Communist Refoundation Party

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Communist Refoundation Party Partito della Rifondazione Comunista
Italian National Party
Leader	Franco Giordano
Founded	1991
Headquarters	Via del Policlinico, 131 00161 Rome
Coalition	The Union
Political ideology	Communism, Anti-globalization
European affiliation	European United Left–Nordic Green Left
International affiliation	none
Official newspaper	Liberazione
Website	http://www.rifondazione.it
See also	Politics of Italy Political parties in Italy Elections in Italy

The Communist Refoundation Party (Italian: Partito della Rifondazione Comunista) is an Italian reformed communist party.

It has members in the European Parliament who sit in the European United Left - Nordic Green Left group.

It was formed in 1991 when the Italian Communist Party split in two: the Democratic Party of the Left, led by Achille Occhetto, and the Partito della Rifondazione Comunista, originally headed by Armando Cossutta. On June 9, 1991 the congress of Democrazia Proletaria in Riccione decided to merge the party into the Communist Refoundation Party.

In 1998 part of the party split off to form the Party of Italian Communists.

The Communist Refoundation Party leader until 2006 was Fausto Bertinotti (59.2% in last Congress), and it views itself as the party representing the anti-globalization movement in the Italian political scene. Although it is has within it some recognized tendencies, like hardline communists of Essere Comunisti (26.2%) and Trotskyists of FalceMartello or Progetto Comunista (14.6%).

After the April 9 and 10 election which led the centre-left coalition The Union to a very narrow win, party leader Fausto Bertinotti was elected Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, and thus resigned the secretarship. On May 7, 2006, MP Franco Giordano has been elected new leader, with 68.81% of votes.

In April 2006, Nichi Vendola, one of the young leaders of the party, was elected president of the Apulia region. He is the only regional president belonging to the Communist Refoundation Party. He is also openly gay, something that may indicate a gradual moral opening amongst the traditionally conservative people of the South in general and Apulia in particular.

The party participates both in the European Anticapitalist Left and the Party of the European Left. Currently it has 97,784 members. The youth section of the party, the Giovani Comuniste e Comunisti has about 20,000 members.

[edit] Electoral results

Year	Elections	Votes	%	Seats
1992	Chamber of Deputies	2,202,574	5.6%	35
	Senate of the Republic	2,163,317	6.5%	20
1994	Chamber of Deputies	2,334,029	6.0%	39
	Senate of the Republic	-	-	18
1994	European elections	1,991,977	6.1%	5
1996	Chamber of Deputies	3,215,960	8.5%	35
	Senate of the Republic	-	-	11
1999	European elections	1,330,341	4.3%	4
2001	Chamber of Deputies	1,867,712	5.0%	11
	Senate of the Republic	1,705,733	5.0%	4
2004	European elections	1,971,700	6.1%	5
2006	Chamber of Deputies	2,229,604	5.8%	41
	Senate of the Republic	2,518,624	7.4%	27

[edit] External link

• Communist Refoundation Party in English