Daisy-Democracy is Freedom

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Template:Infobox Italy Political Party

Daisy-Democracy is Freedom (full name in Italian: Democrazia è Libertà – La Margherita: 'Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy') is a centrist political Party in Italy.

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Origin and Members

Originally a coalition of three parties, Italian People's Party (led by Pierluigi Castagnetti), Democrats (led by Arturo Parisi) and Italian Renewal (led by Lamberto Dini), it ran for its first time in 2001 as an alliance and part of the Olive Tree Coalition. Soon after the General Elections, the constituting parties merged into one.

The Daisy is formed by former Christian Democrats and centrists, mainly from the old Italian People's Party (but also including Liberals and Republicans), as well as more leftist politicians, especially socialists, greens and, in minor size, radicals and euro-communists from the old PCI.

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Factions

The Daisy is mainly composed by two factions:

  • Rutelli's followers (Rutelliani)
  • Prodi's followers (Prodiani)

It is interesting to note that the first faction tends to be more social-conservative and Catholic-oriented, while Arturo Parisi's faction trends to be more liberal if not staunchly secularist, with the notable exception of Prodi's Popolari.

Template:Christian Democracy

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Relevant members by former political experience

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Party and Ideology

The party president and leader is Francesco Rutelli, former Mayor of Rome and former centre-left candidate for Prime Minister at the 2001 General Elections.

They are a pro-European centrist-liberal party. Although part of the Olive Tree, which is usually associated with the centre-left, the Democratici were a member of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party, and the Partito Popolare Italiano was a member of the European People's Party. After the 2004 European elections the merged party decided not to become a member of either the ELDR or the EPP, but formed together with the French UDF the European Democratic Party. In the European Parliament the Margherita joined the group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

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Last developments

In June 2005 the Margherita decided by majority they will no longer join the l'Unione coalition at the next General Election, to be held in 2006, but they would merely provide external support. The Party's decision triggered major controversy, with rumours of divisions inside the party itself, also worsened by Rutelli's indication of "no-vote" at the Referenda on artificial insemination held in June 12 and 13. In Italy, for the result of a Referendum to be legally binding, a 50% turnout is strictly necessary. As such, Rutelli's decision was considered instrumental for the referenda to collapse. The vote was seen by some as a test over the kind of political weight carried by the Vatican in the Italian political life.

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Francesco Rutelli

Francesco Rutelli's role in the Margherita coalition is often considered a singular achievement after a fairly erratic journey within Italian progressive politics. Elected Secretary of the Radical Party in 1980 at the age of 26, Rutelli championed libertarian and secular policies such as legalising abortion, the legalisation of cannabis and unilateral disarmament. In the late 1980s, Rutelli became one of the leading figures of the Italian Green Party Federation and embraced environmental campaigns. In 1993 he was elected Mayor of Rome as he ran for the centre-left coalition. From the mid-1990s onwards his views appeared increasingly closer to the centre of the Italian political spectrum, accommodating policies normally associated with the Catholic Centre and the Vatican.

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Leadership


Image:MargheritaElectionStand.jpg

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See also

Template:Political parties of Italyde:La Margherita - Democrazia è Libertà es:La Margarita fr:La Margherita it:La Margherita ja:マルゲリータ (政党) nl:La Margherita sv:La Margherita

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