Italian Liberal Party (1997)

Italian Liberal Party Partito Liberale Italiano
Secretary	Giancarlo Morandi
President	Stefano de Luca
Founded	4 July 1997 (as PL) 3 December 2004 (as PLI)
Headquarters	via Uffici del Vicario, 43 00186 Rome
Newspaper	Rivoluzione liberale
Membership	unknown
Ideology	Liberalism
Political position	Centre[1]
National affiliation	none
European affiliation	none
International affiliation	none
European Parliament group	no MEPs
Chamber of Deputies	0 / 630
Senate	1 / 315
European Parliament	0 / 73
Website
http://www.partitoliberale.it/
Politics of Italy Political parties Elections

The Italian Liberal Party (Italian: Partito Liberale Italiano, PLI) is a minor liberal political party in Italy, which considers itself to be the successor of the original Italian Liberal Party that existed from 1922 to 1994.

History

Foundation and early years

The Liberal Party (Partito Liberale) was founded in 1997 by former members of the Italian Liberal Party (PLI) and, mostly, of the Union of the Centre (UdC), as well as some former Republicans. Most of its leading figures were also members of Forza Italia (FI): Stefano de Luca, Carlo Scognamiglio, Egidio Sterpa, Ernesto Caccavale, Luigi Caligaris and Guglielmo Castagnetti.^[2][3] Scognamiglio was a former President of the Senate, while de Luca, Caccavale and Caligaris were serving MEPs.

In December 2004 the party was merged with other liberal groups and, as result, its name was changed to Italian Liberal Party, along with the claim of being the successor of the historical PLI, disbanded in 1994. At that point the party was completely enfranchised from FI and the centre-right House of Freedoms coalition.

Enlargement and splits

In June 2007 the PLI reaffirmed its autonomy and de Luca was unanimously re-elected secretary. During the congress, some leading former Liberals joined (or re-joined) the party: Carlo Scognamiglio (PLD), Luigi Compagna (UDC) and Luciano Magnalbò (AN). Since that time PLI is for the first time represented in a Regional Council by Antonietta Brancati, regional deputy of Lazio, previously member of Italy of Values. For the 2008 general election Liberals tried to form an electoral pact with the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats,^[4] but finally chose to run as a stand-alone list.^[5]

In February 2009 the PLI held its fifth congress. Arturo Diaconale, supported by Angelo Caniglia and a group of Liberal Reformers (including Marco Taradash, Emilia Rossi, Carlo Monaco and Pietro Milio) and other newcomers, presented his candidacy for party secretary in opposition to de Luca, who was supported by the old guard and by Paolo Guzzanti, a dissenting member of Forza Italia and former Socialist.^[6] De Luca was re-elected party secretary with the support of 73% of the delegates, Guzzanti was appointed deputy secretary and Scognamiglio president.^[7][8]

In December 2010 Guzzanti left the party over personal problems with de Luca and became briefly engaged with the New Pole for Italy (NPI).^[9][10][11] In March 2011 the party was joined by two former secretaries of the late PLI, Alfredo Biondi and Renato Altissimo, and by a senator coming from The People of Freedom (PdL), Enrico Musso, who was soon appointed deputy secretary.^[12] Through Musso the party re-joined the NPI.

More entries, more splits

In November 2011 five disgruntled deputies of the PdL (Roberto Antonione, Giustina Destro, Fabio Gava, Giancarlo Pittelli, who later left, and Luciano Sardelli) joined the party through the Liberals for Italy.^[13] Another former member of the PdL, Angelo Santori, joined the LpI–PLI group in April 2012.^[14]

In March 2012, in the run-up of the sixth congress, three party bigwigs, Scognamiglio, Biondi and Altissimo, proposed Musso as new secretary and de Luca as president.^[15] The proposal was not well received by the party's old guard and, not only de Luca was barely re-elected secretary, but Scognamiglio was replaced as president by Enzo Palumbo.^[16][17] In the May 2012 municipal election of Genoa, Musso, whose relationship with the PLI was not clear, garnerd 15.0% of the vote in the first round, at the head of a centrist list based on the NPI, and 40.3% in the run-off, losing to Marco Doria.^[18]

In June 2013 Guzzanti re-joined the PLI^[19] and was soon elected at the head of the party's national council.^[20]

In February 2014 several disillusioned members or former members of the party, including Altissimo, Biondi, Musso and Scognamiglio, plus Edoardo Croci, Giuliano Urbani and Alessandro Ortis, launched The Liberals as an alternative to the PLI.^[21]

Recent events

In April 2014 the PLI joined the European Choice list for the European Parliament election.^[22] This decision, strongly supported by de Luca, prompted Guzzanti to leave the party^[23] and stand as candidate for Forza Italia,^[24][25] and eventually de Luca to step down as secretary.^[26][27]

In October 2014, during a congress, the party elected a new leadership, notably including Giancarlo Morandi as secretary, de Luca president and Daniele Toto, a former deputy of the PdL and Future and Freedom (FLI), coordinator.^[28][29] The day after, Carla Martino, long-time president and honorary president of the party, died.^[30]

In November 2014 Ivan Catalano, a dissident deputy of the Five Star Movement, joined the PLI, marking its return to Parliament.^[31][32][33] A few months later, in March 2015, Catalano was expelled from the party for having joined the parliamentary group of Civic Choice.^[34][35][36]

In the 2016 municipal election the PLI, which supported Giorgia Meloni (FdI) for mayor, obtained 0.9% of the vote.^[37]

In December 2016 Cinzia Bonfrisco (ex-PSI/FI/PdL/FI/CR) joined the PLI, giving it representation in the Senate. She might be followed by Tito Di Maggio, another senator.^[38]

Leadership

• Secretary: Stefano de Luca (1997–2014), Giancarlo Morandi (2014–present)
  • Deputy Secretary: Luigi Compagna (1997–2004), Attilio Bastianini (2000–2004), Savino Melillo (2000–2004), Salvatore Grillo (2007–2008), Paolo Guzzanti (2009–2010), Enrico Musso (2011–2012), Simone Santucci (2016–present)
  • Coordinator: Angelo Caniglia (2008–2009), Roberto Petrassi (2009–2010), Mario Caputi (2010–2012), Edoardo De Blasio (2013–2014), Daniele Toto (2014–2015)
  • Treasurer: Savino Melillo (2007–2008), Maurizio Irti (2010–2012), Giancarlo Morandi (2012–2014), Claudio Vitali (2014–present)
• President: Egidio Sterpa (1997–2000), Carla Martino (2000–2009), Carlo Scognamiglio (2009–2012), Enzo Palumbo (2012–2014), Stefano de Luca (2014–present)
• President of the National Council: Giuseppe Basini (2004–2008), Carlo Scognamiglio (2008–2009), Enzo Palumbo (2009–2012), Renata Jannuzzi (2012–2013), Paolo Guzzanti (2013–2014), Antonio Pileggi (2014–present)
• Honorary President: Gianfranco Ciaurro (1997–2000), Carla Martino (2009–2014)

References

External links

• Official website

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