Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity

Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity
Secretary Alfredo Covelli
President Achille Lauro
Founded April 11, 1959
Dissolved July 11, 1972
Merger of People's Monarchist Party, National Monarchist Party
Merged into Italian Social Movement
Newspaper Italia Monarchica
Membership  (1961) 50,000
Ideology National conservatism
Liberal conservatism
Monarchism[1]
Political position Right-wing
International affiliation None
European affiliation None
European Parliament group No MEPs
Colours      Blue
Politics of Italy
Political parties
Elections

The Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity (Italian: Partito Democratico Italiano di Unità Monarchica, PDIUM) was an Italian political party of conservative and monarchist's goals.

History

Since 1961 the PDIUM called itself as continuation of the Italian Democratic Party (Partito Democratico Italiano). It was founded in 1959 by the union of the People's Monarchist Party and the National Monarchist Party.

The new party, like its predecessors, was hampered by provisions in the Italian Constitution of 1946 making it all but impossible to restore the monarchy. The document not only specifically forbade a referendum on changing the republican form of government, but (until 2002) barred male members of the House of Savoy from ever returning to Italy. It was never able to repeat the results of its predecessors and saw electoral support for the monarchist cause shrink in the 1963 general election (1.8%) and in those of 1968 (1.3%), due to the successes of the Italian Liberal Party (respectively 7.0 and 5.8%).

In 1972 PDIUM merged in the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI) and so ceased to exist. Alfredo Covelli, long-time monarchist leader, was elected president of MSI. In 1976 Covelli led a moderate split of MSI and established National Democracy.

Electoral results

Italian Parliament

Chamber of Deputies
Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Leader
1963 536,948 (#7) 1.75
8 / 630
-
Alfredo Covelli
1968 414,507 (#8) 1.30
6 / 630
Decrease 2
Alfredo Covelli
Senate
Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Leader
1963 689,708 (#7) 2.51
3 / 315
-
Alfredo Covelli
1968 605,051 (#7) 2.58
2 / 315
Decrease 1
Alfredo Covelli

Notes

  1. ↑ Vittorio Gorresio (12 April 1959). "I monarchici si sono unificati fondando il "Partito Democratico Italiano"". La Stampa. p. 1.