Italian Democratic Socialist Party
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Italian Democratic Socialist Party | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Secretary | Mimmo Magistro |
| President | Antonio Tomassini |
| Honorary President | Giorgio Carta |
| Founded | 11 January 1947 |
| Headquarters | Viale Bruno Buozzi, 87 00186 Rome |
| Newspaper | none |
| Membership | unknown |
| Ideology | Social democracy |
| Coalition | none |
| International | none |
| European party | none |
| European Parliament Group | none |
| Website | http://www.partito socialdemocratico.eu |
The Italian Democratic Socialist Party (Partito Socialista Democratico Italiano, PSDI) is a minor social-democratic Italian political party. Giorgio Carta is the leader, while Mimmo Magistro is the party secretary.
The party, before the decline in term of votes and members in the 1990s, has been an important force in Italian politics, being the longest serving partner in government for Christian Democracy. The longstanding leader of PSDI was Giuseppe Saragat, who was President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.
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[edit] History
[edit] The years of the First Republic
The party was founded as Italian Socialist Workers' Party (Partito Socialista dei Lavoratori Italiani, PSLI) in 1947 by a splinter group of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), due to the decision of the latter to form a joint-list with the Italian Communist Party (PCI) for the 1948 general election. This split, led by Giuseppe Saragat and the sons of Giacomo Matteotti, took the name of scissione di Palazzo Barberini from the name of a palace in Rome where it took place. In 1952, the party ultimately became the Italian Democratic Socialist Party, after joining forces with the smaller United Socialist Party in 1951.
In 1963 the party joined PSI to form the Unified Socialist Party, but in 1968, after a dismaying result at the general election, it left the new party, returning to the PSDI denomination in 1971.
Since 1980 the party joined Christian Democracy, the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Republican Party and the Italian Liberal Party in the five-party coalition (Pentapartito) which ruled the country until 1994 (since 1991 without the Republicans). The party's role in the coalition was minimal and was over-shadowed by the more powerful PSI.
[edit] Decline and re-foundation
PSDI was involved in the corruption scandals known as Tangentopoli and almost disappeared from the political scene. In January 1995 Gian Franco Schietroma was elected national secretary of the party replacing Enrico Ferri, who wanted to join the centre-right Pole of Freedoms. The followers of Ferri left and established the European Liberal Social Democracy and joined the centre-right Christian Democratic Centre.
In 1998 the party, led by Schietroma, finally joined the Italian Socialists, one of the heirs of PSI, to form the Italian Democratic Socialists. By then most members and voters of the party have joined other parties: Forza Italia (as Carlo Vizzini, party leader in 1992–1993), the Christian Democratic Centre (as Enrico Ferri, party leader in 1993–1995) and The Democrats (as Franco Bruno).
The party was re-established in 2004 with the same name, "Italian Democratic Socialist Party", as the continuation of the party of Saragat, so that the new PSDI numbers its congresses in perfect continuity with the late PSDI. The first secretary of the party was Giorgio Carta.
[edit] Legal dispute and split
In April 2006 Giorgio Carta was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in the general election and, subsequently, resigned as secretary in November. He was replaced by Renato D'Andria, whose election was contested by many members of the party (including Carta) on the basis that it was rigged. The new sectretary consequently ousted all the members who contested his election (including Carta) from the party.
In April 2007 a tribunal in Rome sided with the former leadership and declared invalid both the election of D'Andria as secretary and the XVII Congress of the party, which confirmed him as leader in January. The party was led ad interim by Carta, until the Congress of October 2007 (the XVII, though that of January was declared invalid) elected Mimmo Magistro as new secretary. D'Andria, who continues to consider himself to be the legitimate leader of PSDI, launched in June his Party of Democratic Reformers (PRD), open to "socialists, Christians, radicals, liberals, republicans and greens"[1].
[edit] 2008 general election
For the 2008 general election PSDI tried to form an alliance with the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats[2], but finally it did not participate to the Union of the Centre coalition. Instead, on 29 March 2008, the National Committe proposed to its members and voters to vote according to their conscience, favouring those political forces which could stop the emerging two-party system.[3][4]
Most regional sections, on the example of Tuscany[5], indicated to vote for the Socialist Party in the election of the Chamber of Deputies and for The Left – The Rainbow in the election of the Senate. Some regional sections made different indications, notably in Veneto and Lazio in favour of the Union of the Centre, in Lombardy in favour of the People of Freedom and in Sicily in favour of the Movement for Autonomy.
[edit] Leadership
- Secretary: Giuseppe Saragat (1947–1948), Alberto Simonini (1948), Ugo Guido Mondolfo (1949), Ludovico D'Aragona (1949), Giuseppe Saragat (1949–1952), Ezio Vigorelli (1952), Giuseppe Romita (1952), Giuseppe Saragat (1952–1954), Gian Matteo Matteotti (1954–1957), Giuseppe Saragat (1957–1964), Mario Tanassi (1964–1966), unification with PSI in the PSU (1966–1969), Mauro Ferri (1969–1972), Mario Tanassi (1972), Flavio Orlandi (1972–1975), Mario Tanassi (1975–1976), Giuseppe Saragat (1976), Pier Luigi Romita (1976–1978), Pietro Longo (1978–1985), Franco Nicolazzi (1985–1988), Antonio Cariglia (1988–1992), Carlo Vizzini (1992–1993), Enrico Ferri (1993–1995), Gian Franco Schietroma (1995–1998), unification with the SI in the SDI (1998–2004), Giorgio Carta (2004–2007), Mimmo Magistro (2007–...)
- President: Giuseppe Saragat (1975–1976), Alberto Tomassini (2007–...)
- Honoray President: Antonio Cariglia (2005–2006), Giorgio Carta (2007–2008)
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.socialdemocrazia.it/psdi/view.asp?id=134
- ^ http://www.partitosocialdemocratico.eu/?p=1
- ^ DOCUMENTO APPROVATO ALL’UNIANIMITA’ DALLA DIREZIONE NAZONALE IL 29 MARZO 2008 - SocialDemocraticiEuropei.it
- ^ PSDI (Magistro) - Un voto utile a garantire il pluralismo parlamentare. - SocialDemocraticiEuropei.it
- ^ P.S.D.I. - Federazione Regionale della Toscana - Notizie: Voto disgiunto: alla Camera Partito Socialista al Senato Sinistra l'Arcobaleno
