| Italian Socialist Party Partito Socialista Italiano |
|
|---|---|
| Secretary | Riccardo Nencini |
| President | vacant |
| Co-ordinator | Marco Di Lello |
| Founded | 5 October 2007 |
| Headquarters | piazza S. Lorenzo in Lucina, 26 00186 Rome |
| Newspaper | MondOperaio |
| Membership | unknown |
| Ideology | Social democracy |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| International affiliation | Socialist International |
| European affiliation | Party of European Socialists |
| European Parliament Group | Party of European Socialists (2007–2009) |
| Chamber of Deputies |
0 / 630
|
| Senate |
1 / 315
|
| European Parliament |
0 / 73
|
| Website | |
| http://www.partitosocialista.it/ | |
| Politics of Italy Political parties Elections |
|
The Italian Socialist Party (Partito Socialista Italiano, PSI) is a minor social-democratic political party in Italy.
The party was founded in 2007–2008 by the merger of six minor social-democratic parties and groups: the Italian Democratic Socialists, Democracy and Socialism, The Italian Socialists, the Socialist Party–De Michelis, the Association for the Rose in the Fist and Socialism is Freedom. Until 7 October 2009, the party was known as the Socialist Party (Partito Socialista, PS).
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A merger of all the parties coming from the tradition of the late Italian Socialist Party (PSI), disbanded in 1994 as a result of Tangentopoli scandals, was initially proposed by Enrico Boselli during a congress of the Italian Democratic Socialists (SDI) in April 2007. In that occasion the party decided not to join the Democratic Party (PD) and called for a "Socialist Constituent Assembly" (Costituente Socialista) aimed at uniting all Socialists instead.
Some minor parties and associations, including The Italian Socialists of Bobo Craxi, Socialism is Freedom of Rino Formica and the Association for the Rose in the Fist of Lanfranco Turci immediately welcomed the proposal by Enrico Boselli. In June 2007 the New Italian Socialist Party (NPSI) split in two groups: the first, led by Stefano Caldoro, opted to stay within the House of Freedoms; the second, led by Gianni De Michelis, agreed to join the Constituent Assembly instead. The former retained the NPSI identity, while the latter formed the Socialist Party–De Michelis. At its foundation in October 2007 the PS was joined also by Democracy and Socialism, a group of former Democrats of the Left coming from Democratic Left.
At the 2008 general election the PS stood alone and Boselli was its candidate for Prime Minister.[1] In the election, the Socialist Party gained less than 1% of the vote and failed to win any seats in the Italian Parliament.
At the first party congress, which took place on 4–6 July 2008, Riccardo Nencini was elected secretary, replacing Boselli, while Pia Elda Locatelli was elected president.[2] In September Nencini, proposed a new "reformist axis" comprising the Democratic Party (PD), the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) and the Socialists, while explaining that the Democrats needed to choose between the reformism of the PS and the populism of Italy of Values (IdV).[3]
In October 2008 Angius abandoned the PS and led his group into the PD, proposing that the whole party should follow him.[4][5][6][7] In reply Nencini underlined that no former members of the original PSI were leaving the party. In fact, Spini, the only former Socialist in Angius' group, chose to stay in the PS.[8] However, Gianni De Michelis left the party soon after.[9]
For the 2009 European Parliament election the PS formed a joint electoral list named Left and Freedom (SL) with the Movement for the Left, the Federation of the Greens, the Democratic Left and Unite the Left.[10] The list received just 3.1% of the national vote and failed to return any MEPs. Despite this, the national council of the PS chose to continue the experience of SL in order to build a "secular, libertarian and left-wing" political force which will join the PES,[11] leading to the exit of Bobo Craxi, who launched the United Socialists in October.[12] However, one month later, also the PS suddenly left SL because it refused to be merged into it and loose its identity.[13] The party otherwise chose to support joint candidates with the PD and run its own lists in the forthcoming 2010 regional elections.[14] Subsequently Craxi renewed his party membership.[15]
At the 2010 regional elections the PSI elected a total of 15 regional councillors.[16] The party had its best results in Apulia (9.7% with SEL and 4 councillors out of the 11 elected by SEL), Basilicata (4.6% and 1 councillor), Umbria (4.2% and 2 councillors), Campania (3.5% with SEL and 2 councillors out of 2) and Calabria (3.7%, just 0.3% short of the electoral threshold). A a congress in July Nencini was re-elected secretary, but the party was divided between three political lines: the majority of Nencini supporting a "reformist" alliance with the PD, UDC and SEL (excluding IdV and the Communist Refoundation Party, PRC), the "autonomist" wing led by Craxi and the "frontist" wing in favour of a stronger co-operation with SEL.[9]
In December 2010 Enrico Boselli, SDI long-time leader and PS/PSI founder, who had left active politics after his 2008 defeat, joined Alliance for Italy.[17]
In November 2011 Carlo Vizzini, a senator of The People of Freedom (PdL) and former secretary of the Italian Democratic Socialist Party, joined the party, giving it parliamentary representation. While leaving the PdL, Vizzini stated: "It seems to me that the PdL is set to become the Italian section of the European People's Party. 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."[18]
Similarly to its precursor parties, the PSI has its strongholds in Southern Italy. In the 2008 general election it won 2.0% in Calabria (2.8% for the Senate), 2.8% in Basilicata, 1.6% in Apulia and a surprising 1.8% in Umbria.
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