, Fini asked Berlusconi to step down as Prime Minister and proposed a new government including the Union of the Centre (UdC).[49] A few days later, the four FLI members in the government resigned.[50] On 14 December FLI voted against Berlusconi in a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies, a vote won by Berlusconi by 314 to 311.[51][52]

Re-organisation and discontents edit

In May 2011 the party suffered a big blow in local elections. Particularly painful was the loss of Milan, Berlusconi's hometown and party stronghold, where the outgoing PdL mayor Letizia Moratti was defeated by Giuliano Pisapia, a left-wing independent close to Nichi Vendola's Left Ecology Freedom party.[53]

 
Angelino Alfano

In response to this and to crescent fibrillation within party ranks (especially among Scajoliani and ex-AN members), Angelino Alfano, then minister of Justice, was chosen as national secretary in charge of re-organising and renewing the party.[54] The appointment of 40-year-old Alfano, a former Christian Democrat who had later been leader of FI in Sicily, was unanimously approved by the party executive. However, economy minister Giulio Tremonti expressed his concerns that the nominee would "make us lose votes in the North".[55] On 1 July the national council modified the party's constitution and Alfano was elected secretary with little opposition.[56]

Alfano led the party through a huge membership drive and, on 1 November, announced that more than one million individuals had joined the party.[57] He also drove the party in a Christian-democratic direction.[58] The factions which benefited most from the effort were those of Roberto Formigoni (Network Italy), Ignazio La Russa (Protagonist Italy) and Franco Frattini (Liberamente). The Christian-democratization of the party and the perceived marginalisation of liberals and social democrats led some to leave the party. One of these, Carlo Vizzini, declared: "It seems to me that the PdL is set to become the Italian section of the European People's Party [which already was]. I come from another tradition: I have been secretary of the PSDI and I was one of the founders of the Party of European Socialists. When I joined Forza Italia there were Liberals, Socialists, Radicals. Now everything has changed."[59]

In the midst of the European sovereign debt crisis, on 14 October, following calls by Claudio Scajola and Giuseppe Pisanu for a new government,[60][61] two deputies close to Scajola, Giustina Destro and Fabio Gava, voted against Berlusconi during a vote of confidence and left the party altogether.[62] On 2 November, Destro and Gava, along with Roberto Antonione, Giorgio Stracquadanio, Isabella Bertolini and Giancarlo Pittelli (who had left the party along with Santo Versace in September), promoted an open letter in which they asked Berlusconi to step down.[63][64] Contextually, Antonione announced that he was leaving the party. In the following days three more deputies, Alessio Bonciani, Ida D'Ippolito and Gabriella Carlucci, left to join the UdC.[65][66] In three months, the PdL had lost 15 deputies and 4 senators, including the 7 deputies and 3 senators who launched Force of the South under Gianfranco Micciché.[67]

Berlusconi's resignation edit

 
Silvio Berlusconi in 2012.

On 7 November 2011 Lega Nord's then-leader Umberto Bossi proposed Angelino Alfano as Berlusconi's successor.[68] On 8 November, during a key vote on a financial statement in the Chamber was approved thanks to the abstention of opposition parties, but Berlusconi got just 308 votes, 8 short of an absolute majority.[69][70] Subsequently, Berlusconi announced that he intended to step down after the passage of the budget bill.[71] Days of turmoil followed. Not only the party was highly divided, but its numerous factions and groups were divided too. As the appointment of Mario Monti, an independent economist and former European Commissioner, looked very likely, some in the party wanted to support the new possible government (and some even wanted to join it), while others were resolutely against and preferred an early election instead. Alfano, in his capacity of secretary, had to mediate.[72]

Among the party's Christian democrats, Roberto Formigoni, Maurizio Lupi and Raffaele Fitto (Network Italy), Claudio Scajola (Christopher Columbus Foundation), and Giuseppe Pisanu (hence Pisaniani) supported Monti, while Gianfranco Rotondi (Christian Democracy for Autonomies) and Carlo Giovanardi (Liberal Populars) did not. Within Liberamente and among the party's Socialists, Franco Frattini (who threatened to leave the party) and Fabrizio Cicchitto were in favour, while Mariastella Gelmini, Paolo Romani, Maurizio Sacconi, Renato Brunetta and, covertly, Giulio Tremonti were against. The vast majority of ex-AN members (Ignazio La Russa, Maurizio Gasparri, Altero Matteoli, Giorgia Meloni, etc.) was against, while a minority (mainly Gianni Alemanno) was in favour.[2][70][73][74][75][76][77]

On 12 November Berlusconi finally tendered his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano. The executive of the PdL decided to support a government led by Monti under some conditions, the first being that it should not include politicians but only technocrats.[78][79][80] The Monti Cabinet took office on 16 November. In the subsequent votes of confidence in the two houses of Parliament, the PdL voted largely for Monti. However, some party members, including Antonio Martino, Gianfranco Rotondi and Alessandra Mussolini, deserted the party.[81][82] Subsequently, LN broke its ties with the PdL at the national level.[83]

2013 general election edit

After long deliberation, on 24 October 2012, Berlusconi finally announced that he would not run again for Prime Minister in the 2013 Italian general election. In a written press release, the PdL leader also hinted that the party would select his successor through an open primary on 16 December.[84][85]

Berlusconi, who praised Monti, seemed to aim at a new centre-right led by Monti and a PdL led by Alfano.[86] On 25 November eight candidates filed the required number of signature in support of their bid: Angelino Alfano, Giorgia Meloni, Giancarlo Galan (who renounced right after), Guido Crosetto, Daniela Santanchè, Michaela Biancofiore, Giampiero Samorì and Alessandro Cattaneo.[87] However, on 28 November, after Berlusconi had expressed doubts on its success, the primary was cancelled altogether.[88] On 6 December Alfano announced that Berlusconi would run again for Prime Minister.[89] As soon as 12 December Berlusconi backtracked and stated that if Monti were to run for Prime Minister as the leader of a united centre-right (including also Luca Cordero di Montezemolo's Future Italy) he would stand aside and support him.[90] The move appeased the pro-Monti majority of the party, while disappointing other party wings.[91][92][93]

On 16 December the centrist majority of the party, consisting of several leading factions (Liberamente, Network Italy, Reformism and Freedom, Liberal Populars, New Italy, FareItalia, etc.), rallied in Rome under the "Popular Italy" banner: in presence of Alfano, the bulk of the party expressed its support for Monti and Berlusconi.[94][95] On the very same day, a group of anti-Monti reformers, led by Crosetto and Meloni, organised a separate rally and espoused opposite views.[96] On 17 December Ignazio La Russa announced he was leaving the PdL to form "National Centre-Right", aiming at representing not just anti-Monti right-wingers, but also the liberals and Christian democrats around Crosetto.[97] On 21 December La Russa's National Centre-Right and the groups around Crosetto and Meloni joined forces and formed Brothers of Italy.[98] To complete the picture of a highly fragmented centre-right, in the previous months there had already been two minor but significant splits from the PdL: on 3 October Giulio Tremonti left to form the Labour and Freedom List, while on 22 November a group of MPs, led by Isabella Bertolini, formed Free Italy.[99][100]

In early January 2013, after Berlusconi had announced his return as party leader and Monti had refused to join forces with the PdL, the bulk of the party rallied again behind Berlusconi and just a few leading members, notably including Mario Mauro, left to join Monti's Civic Choice party. Most of the centre-right was regrouped around the PdL, which took part to the February general election in coalition with Lega Nord (including the Labour and Freedom List), Brothers of Italy, The Right, Great South (including the Movement for the Autonomies), the Pensioners' Party, the Moderates in Revolution and Popular Agreement.

In the election the PdL obtained 21.6% of the vote (–15.8% from 2008) and the coalition came just 0.3% short of the centre-left. After some inconclusive attempts by Pier Luigi Bersani, leader of the Democratic Party, to form a government, the PdL joined Enrico Letta's government of grand coalition, providing five ministers, including Angelino Alfano who was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, two deputy ministers and several under-secretaries.

Revival of Forza Italia edit

On 28 June 2013 Berlusconi announced the revival of the defunct Forza Italia and the transformation of PdL into a centre-right coalition.[14][15][101]

On 1 August 2013 Berlusconi was convicted for tax evasion and sentenced to four years of imprisonment, the last three being automatically pardoned.[102] On 18 September, when discussing the enactment of a related six-year public office ban, as required by the "Severino law", the Senate committee in charge of elections refused to endorse a PdL resolution relinquishing Berlusconi's ban, as both the PD and the M5S disagreed.[103] On the same day Berlusconi launched the new Forza Italia (FI) and pledged to stay on as its leader in any case.[104] The would-be PdL coalition might include the new FI, Lega Nord and other parties. In fact, in disagreement with the new FI's liberalism, some members led by former mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno, who left the PdL in October 2013,[105] might form a conservative party modelled on the late National Alliance (AN), along with Brothers of Italy and other minor right-wing parties, and eventually join the coalition.[106][107][108][109]

After months of bickering within the party between "doves", supporting Letta's government, and "hawks", very critical of it, on 28 September Berlusconi asked to the five ministers of the party (Angelino Alfano, Maurizio Lupi, Gaetano Quagliariello, Beatrice Lorenzin and Nunzia De Girolamo) to resign from the government over a tax hike.[110] The ministers obeyed, but made clear that they dissented from the decision; Quagliariello and Lorenzin announced that they might not join the new FI, while Alfano described himself "differently berlusconiano".[111] The party's moderates, mainly Christian democrats as Alfano and Lupi (Roberto Formigoni, Carlo Giovanardi, etc.) and social democrats (Fabrizio Cicchitto, Maurizio Sacconi, etc.),[112][113] sided with the ministers, while the hawks led by Daniela Santanchè, most of whom liberals (Antonio Martino, Denis Verdini, Giancarlo Galan, Renato Brunetta, Sandro Bondi, Niccolò Ghedini, Daniele Capezzone, etc.), supported the exit from the government.[114]

On 2 October a confidence vote, called by Prime Minister Letta, revealed the division within party ranks, to the extent that around 70 PdL lawmakers were ready to split to support the government, in case Berlusconi and the party had decided not to do the same. Faced by this ultimatum, Berlusconi made a U-turn few minutes ahead of the vote and subsequently tried a reconciliation process within the party to avoid the split.[115] The outcome was a clear victory for the doves and the "ministerial faction" of the PdL, who continued to serve in the government.[116] Raffaele Fitto, Christian democrat and leader of the self-proclaimed "loyalists" (the party's mainstream, including Mariastella Gelmini, Mara Carfagna, etc.), supported by Galan and Bondi, announced his disagreement with Alfano's political line and proposed a congress to decide the party's positionment,[117] while the floor leaders, Maurizio Gasparri, Altero Matteoli, Paolo Romani and others came out as "mediators".[118][119]

On 25 October the PdL's executive committee voted to suspend all the party's activities and proposed the transformation of the current party into the new FI.[120] Consequently, all the leadership roles in the PdL were temporarily revoked and a national council was summoned for 16 November.[121] To approve the executive's proposal over the party's future, a 2/3 majority among voting delegates at the national council was required.[122]

On 16 November 2013 PdL was formally dissolved and replaced by the new FI, while a day earlier a group of dissidents, led by Alfano and including all five PdL ministers, had announced the formation of separate parliamentary groups, called New Centre-Right (NCD).[16]

Ideology and factions edit

The PdL aimed at combining together the traditions of its two main predecessors, Forza Italia (FI) and National Alliance (AN), as well as their smaller partners, among them Liberal Populars, Christian Democracy for Autonomies, New Italian Socialist Party, Liberal Reformers, and Social Action. FI, launched in 1994 by Silvio Berlusconi, was joined mainly by former Christian Democrats, Socialists, and Liberals who had seen their parties disappear amid the Tangentopoli scandals. AN, successor of the post-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI), had become a respectable conservative party under the leadership of Gianfranco Fini. FI and AN started to cooperate and were the pillars of the centre-right Pole of Good Government, Pole of Freedoms and House of Freedoms coalitions. The "Charter of Values" of the PdL underlined the "Christian" and "liberal" character of the party, presenting it as a defender of traditional values as well as of individual responsibility and self-determination. The document stressed the adherence of the party to the values and the platform of the European People's Party (EPP), its support for European integration and the transformation of Italy into a federal state.[123][third-party source needed]

The PdL was a classic example of catch-all party. The party's main cultural strains were Christian democracy and liberal conservatism,[6] but it is not to be underestimated the weight of those coming from the right-wing AN and the relevant role played by former Socialists, who were disproportionately represented in Berlusconi IV Cabinet. Four leading ministers (Giulio Tremonti, Franco Frattini, Maurizio Sacconi, and Renato Brunetta) hailed from the old PSI, while another Socialist, Fabrizio Cicchitto, was the party leader in the Chamber of Deputies.[124][125] This is not to say that all former Socialists were actually social democrats; for instance, while Tremonti was an outspoken critic of globalisation[126] and is not enthusiastic about labour market flexibility,[127] Brunetta was a free-market liberal[128][129] and frequently clashed with Tremonti over economic and fiscal policy.[130][131] Moreover, internal alliances were often not consistent with the previous affiliation of party members. On issues such as end of life, Sacconi, a former Socialist who still claimed to be a social democrat, sided with the party's Christian democrats and the social-conservative wing of the former AN, while several members hailing from the MSI found themselves in alliance with the liberal wing of the former FI. This is no surprise, as the late MSI also had a strong secular tradition, while FI was home to both social conservatives and uncompromising social liberals. On the economy, ex-FI Tremonti was often at odds with ex-FI liberals like Antonio Martino and Benedetto Della Vedova,[132][133] and was attacked by Giancarlo Galan for being a "socialist".[134]

Traditional values and the social market economy grew of importance in the rhetoric of the new party, partly replacing the small government and economic libertarian ideals expressed by FI. In this respect, Sacconi summarised the economic propositions of the PdL with the slogan "less state, more society";[135] however, in the PdL there was still some room for Reaganomics, with Berlusconi often making the case for lower taxes and Tremonti for deregulation and against red tape.[136][137][138]

Factions (as of November 2011) edit

The party was home to a wide range of factions, groups and associate parties, whose ideology ranged from social democracy to national conservatism. As of November 2011, the factions, listed by political ideology, were as follows:

Factions (as of October 2013) edit

A part from the above-mention factions, from 2013 four broad groupings were distinguishable:[118][139]

On 15 November, the day before the PdL's dissolution in the new FI, the "doves" left the party to form the New Centre-Right party.

Associate parties edit

The PdL granted financial support to several minor parties of the centre-right. They contributed one million Euros to the Liberal Democrats whose deputies were elected on the PdL list in 2008, and left the government camp after some months but returned in April 2011. Other parties who received payments from PdL were the Force of the South (€300,000), Christian Democracy for Campania (€144,000), Social Action (€100,000), Christian Democracy for Autonomies (€96,000), the Alliance of the Centre (€80,000), the Movement of National Responsibility (€49,000) and the Federation of Christian Populars (€40,000).[140]

Popular support edit

The PdL had its strongholds in Southern Italy, especially in Campania, Apulia and Sicily, but its power base included also two regions of the North, Lombardy and Veneto, where the party however suffered the competition of Lega Nord, which controlled the governorships of Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto. The regions governed by a PdL governor in 2013 were just four (Campania, Calabria, Abruzzo, and Sardinia), far less than the Democratic Party and its allies, which controlled twelve.

In the 2008 Italian general election, the party scored over 40% in Campania (49.1%), in Sicily (46.6%), Apulia (45.6%), Lazio (43.5%), and Calabria (41.2%). In the 2013 Italian general election, in which the PdL suffered a dramatic loss of votes, the party ran stronger in Campania (29.0%), Apulia (28.9%), and Sicily (26.5%).

The electoral results of the PdL in the regions of Italy are shown in the table below. As the party was launched in 2007, the electoral results from 1994 to 2006 refer to the combined result of the two main precursor parties, Forza Italia and National Alliance.

1994 general 1995 regional 1996 general 1999 European 2000 regional 2001 general 2004 European 2005 regional 2006 general 2008 general 2009 European 2010 regional 2013 general
Piedmont 34.8 37.9 33.8 36.8 42.7 41.2 31.0 31.9 35.8 34.3 32.4 25.0 19.7
Lombardy 31.8 39.5 32.6 36.5 43.6 40.9 32.9 34.7 37.3 33.5 34.4 31.8 20.8
Veneto 31.4 34.7 28.8 34.3 40.2 40.5 33.6 30.8 35.8 27.4 29.3 24.7 18.7
Emilia-Romagna 25.5 28.5 26.6 29.0 32.6 33.5 28.2 27.1 28.8 28.6 27.4 24.6 16.3
Tuscany 27.3 32.2 30.1 30.4 35.2 34.7 28.7 27.9 29.5 31.6 31.4 27.1 17.5
Lazio 45.8 43.5 45.0 40.9 44.6 46.8 35.9 39.3 40.0 43.5 42.7 38.2[141] 22.8
Campania 40.2 37.2 42.1 35.9 32.1 46.9 32.7 22.5 39.8 49.1 43.5 31.7 29.0
Apulia 27.3[142] 41.1 42.5 40.7 44.2 45.4 36.4 38.9 40.5 45.6 43.2 31.1 28.9
Calabria 36.2 36.0 41.7 31.6 28.7 40.9 28.5 19.9 31.7 41.2 34.9 36.3[143] 23.8
Sicily 47.6 31.2 (1996) 48.6 38.9 36.4 (2001) 47.4 36.0 29.8 (2006) 40.0 46.6 36.4 33.4 (2008) 26.5
ITALY 34.5 - 35.8 35.5 - 41.1 32.3 - 36.0 37.4 35.3 - 21.6

Electoral results edit

Italian Parliament edit

Election Leader Chamber of Deputies Senate of the Republic
Votes % Seats +/– Position Votes % Seats +/– Position
2008 Silvio Berlusconi 13,629,096 37.4
276 / 630
 New 1st 12,678,790 38.0
146 / 315
 New 1st
2013 7,332,667 21.6
98 / 630
   178 3rd 6,829,135 22.3
98 / 315
   47 3rd

European Parliament edit

Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Position
2009 Silvio Berlusconi 10,807,794 35.3
29 / 72
 New 1st

Leadership edit

Symbols edit

  •  

    Official logo

  •  

    Electoral logo

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ ""Primarie e nuovo nome" Alfano ridisegna il Pdl". Corriere. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Sì all' emergenza Nel programma i 39 punti della Bce". Corriere. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Tessere fantasma nel Pdl, tagliati 100 iscritti. "C'erano anche clandestini dei Cie"". Il Fatto Quotidiano. 15 March 2012.
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  141. ^ Combined result of the PdL (11.9%) and Lista Polverini (26.3%), Renata Polverini's personal list (26.3%). The PdL failed to present a list in the Province of Rome and thus most PdL voters voted for Lista Polverini instead.
  142. ^ Forza Italia failed to present a list and, although most centre-right voters voted for National Alliance, some of them voted for PPI and Patto Segni.
  143. ^ Combined result of the PdL (26.4%) and Lista Scopelliti (9.9%), Giuseppe Scopelliti's personal list.

Bibliography edit

  • Duncan McDonnell (2013). "Silvio Berlusconi's Personal Parties: From Forza Italia to Popolo Della Libertà". Political Studies. 61 (S1): 217–233. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.2012.01007.x. S2CID 143141811.
  • David Hine; Davide Vampa (2011). Another Divorce: The PdL in 2010. pp. 65–84. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

November 25, 2023
people, freedom, italian, popolo, della, libertà, centre, right, political, party, italy, launched, silvio, berlusconi, electoral, list, including, forza, italia, national, alliance, february, 2008, italian, general, election, list, later, transformed, into, p. The People of Freedom Italian Il Popolo della Liberta PdL was a centre right political party in Italy The PdL launched by Silvio Berlusconi as an electoral list including Forza Italia and National Alliance on 27 February for the 2008 Italian general election 13 The list was later transformed into a party during a party congress on 27 29 March 2009 The party s leading members included Angelino Alfano national secretary Renato Schifani Renato Brunetta Roberto Formigoni Maurizio Sacconi Maurizio Gasparri Mariastella Gelmini Antonio Martino Giancarlo Galan Maurizio Lupi Gaetano Quagliariello Daniela Santanche Sandro Bondi and Raffaele Fitto The People of Freedom Il Popolo della LibertaPresidentSilvio BerlusconiSecretaryAngelino Alfano 2011 2013 CoordinatorDenis VerdiniSandro BondiIgnazio La Russa 2009 2012 SpokespersonDaniele CapezzoneFounded27 February 2008 list 29 March 2009 party Dissolved16 November 2013Merger ofForza ItaliaNational Allianceminor partiesSucceeded byForza ItaliaHeadquartersVia dell Umilta 3600187 RomeNewspaperIl MattinaleSecolo d Italia until 2010 Student wingNational Student MovementYouth wingYoung ItalyMembership 2011 1 150 000 1 2 disputed 3 4 5 IdeologyLiberal conservatism 6 7 8 9 Christian democracy 6 Liberalism 10 Conservatism 11 Political positionCentre right 8 National affiliationCentre right coalitionEuropean affiliationEuropean People s PartyEuropean Parliament groupEuropean People s PartyColors AzureAnthemMeno male che Silvio c e 12 Thank goodness for Silvio Websitewww wbr pdl wbr itPolitics of ItalyPolitical partiesElectionsThe PdL formed Italy s government from 2008 to 2011 in coalition with Lega Nord After having supported Mario Monti s technocratic government in 2011 2012 the party was part of Enrico Letta s government with the Democratic Party Civic Choice and the Union of the Centre Alfano functioned as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior In June 2013 Berlusconi announced Forza Italia s revival and the PdL s transformation into a centre right coalition 14 15 On 16 November 2013 the PdL s national council voted to dissolve the party and start a new Forza Italia party the assembly was deserted by a group of dissidents led by Alfano who had launched the New Centre Right the day before 16 Contents 1 History 1 1 Background 1 2 Running board revolution 1 3 Foundation and early years 1 4 Berlusconi vs Fini 1 5 Re organisation and discontents 1 6 Berlusconi s resignation 1 7 2013 general election 1 8 Revival of Forza Italia 2 Ideology and factions 2 1 Factions as of November 2011 2 2 Factions as of October 2013 2 3 Associate parties 3 Popular support 4 Electoral results 4 1 Italian Parliament 4 2 European Parliament 5 Leadership 6 Symbols 7 See also 8 References 9 BibliographyHistory editBackground edit In the run up to the 2006 Italian general election there was talk among the House of Freedoms coalition s member parties on merging into a united party of moderates and reformers Forza Italia FI National Alliance AN and the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats UDC all seemed interested in the project Soon after the election however UDC leader Pier Ferdinando Casini who had been a reluctant coalition partner started to distance from its historical allies Another party of the coalition Lega Nord LN showed no interest in the idea because of its character as a regionalist party On 2 December 2006 during a big rally of the centre right in Rome against Romano Prodi s government Silvio Berlusconi proposed the foundation of a freedom party stressing that centre right voters were all part of a single people of freedom On 21 August 2007 Michela Brambilla president of the Clubs of Freedom a grassroot group registered the name and the symbol of the Freedom Party Partito della Liberta on Berlusconi s behalf 17 but none of Berlusconi s allies seemed interested in joining such a party and some leading FI dignitaries looked disappointed Running board revolution edit nbsp Silvio Berlusconi at a PdL rally On 18 November 2007 Berlusconi claimed that his supporters had collected over 7 million signatures on an appeal demanding the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano to call a fresh general election Shortly afterwards from the running board of a car in a crowded Piazza San Babila in Milan 18 he announced that FI would soon merge or transform into a new party of the Italian people 19 The new course was thus called the running board revolution rivoluzione del predellino and this expression soon became very popular both among Berlusconi s supporters and his adversaries 20 21 At the beginning the fate of FI remained unclear Later it was explained that the new party s core would consist of FI the Clubs of Freedom and other grassroots groups and that some minor parties of the House of Freedoms would join too AN leader Gianfranco Fini made very critical statements in the days after Berlusconi s announcement declaring the end of his support for Berlusconi as candidate for Prime Minister and that his party would not join the new party Also UDC leader Casini criticised the idea from the start and seemed interested in an alternative coalition with Fini 22 23 Foundation and early years edit On 24 January the Prodi II Cabinet fell as a result of the 2008 Italian political crisis paving the way for a new general election The day after Berlusconi hinted that FI would probably contest its last election and postponed the foundation of the new party until after the election In an atmosphere of reconciliation with Fini Berlusconi also stated that the new party could involve the participation of other parties 24 On 8 February Berlusconi and Fini agreed to form a joint list under the banner of The People of Freedom PdL in alliance with LN 25 In addition to Forza Italia and the National Alliance several minor parties and groups chose to join the PdL the Clubs of Freedom of Michela Vittoria Brambilla the Clubs of Good Government of Marcello Dell Utri the Liberal Populars a splinter group from the UDC of Carlo Giovanardi the Christian Democracy for Autonomies of Gianfranco Rotondi the Pensioners Party of Carlo Fatuzzo Liberal Reformers of Benedetto Della Vedova the Italian Republican Party of Francesco Nucara the New Italian Socialist Party of Stefano Caldoro the Liberal Democrats a splinter group from The Daisy of Daniela Melchiorre Decide of Daniele Capezzone Italians in the World of Sergio De Gregorio Social Action of Alessandra Mussolini the Libertarian Right a splinter group from The Right of Luciano Buonocore and the Reformist Socialists of Donato Robilotta In the 2008 Italian general election the PdL won 37 4 of the vote getting elected 276 deputies and 146 senators and becoming the Italian largest party The PdL was also the first party since Christian Democracy in the 1979 Italian general election to get more than 35 of the popular vote On 27 29 March 2009 the new party held its first congress in Rome and was officially founded Berlusconi was elected president while Sandro Bondi Ignazio La Russa and Denis Verdini were appointed national coordinators Maurizio Lupi organizational secretary and Daniele Capezzone spokesperson In the 2009 European Parliament election in Italy the party won 35 2 of the national vote returning 29 MEPs 26 In the big round of regional elections of 2010 the PdL retained Lombardy with Roberto Formigoni in coalition with LN gained Lazio with Renata Polverini a former leader of the General Labour Union Campania with Stefano Caldoro a leading Socialist and Calabria with Giuseppe Scopelliti a former AN member The PdL was also instrumental in the centre right victories in Veneto and Piedmont where two presidents of LN Luca Zaia and Roberto Cota respectively were elected Berlusconi vs Fini edit nbsp Gianfranco FiniBetween 2009 and 2010 Gianfranco Fini former leader of the conservative AN and president of the Chamber of Deputies became a vocal critic of the leadership of Berlusconi Fini departed from party s majority line on stem cell research end of life care advance health care directive and immigration 27 28 29 and he was a proponent of a more structured party organisation 30 31 His criticism was aimed at the leadership style of Berlusconi who tended to rely on his personal charisma to lead the party from the centre and supported a lighter form of party which in his mind was to be a movement party active only at election times 32 as the original FI and on some respects that of political parties in the United States Although some Finiani such as Italo Bocchino Carmelo Briguglio and Fabio Granata shared Fini s views on moral issues and immigration many others including Andrea Ronchi and Adolfo Urso were traditionalist In fact most Finiani were Southern conservatives who opposed Berlusconi s firm alliance with LN federal reform and Giulio Tremonti s economic policy 33 34 Fini made inroads among the liberal and centrist ranks of the former FI 35 but he lost the support of most leading members of the former AN notably including Ignazio La Russa Maurizio Gasparri and Altero Matteoli who became close allies of Berlusconi 36 37 Others including Gianni Alemanno and Alfredo Mantovano found common ground with the party s Christian democrats 38 On 15 April 2010 Bocchino launched an association named Generation Italy to better represent Fini s views within the party 39 Five days later 52 MPs 39 deputies and 13 senators signed a document in support of Fini and his theses while other 74 MPs former members of AN including La Russa Gasparri Matteoli and Giorgia Meloni plus Alemanno mayor of Rome signed an alternative document in which they reasserted their loyalty to the party and Berlusconi 40 41 On 22 April 2010 the national council of the PdL convened in Rome for the first time in a year The conflict between Fini and Berlusconi was covered live on television At the end of the day a resolution proposed by Berlusconi s loyalists was put before the assembly and approved almost unanimously 42 Following then clashes between Fini and Berlusconi became even more frequent and reached their height in late July when Fini questioned the morality of some party bigwigs under investigation 43 On 29 July 2010 the executive committee released a document voted by 33 members out of 37 in which Fini was described as incompatible with the political line of the PdL and unable to perform his job of President of the Chamber of Deputies in a neutral way Berlusconi asked Fini to step down and the executive proposed the suspension from party membership of Bocchino Briguglio and Granata who had harshly criticised Berlusconi and accused some party members of criminal offences 44 As response Fini and his followers formed their own groups in both chambers under the name of Future and Freedom FLI 45 46 47 48 It was soon clear that FLI would leave the PdL and become an independent party On 7 November during a convention in Bastia Umbra Fini asked Berlusconi to step down as Prime Minister and proposed a new government including the Union of the Centre UdC 49 A few days later the four FLI members in the government resigned 50 On 14 December FLI voted against Berlusconi in a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies a vote won by Berlusconi by 314 to 311 51 52 Re organisation and discontents edit In May 2011 the party suffered a big blow in local elections Particularly painful was the loss of Milan Berlusconi s hometown and party stronghold where the outgoing PdL mayor Letizia Moratti was defeated by Giuliano Pisapia a left wing independent close to Nichi Vendola s Left Ecology Freedom party 53 nbsp Angelino AlfanoIn response to this and to crescent fibrillation within party ranks especially among Scajoliani and ex AN members Angelino Alfano then minister of Justice was chosen as national secretary in charge of re organising and renewing the party 54 The appointment of 40 year old Alfano a former Christian Democrat who had later been leader of FI in Sicily was unanimously approved by the party executive However economy minister Giulio Tremonti expressed his concerns that the nominee would make us lose votes in the North 55 On 1 July the national council modified the party s constitution and Alfano was elected secretary with little opposition 56 Alfano led the party through a huge membership drive and on 1 November announced that more than one million individuals had joined the party 57 He also drove the party in a Christian democratic direction 58 The factions which benefited most from the effort were those of Roberto Formigoni Network Italy Ignazio La Russa Protagonist Italy and Franco Frattini Liberamente The Christian democratization of the party and the perceived marginalisation of liberals and social democrats led some to leave the party One of these Carlo Vizzini declared It seems to me that the PdL is set to become the Italian section of the European People s Party which already was I come from another tradition I have been secretary of the PSDI and I was one of the founders of the Party of European Socialists When I joined Forza Italia there were Liberals Socialists Radicals Now everything has changed 59 In the midst of the European sovereign debt crisis on 14 October following calls by Claudio Scajola and Giuseppe Pisanu for a new government 60 61 two deputies close to Scajola Giustina Destro and Fabio Gava voted against Berlusconi during a vote of confidence and left the party altogether 62 On 2 November Destro and Gava along with Roberto Antonione Giorgio Stracquadanio Isabella Bertolini and Giancarlo Pittelli who had left the party along with Santo Versace in September promoted an open letter in which they asked Berlusconi to step down 63 64 Contextually Antonione announced that he was leaving the party In the following days three more deputies Alessio Bonciani Ida D Ippolito and Gabriella Carlucci left to join the UdC 65 66 In three months the PdL had lost 15 deputies and 4 senators including the 7 deputies and 3 senators who launched Force of the South under Gianfranco Micciche 67 Berlusconi s resignation edit nbsp Silvio Berlusconi in 2012 On 7 November 2011 Lega Nord s then leader Umberto Bossi proposed Angelino Alfano as Berlusconi s successor 68 On 8 November during a key vote on a financial statement in the Chamber was approved thanks to the abstention of opposition parties but Berlusconi got just 308 votes 8 short of an absolute majority 69 70 Subsequently Berlusconi announced that he intended to step down after the passage of the budget bill 71 Days of turmoil followed Not only the party was highly divided but its numerous factions and groups were divided too As the appointment of Mario Monti an independent economist and former European Commissioner looked very likely some in the party wanted to support the new possible government and some even wanted to join it while others were resolutely against and preferred an early election instead Alfano in his capacity of secretary had to mediate 72 Among the party s Christian democrats Roberto Formigoni Maurizio Lupi and Raffaele Fitto Network Italy Claudio Scajola Christopher Columbus Foundation and Giuseppe Pisanu hence Pisaniani supported Monti while Gianfranco Rotondi Christian Democracy for Autonomies and Carlo Giovanardi Liberal Populars did not Within Liberamente and among the party s Socialists Franco Frattini who threatened to leave the party and Fabrizio Cicchitto were in favour while Mariastella Gelmini Paolo Romani Maurizio Sacconi Renato Brunetta and covertly Giulio Tremonti were against The vast majority of ex AN members Ignazio La Russa Maurizio Gasparri Altero Matteoli Giorgia Meloni etc was against while a minority mainly Gianni Alemanno was in favour 2 70 73 74 75 76 77 On 12 November Berlusconi finally tendered his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano The executive of the PdL decided to support a government led by Monti under some conditions the first being that it should not include politicians but only technocrats 78 79 80 The Monti Cabinet took office on 16 November In the subsequent votes of confidence in the two houses of Parliament the PdL voted largely for Monti However some party members including Antonio Martino Gianfranco Rotondi and Alessandra Mussolini deserted the party 81 82 Subsequently LN broke its ties with the PdL at the national level 83 2013 general election edit After long deliberation on 24 October 2012 Berlusconi finally announced that he would not run again for Prime Minister in the 2013 Italian general election In a written press release the PdL leader also hinted that the party would select his successor through an open primary on 16 December 84 85 Berlusconi who praised Monti seemed to aim at a new centre right led by Monti and a PdL led by Alfano 86 On 25 November eight candidates filed the required number of signature in support of their bid Angelino Alfano Giorgia Meloni Giancarlo Galan who renounced right after Guido Crosetto Daniela Santanche Michaela Biancofiore Giampiero Samori and Alessandro Cattaneo 87 However on 28 November after Berlusconi had expressed doubts on its success the primary was cancelled altogether 88 On 6 December Alfano announced that Berlusconi would run again for Prime Minister 89 As soon as 12 December Berlusconi backtracked and stated that if Monti were to run for Prime Minister as the leader of a united centre right including also Luca Cordero di Montezemolo s Future Italy he would stand aside and support him 90 The move appeased the pro Monti majority of the party while disappointing other party wings 91 92 93 On 16 December the centrist majority of the party consisting of several leading factions Liberamente Network Italy Reformism and Freedom Liberal Populars New Italy FareItalia etc rallied in Rome under the Popular Italy banner in presence of Alfano the bulk of the party expressed its support for Monti and Berlusconi 94 95 On the very same day a group of anti Monti reformers led by Crosetto and Meloni organised a separate rally and espoused opposite views 96 On 17 December Ignazio La Russa announced he was leaving the PdL to form National Centre Right aiming at representing not just anti Monti right wingers but also the liberals and Christian democrats around Crosetto 97 On 21 December La Russa s National Centre Right and the groups around Crosetto and Meloni joined forces and formed Brothers of Italy 98 To complete the picture of a highly fragmented centre right in the previous months there had already been two minor but significant splits from the PdL on 3 October Giulio Tremonti left to form the Labour and Freedom List while on 22 November a group of MPs led by Isabella Bertolini formed Free Italy 99 100 In early January 2013 after Berlusconi had announced his return as party leader and Monti had refused to join forces with the PdL the bulk of the party rallied again behind Berlusconi and just a few leading members notably including Mario Mauro left to join Monti s Civic Choice party Most of the centre right was regrouped around the PdL which took part to the February general election in coalition with Lega Nord including the Labour and Freedom List Brothers of Italy The Right Great South including the Movement for the Autonomies the Pensioners Party the Moderates in Revolution and Popular Agreement In the election the PdL obtained 21 6 of the vote 15 8 from 2008 and the coalition came just 0 3 short of the centre left After some inconclusive attempts by Pier Luigi Bersani leader of the Democratic Party to form a government the PdL joined Enrico Letta s government of grand coalition providing five ministers including Angelino Alfano who was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior two deputy ministers and several under secretaries Revival of Forza Italia edit On 28 June 2013 Berlusconi announced the revival of the defunct Forza Italia and the transformation of PdL into a centre right coalition 14 15 101 On 1 August 2013 Berlusconi was convicted for tax evasion and sentenced to four years of imprisonment the last three being automatically pardoned 102 On 18 September when discussing the enactment of a related six year public office ban as required by the Severino law the Senate committee in charge of elections refused to endorse a PdL resolution relinquishing Berlusconi s ban as both the PD and the M5S disagreed 103 On the same day Berlusconi launched the new Forza Italia FI and pledged to stay on as its leader in any case 104 The would be PdL coalition might include the new FI Lega Nord and other parties In fact in disagreement with the new FI s liberalism some members led by former mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno who left the PdL in October 2013 105 might form a conservative party modelled on the late National Alliance AN along with Brothers of Italy and other minor right wing parties and eventually join the coalition 106 107 108 109 After months of bickering within the party between doves supporting Letta s government and hawks very critical of it on 28 September Berlusconi asked to the five ministers of the party Angelino Alfano Maurizio Lupi Gaetano Quagliariello Beatrice Lorenzin and Nunzia De Girolamo to resign from the government over a tax hike 110 The ministers obeyed but made clear that they dissented from the decision Quagliariello and Lorenzin announced that they might not join the new FI while Alfano described himself differently berlusconiano 111 The party s moderates mainly Christian democrats as Alfano and Lupi Roberto Formigoni Carlo Giovanardi etc and social democrats Fabrizio Cicchitto Maurizio Sacconi etc 112 113 sided with the ministers while the hawks led by Daniela Santanche most of whom liberals Antonio Martino Denis Verdini Giancarlo Galan Renato Brunetta Sandro Bondi Niccolo Ghedini Daniele Capezzone etc supported the exit from the government 114 On 2 October a confidence vote called by Prime Minister Letta revealed the division within party ranks to the extent that around 70 PdL lawmakers were ready to split to support the government in case Berlusconi and the party had decided not to do the same Faced by this ultimatum Berlusconi made a U turn few minutes ahead of the vote and subsequently tried a reconciliation process within the party to avoid the split 115 The outcome was a clear victory for the doves and the ministerial faction of the PdL who continued to serve in the government 116 Raffaele Fitto Christian democrat and leader of the self proclaimed loyalists the party s mainstream including Mariastella Gelmini Mara Carfagna etc supported by Galan and Bondi announced his disagreement with Alfano s political line and proposed a congress to decide the party s positionment 117 while the floor leaders Maurizio Gasparri Altero Matteoli Paolo Romani and others came out as mediators 118 119 On 25 October the PdL s executive committee voted to suspend all the party s activities and proposed the transformation of the current party into the new FI 120 Consequently all the leadership roles in the PdL were temporarily revoked and a national council was summoned for 16 November 121 To approve the executive s proposal over the party s future a 2 3 majority among voting delegates at the national council was required 122 On 16 November 2013 PdL was formally dissolved and replaced by the new FI while a day earlier a group of dissidents led by Alfano and including all five PdL ministers had announced the formation of separate parliamentary groups called New Centre Right NCD 16 Ideology and factions editThe PdL aimed at combining together the traditions of its two main predecessors Forza Italia FI and National Alliance AN as well as their smaller partners among them Liberal Populars Christian Democracy for Autonomies New Italian Socialist Party Liberal Reformers and Social Action FI launched in 1994 by Silvio Berlusconi was joined mainly by former Christian Democrats Socialists and Liberals who had seen their parties disappear amid the Tangentopoli scandals AN successor of the post fascist Italian Social Movement MSI had become a respectable conservative party under the leadership of Gianfranco Fini FI and AN started to cooperate and were the pillars of the centre right Pole of Good Government Pole of Freedoms and House of Freedoms coalitions The Charter of Values of the PdL underlined the Christian and liberal character of the party presenting it as a defender of traditional values as well as of individual responsibility and self determination The document stressed the adherence of the party to the values and the platform of the European People s Party EPP its support for European integration and the transformation of Italy into a federal state 123 third party source needed The PdL was a classic example of catch all party The party s main cultural strains were Christian democracy and liberal conservatism 6 but it is not to be underestimated the weight of those coming from the right wing AN and the relevant role played by former Socialists who were disproportionately represented in Berlusconi IV Cabinet Four leading ministers Giulio Tremonti Franco Frattini Maurizio Sacconi and Renato Brunetta hailed from the old PSI while another Socialist Fabrizio Cicchitto was the party leader in the Chamber of Deputies 124 125 This is not to say that all former Socialists were actually social democrats for instance while Tremonti was an outspoken critic of globalisation 126 and is not enthusiastic about labour market flexibility 127 Brunetta was a free market liberal 128 129 and frequently clashed with Tremonti over economic and fiscal policy 130 131 Moreover internal alliances were often not consistent with the previous affiliation of party members On issues such as end of life Sacconi a former Socialist who still claimed to be a social democrat sided with the party s Christian democrats and the social conservative wing of the former AN while several members hailing from the MSI found themselves in alliance with the liberal wing of the former FI This is no surprise as the late MSI also had a strong secular tradition while FI was home to both social conservatives and uncompromising social liberals On the economy ex FI Tremonti was often at odds with ex FI liberals like Antonio Martino and Benedetto Della Vedova 132 133 and was attacked by Giancarlo Galan for being a socialist 134 Traditional values and the social market economy grew of importance in the rhetoric of the new party partly replacing the small government and economic libertarian ideals expressed by FI In this respect Sacconi summarised the economic propositions of the PdL with the slogan less state more society 135 however in the PdL there was still some room for Reaganomics with Berlusconi often making the case for lower taxes and Tremonti for deregulation and against red tape 136 137 138 Factions as of November 2011 edit The party was home to a wide range of factions groups and associate parties whose ideology ranged from social democracy to national conservatism As of November 2011 the factions listed by political ideology were as follows Christian democrats The core of the former Forza Italia FI plus some minor groups Network Italy Scajoliani Christopher Columbus Foundation Pisaniani Christian Democracy for Autonomies Liberal Populars Christian Reformists Federation of Christian Populars and a plethora of local groups Many party members hailed from the late Christian Democracy they included Roberto Formigoni Renato Schifani Claudio Scajola Angelino Alfano Mario Mauro and Maurizio Lupi Liberal centrists Various groups Liberamente Tremontiani Magna Carta Dellutriani presided the centre of the party Liberamente led by Mariastella Gelmini and Franco Frattini represented the bulk of FI being composed by liberal loyalists of Berlusconi and was probably the single largest faction within the party Liberals The liberal factions of the former FI Free Foundation Popular Liberalism plus some new groupings mainly Countercurrent Leading liberals within PdL ranks were Antonio Martino Raffaele Costa Giancarlo Galan and Daniele Capezzone Social democrats The social democrats of the former FI their organisations Reformism and Freedom We Reformers Italian Reformists European Reformists plus the New Italian Socialist Party Notably several leading members of the party started their political career in the Italian Socialist Party and some of them still identified themselves as Socialists as members of the PdL Franco Frattini Giulio Tremonti Maurizio Sacconi Renato Brunetta Fabrizio Cicchitto and Stefano Caldoro Liberal conservatives The bulk of the former National Alliance AN s main factions New Alliance Protagonist Right as well as people from other parties Maurizio Gasparri and Ignazio La Russa re organised their faction into Protagonist Italy while Altero Matteoli launched the Foundation of Freedom National conservatives The right wing of the former AN which was represented by several groups New Italy Movement for Italy Libertarian Right Grassroots Centre right clubs in the tradition of the early FI Promoters of Freedom National Association Club of Freedom Club of Freedom Clubs of Good Government Factions as of October 2013 edit A part from the above mention factions from 2013 four broad groupings were distinguishable 118 139 Doves colombe These centrists mainly Christian democrats and social democrats favoured a greater autonomy of the party from Silvio Berlusconi supported the Letta Cabinet and lead the party from the minority The doves included Angelino Alfano Maurizio Lupi Gaetano Quagliariello Beatrice Lorenzin Nunzia De Girolamo Fabrizio Cicchitto Roberto Formigoni Carlo Giovanardi and to some extent Renato Schifani Mediators mediatori These centrists including Renato Brunetta Maurizio Gasparri Altero Matteoli Paolo Romani Paolo Bonaiuti Michela Vittoria Brambilla Osvaldo Napoli and Stefano Caldoro favoured party unity above everything else Loyalists lealisti These supporters of Berlusconi and of the original Forza Italia including most of the party s liberal conservatives and many Christian democrats opposed Alfano s line The loyalists included Raffaele Fitto Mara Carfagna Mariastella Gelmini Mario Mantovani Francesco Nitto Palma and Renata Polverini Hawks falchi These hard line liberals including Denis Verdini Daniela Santanche Giancarlo Galan Sandro Bondi Niccolo Ghedini and Daniele Capezzone are the most loyal supporters of Berlusconi and repeatedly tried to convince him to bring down Letta s government Most of them could have been considered loyalists too On 15 November the day before the PdL s dissolution in the new FI the doves left the party to form the New Centre Right party Associate parties edit The PdL granted financial support to several minor parties of the centre right They contributed one million Euros to the Liberal Democrats whose deputies were elected on the PdL list in 2008 and left the government camp after some months but returned in April 2011 Other parties who received payments from PdL were the Force of the South 300 000 Christian Democracy for Campania 144 000 Social Action 100 000 Christian Democracy for Autonomies 96 000 the Alliance of the Centre 80 000 the Movement of National Responsibility 49 000 and the Federation of Christian Populars 40 000 140 Popular support editThe PdL had its strongholds in Southern Italy especially in Campania Apulia and Sicily but its power base included also two regions of the North Lombardy and Veneto where the party however suffered the competition of Lega Nord which controlled the governorships of Piedmont Lombardy and Veneto The regions governed by a PdL governor in 2013 were just four Campania Calabria Abruzzo and Sardinia far less than the Democratic Party and its allies which controlled twelve In the 2008 Italian general election the party scored over 40 in Campania 49 1 in Sicily 46 6 Apulia 45 6 Lazio 43 5 and Calabria 41 2 In the 2013 Italian general election in which the PdL suffered a dramatic loss of votes the party ran stronger in Campania 29 0 Apulia 28 9 and Sicily 26 5 The electoral results of the PdL in the regions of Italy are shown in the table below As the party was launched in 2007 the electoral results from 1994 to 2006 refer to the combined result of the two main precursor parties Forza Italia and National Alliance 1994 general 1995 regional 1996 general 1999 European 2000 regional 2001 general 2004 European 2005 regional 2006 general 2008 general 2009 European 2010 regional 2013 generalPiedmont 34 8 37 9 33 8 36 8 42 7 41 2 31 0 31 9 35 8 34 3 32 4 25 0 19 7Lombardy 31 8 39 5 32 6 36 5 43 6 40 9 32 9 34 7 37 3 33 5 34 4 31 8 20 8Veneto 31 4 34 7 28 8 34 3 40 2 40 5 33 6 30 8 35 8 27 4 29 3 24 7 18 7Emilia Romagna 25 5 28 5 26 6 29 0 32 6 33 5 28 2 27 1 28 8 28 6 27 4 24 6 16 3Tuscany 27 3 32 2 30 1 30 4 35 2 34 7 28 7 27 9 29 5 31 6 31 4 27 1 17 5Lazio 45 8 43 5 45 0 40 9 44 6 46 8 35 9 39 3 40 0 43 5 42 7 38 2 141 22 8Campania 40 2 37 2 42 1 35 9 32 1 46 9 32 7 22 5 39 8 49 1 43 5 31 7 29 0Apulia 27 3 142 41 1 42 5 40 7 44 2 45 4 36 4 38 9 40 5 45 6 43 2 31 1 28 9Calabria 36 2 36 0 41 7 31 6 28 7 40 9 28 5 19 9 31 7 41 2 34 9 36 3 143 23 8Sicily 47 6 31 2 1996 48 6 38 9 36 4 2001 47 4 36 0 29 8 2006 40 0 46 6 36 4 33 4 2008 26 5ITALY 34 5 35 8 35 5 41 1 32 3 36 0 37 4 35 3 21 6Electoral results editItalian Parliament edit Election Leader Chamber of Deputies Senate of the RepublicVotes Seats Position Votes Seats Position2008 Silvio Berlusconi 13 629 096 37 4 276 630 New 1st 12 678 790 38 0 146 315 New 1st2013 7 332 667 21 6 98 630 nbsp 178 3rd 6 829 135 22 3 98 315 nbsp 47 3rdEuropean Parliament edit Election Leader Votes Seats Position2009 Silvio Berlusconi 10 807 794 35 3 29 72 New 1stLeadership editPresident Silvio Berlusconi 2008 2013 Secretary Angelino Alfano 2011 2013 Coordinator Sandro Bondi 2009 2013 Ignazio La Russa 2009 2012 Denis Verdini 2009 2013 Organisation Secretary Maurizio Lupi 2009 2013 Daniela Santanche 2013 Spokesperson Daniele Capezzone 2009 2013 Party Leader in the Chamber of Deputies Fabrizio Cicchitto 2008 2013 Renato Brunetta 2013 Party Leader in the Senate Maurizio Gasparri 2008 2013 Renato Schifani 2013 Party Leader in the European Parliament Mario Mauro 2009 2013 Giovanni La Via 2013 Symbols edit nbsp Official logo nbsp Electoral logoSee also editList of political parties in ItalyReferences edit Primarie e nuovo nome Alfano ridisegna il Pdl Corriere Retrieved 17 May 2013 a b Si all emergenza Nel programma i 39 punti della Bce Corriere Retrieved 17 May 2013 Tessere fantasma nel Pdl tagliati 100 iscritti C erano anche clandestini dei Cie Il Fatto Quotidiano 15 March 2012 Stella Gian Antonio Voti contesi e tessere fantasma E l Italia dei brogli bipartisan Corriere della Sera Defunti e bimbi iscritti al partito Il Pdl salernitano finisce nella bufera Affaritaliani it a b c Nordsieck Wolfram 2015 Italy Parties and Elections in Europe Archived from the original on 26 June 2015 Donatella M Viola 2015 Italy In Donatella M Viola ed Routledge Handbook of European Elections Routledge p 117 ISBN 978 1 317 50363 7 a b Ilaria Riccioni Ramono Bongelli Andrzej Zuczkwoski 2013 The communication of certainty and uncertainty in Italian political media discourses In Anita Fetzer ed The Pragmatics of Political Discourse Explorations across cultures John Benjamins Publishing Company p 131 ISBN 978 90 272 7239 3 Conservatori e liberali La Stampa 28 March 2009 Chiara Moroni Da Forza Italia al Popolo della Liberta Carocci Rome 2008 Mares Miroslav 2006 Transnational Networks of Extreme Right Parties in East Central Europe Stimuli and Limits of Cross Border Cooperation PDF p 4 Meno male che Silvio c e video ufficiale inno campagna PDL YouTube Berlusconi Simbolo unico per Fi e An Corriere della Sera in Italian 8 February 2008 a b Berlusconi al Tg1 torna Forza Italia e saro io a guidarla Berlusconi Forza Italia back and I will be driving it in Italian Ilsole24ore com 28 June 2013 Retrieved 28 July 2013 a b Berlusconi annuncia ritorno di Forza Italia Temo che saro ancora il numero uno Repubblica it 28 June 2013 Retrieved on 24 August 2013 a b Berlusconi breaks away from Italy government after party ruptures Reuters 16 November 2013 Retrieved 16 November 2013 Marcello Campo 13 May 2013 Partito della Liberta Registrato il simbolo la Lega minaccia America Oggi Retrieved 17 May 2013 Casta Corriere della Sera Oggi nasce il partito del popolo italiano Corriere della Sera 18 November 2007 Il futuro della rivoluzione del predellino Tempi Archived from the original on 25 February 2012 E per la rivoluzione del predellino il Cavaliere lascia giacca e cravatta Ricerca 29 October 2010 Basta con il populismo Affondo di Fini e Casini Corriere della Sera 24 November 2007 Fini il Vassallum Truffa L ira di Forza Italia Corriere della Sera 10 December 2007 Berlusconi altri 5 anni Faro staffetta come Blair Corriere della Sera 26 January 2008 Berlusconi FI e An unite E da l ultimatum all Udc Corriere della Sera 9 February 2008 Parlement Europeen 2009 Europe politique Retrieved 17 May 2013 Fini candidato ideale pd Gelo di La Russa e Gasparri Corriere della Sera 21 February 2009 Affondo di Fini no a leggi orientate dalla fede Corriere della Sera 19 May 2009 Fini nuovo duello con il Senatur Il vero suicidio e negare i diritti Corriere della Sera 13 September 2009 Berlusconi Fini Un faccia a faccia dopo lo scontro Corriere della Sera 19 September 2009 Dubbi nella maggioranza sullo stop alla par condicio Corriere della Sera 20 September 2009 Il premier consegna le prime case Poi l attacco in tv Corriere della Sera 16 September 2009 Immigrati e bioetica PDF Libero 22 April 2010 Retrieved 16 June 2013 Vittorio Macioce 23 April 2010 Fini e quell ossessione per il Nord Il Giornale in Italian Retrieved 17 May 2013 Nel suo fortino al Secolo Con lui e un leader europeo Corriere della Sera 12 September 2009 Il gelo degli ex colonnelli sul leader Corriere della Sera 9 September 2009 I colonnelli e il gelo con l ex leader Alemanno e Matteoli lontani Gasparri e cambiato lui non io Corriere della Sera 4 December 2009 Fine vita Bondi apre E i laici ora si cambi la legge Corriere della Sera 30 March 2009 Via a Generazione Italia la nuova associazione benedetta da Fini Corriere della Sera 15 March 2010 Pdl Fini forma la sua corrente Berlusconi accetti il dissenso La Stampa 20 April 2010 Archived from the original on 19 August 2011 E nasce un Correntone ex An contro Gianfranco La Stampa 20 April 2010 Archived from the original on 19 August 2011 La sfida del cofondatore Non sono un dipendente Sara lui a bruciarsi Corriere della Sera 23 April 2010 Fini Chi e indagato lasci l incarico Le leggi non servano a salvare i furbi Il Giornale 26 July 2010 Pdl il documento dell Ufficio di Presidenza Repubblica 29 July 2010 Via ai gruppi finiani Qualche difficolta ma numeri importanti Corriere della Sera 31 July 2010 Previsioni sbagliate sui numeri nel mirino le fedelissime Corriere della Sera 1 August 2010 Finiani pronto il gruppo anche al Senato Corriere della Sera 1 August 2010 Italy s political crisis A FLI in his ear The Economist 5 August 2010 Fini Il premier si dimetta o noi lasceremo il governo Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 I finiani fuori dal governo Duello sul voto di fiducia Corriere della Sera 16 November 2010 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Dal Pdl a Fli andata e ritorno Angeli vedro il Cavaliere Corriere della Sera 17 November 2010 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Sfida in Aula il governo passa per tre voti Corriere della Sera 15 December 2010 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Not so sweet home The Economist 31 May 2011 Il Pdl all unanimita Alfano sara segretario Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Tremonti e i dubbi del premier sulla manovra Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Svolta nel Pdl Alfano segretario Voglio un partito degli onesti Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 L annuncio di Alfano Un milione di iscritti Corriere della Sera 2 November 2011 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Berlusconi i cattolici sono con noi Da Bagnasco nessuna spallata Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Pdl chiusa la campagna per il tesseramento La Russa arriveremo a quota 800 mila Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 La fronda di Pisanu e Scajola L idea di un Berlusconi bis Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Scajola Pdl sfida sui deputati incerti Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Il governo incassa la fiducia Fallito il piano numero legale Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Servono una diversa fase politica e il varo di un nuovo esecutivo Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Lettera dei ribelli cosi non si va avanti Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Ribelli inquieti due vanno all Udc La maggioranza scende a 314 voti Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Maggioranza in ansia verso l Aula I si per ora sono a quota 310 Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Deputati e Organi Parlamentari Composizione gruppi Parlamentari Camera Retrieved 17 May 2013 E Bossi provo la carta Angelino Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Berlusconi il giorno dello strappo Lascio dopo il voto sulle misure Ue Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 a b A Montecitorio i ribelli si organizzano Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Napolitano al premier atti immediati Il Colle chiede una tempistica serrata Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Pdl lacerato Alfano mediatore Spunta l ipotesi dell appoggio esterno Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Dai vertici pdl l ultima spinta Ma e gia incubo urne E Scajola dice no al voto Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Il Pdl si spacca c e il fronte dei contrari Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Il Cavaliere chiuda da uomo di Stato Aiuti a salvare il Paese anche con il Pd Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Abbiamo litigato su tutto con il Pd Come si governa Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Pdl in crisi tra malumori e sospetti Scontro tra Frattini e La Russa Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Berlusconi ha dato le dimissioni Il giorno dell incarico a Monti Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Il leader esce di scena Ma al Senato possiamo staccare ancora la spina Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Il voto sarebbe un massacro Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Fiducia Governo Monti Parlamento 18 November 2011 Retrieved 16 June 2013 Fiducia Governo Monti Parlamento 17 November 2011 Retrieved 16 June 2013 La deriva dei lumbard rende piu difficile il ritorno con il Pdl Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Berlusconi Non mi ricandido premier Primarie del Pdl il 16 dicembre Pdl Retrieved 17 May 2013 Il passo indietro del Cavaliere Primarie del Pdl a dicembre Corriere della Sera 25 October 2012 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Il progetto Monti bis e partito ad Alfano Corriere della Sera 25 October 2012 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Alfano e l incognita Berlusconi Le primarie Per ora ci sono Corriere della Sera 26 November 2012 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Paola Di Caro 29 November 2012 Primarie annullate Pdl tra rifondazione e spacchettamento Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Le primarie non ci saranno Alfano conferma Silvio in campo Corriere della Sera 7 December 2012 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Il mio passo indietro dipende anche da Monti Corriere della Sera 13 December 2012 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Per un giorno il Cavaliere ricompatta il partito Corriere della Sera 13 December 2012 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Il Pdl ancora nell incertezza E resta l ipotesi della scissione Corriere della Sera 14 December 2012 Retrieved 17 May 2013 E il Cavaliere prova a disinnescare le grandi manovre dei dissidenti Corriere della Sera 15 December 2012 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Pdl il giorno dei montiani No a scissioni Corriere della Sera 16 December 2012 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Appello a Monti e guerra alla sinistra Il Pdl si ricompatta Corriere della Sera 17 December 2012 Retrieved 17 May 2013 Crosetto Meloni nasce la destra antiMonti Corriere della Sera Retrieved 17 May 2013 Pdl la destra in fermento La Russa se ne va e fonda Centrodestra nazionale Corriere della Sera 18 December 2012 Retrieved 16 June 2013 Dal Centrodestra nazionale ai Fratelli d Italia Giorgia Meloni e Guido Crosetto vicini a Ignazio La Russa Huffington post 20 December 2012 Retrieved 16 June 2013 Strappo Pdl nasce Italia libera Samori Piu a sinistra di Ferrando Video Il Fatto Quotidiano TV 22 November 2012 Retrieved 16 June 2013 Crisi Pdl 5 fedelissimi di Berlusconi se ne vanno e fondano Italia libera Quotidiano Net 22 November 2012 Retrieved 16 June 2013 PdL Il Popolo della Liberta Berlusconi Torna Forza Italia Il Popolo della Liberta restera come coalizione di partiti del centrodestra Pdl it 28 June 2013 Retrieved 26 September 2013 Confermata la condanna Berlusconi scontera 1 anno Archiviostorico corriere it Retrieved 10 July 2014 Decadenza primo no al Cavaliere I senatori del Pdl lasciano l aula Archiviostorico corriere it Retrieved 10 July 2014 Silvio Berlusconi Relaunches Forza Italia on Senate Ousting Vote Ibtimes co uk 18 September 2013 Retrieved 10 July 2014 Alemanno dice addio al Pdl Mercoledi aderisco a Officina per l Italia Il Messaggero Ilmessaggero it 16 June 2014 Retrieved 10 July 2014 Alemanno lancia un nuovo partito Con me gli ex di Alleanza nazionale Roma Repubblica it Roma repubblica it 26 July 2013 Retrieved 26 September 2013 Alemanno lancia un nuovo partito Potrebbe chiamarsi Alleanza popolare o Azione nazionale Il Messaggero Ilmessaggero it Retrieved 26 September 2013 Davide Di Santo 16 September 2013 Atreju Giorgia Meloni lancia l Officina per l Italia Politica iltempo Iltempo it Retrieved 26 September 2013 Davide Di Santo 16 September 2013 Meloni prova a scalare la destra Politica iltempo Iltempo it Retrieved 26 September 2013 Berlusconi fa dimettere i ministri Letta gesto folle per motivi personali Archiviostorico corriere it Retrieved 10 July 2014 Un Berlusconi inquieto cerca di bloccare una rottura nel Pdl Archiviostorico corriere it Retrieved 10 July 2014 La riscossa di ex dc e socialisti ecco chi ci ha messo la firma Archiviostorico corriere it Retrieved 10 July 2014 Tra calici e candeline la lunga notte dei dissidenti guardate quanti siamo Archiviostorico corriere it Retrieved 10 July 2014 Nel Pdl colombe pronte alla battaglia E il partito ora rischia la scissione Archiviostorico corriere it Retrieved 10 July 2014 Split within Berlusconi s party on hold Gazzetta del Sud 3 October 2013 Si alla fiducia la vittoria dei ribelli E alla fine il governo si ritrova piu voti Archiviostorico corriere it Retrieved 10 July 2014 Fitto noi lealisti non vogliamo posti Azzerare tutto e poi congresso Archiviostorico corriere it Retrieved 10 July 2014 a b Pdl tanti no all ipotesi del congresso Archiviostorico corriere it Retrieved 10 July 2014 Il Pdl e la sfida sugli incarichi Si affacciano i mediatori Archiviostorico corriere it Retrieved 10 July 2014 Forza Italia Ufficio di Presidenza Il testo integrale della delibera Forzaitalia it Retrieved 10 July 2014 Pdl Berlusconi anticipa la resa dei conti in Italian La Stampa 6 November 2013 Forza Italy Formigoni The dissolution is only a proposal in Italian Corriere 26 October 2013 Carta Dei valori PdL Il Popolo della Liberta Archived from the original on 31 March 2009 De Michelis consulente di Brunetta Io un padre che torna ai figli Corriere della Sera 23 September 2009 Il Socialismo Di Brunetta E La Storia Di Forza Italia Corriere della Sera 25 November 2008 E Tremonti denuncio la globalizzazione Corriere della Sera 4 March 2008 Tremonti credo al posto fisso non alla mobilita Corriere della Sera 20 October 2009 Premium content The Economist 28 August 2008 Archived from the original on 3 February 2013 Il Paradosso Di Tremonti Corriere della Sera 8 March 2008 Brunetta basta veti Tremonti ha commissariato il governo Corriere della Sera 22 November 2009 Il Tesoro disorientato Telefonata con il Cavaliere Corriere della Sera 23 November 2009 La solitudine del liberale forzistaNella raccolta di articoli dell ex ministro Martino la contrapposizione con il colbertismo di Tremonti Corriere della Sera 12 May 2008 Martino Pdl somiglia a fascismo no a liberalismo Liberti amo 14 March 2009 Adalberto Signore 21 April 2011 Galan Tremonti Un socialista Fermiamolo o ci fara perdere voti IlGiornale in Italian Retrieved 16 June 2013 Contro di noi un cartello Se cadiamo si va al voto Corriere della Sera 2 August 2010 Tremonti ora un piano per la liberta d impresa Corriere della Sera 13 January 2010 Retrieved 16 June 2013 Una riforma in quattro mesi Si punta all autocertificazione Corriere della Sera 13 January 2010 Retrieved 16 June 2013 Quella telefonata tra il Cavaliere e Tremonti Il ministro e l attivismo sul fronte economico l art 41 Ne scrissi qualche decennio fa Corriere della Sera 2 February 2011 Retrieved 16 June 2013 Pdl le correnti nomi e cognomi Libero Quotidiano Liberoquotidiano it Retrieved 10 July 2014 Cuzzocrea Annalisa 31 October 2012 Spuntano i fondi ai transfughi cosi il partito ha finanziato Scilipoti La Repubblica Combined result of the PdL 11 9 and Lista Polverini 26 3 Renata Polverini s personal list 26 3 The PdL failed to present a list in the Province of Rome and thus most PdL voters voted for Lista Polverini instead Forza Italia failed to present a list and although most centre right voters voted for National Alliance some of them voted for PPI and Patto Segni Combined result of the PdL 26 4 and Lista Scopelliti 9 9 Giuseppe Scopelliti s personal list Bibliography editDuncan McDonnell 2013 Silvio Berlusconi s Personal Parties From Forza Italia to Popolo Della Liberta Political Studies 61 S1 217 233 doi 10 1111 j 1467 9248 2012 01007 x S2CID 143141811 David Hine Davide Vampa 2011 Another Divorce The PdL in 2010 pp 65 84 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a 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