The Italian Socialists

Infobox_Italian_former_political_party
name_english = The Italian Socialists

foundation = 7 February 2006
dissolution = 5 October 2007
leaders = Bobo Craxi, Saverio Zavettieri
newspaper = none
membership_year= 2006
membership = 18,700 [ [http://gazzettino.quinordest.it/VisualizzaArticolo.php3?Luogo=Main&Codice=3296655&Data=2007-03-11&Pagina=5&Hilights=i+socialisti Il Gazzettino Online: il quotidiano del NordEst ] ]
ideology = Social democracy
international = "none"
european = "none"
europarl = "none"
colorcode = red

The Italian Socialists ("I Socialisti Italiani") was a minor Italian political party, born on February 7, 2006 as the result of a split in the New Italian Socialist Party wing favourable to a political alliance with The Union and an immediate discontinuance of ties with the House of Freedoms. The party was originally led by Vittorio "Bobo" Craxi, son of the late leader of the Italian Socialist Party, Bettino Craxi.

Because of the potential confusion in using a symbol with a carnation and the name "Craxi" as part of the centre-left coalition, whilst the New Italian Socialist Party also uses a carnation in its emblem and is allied with the centre-right (which also includes Bobo's sister Stefania Craxi, who is a member of Forza Italia), the ministry of Internal Affairs asked Bobo Craxi to remove his surname and the carnation from the symbol. As the symbol would have been unrecognizable at that point, Craxi himself was inserted on the lists of the Democrats of the Left.

At the elections of April 2006, The Socialists presented themselves as a member of The Union coalition with its leader a candidate on the lists of the Democrats of the Left. However, it decided not to join the social-radical project of Rose in the Fist. Although the list ran its own candidates and presented its own symbol, they faced many odds. The new symbol which removed the name "Craxi" inevitably lost the party votes.

After the votes were counted The Socialists received unpromising results; 0.3% for the House of Deputies and 0.36% for the Senate. The party saw none of its members elected and even Bobo Craxi, who had run on the Democrats of the Left list, was not elected, leaving The Socialist Party with no representation in Parliament. However, the centre-left coalition won the election and in the new Cabinet of Romano Prodi Bobo Craxi became under-secretary for the Foreign Office. [http://www.repubblica.it/2006/c/sezioni/politica/versoelezioni31/bobolist/bobolist.html]

The first party convention, held in March 2007 elected unanimously Saverio Zavettieri as party secretary and deliberated the change in name from "The Socialists" to "The Italian Socialists". The party also discussed and rejected the opportunity to join the Democratic Party, which was founded on 14 October 2007.

In July 2007 the party decided to merge into the new Socialist Party, which was launched on 5 October 2007.

References

External links

* [http://www.isocialistiitaliani.it/ Official website]