Socialist Party (Italy)

Infobox_Italian_political_party
name_english = Socialist Party

leader =
leader1_title = Secretary
leader1_name = Riccardo Nencini
leader2_title = President
leader2_name = Pia Elda Locatelli
leader3_title = Coordinator
leader3_name = Marco Di Lello
leader4_title =
leader4_name =
foundation = 5 October 2007
dissolution =
headquarters = Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, 26
00186 Rome
newspaper = none
membership_year=
membership = "unknown"
ideology = Social democracy,
Third Way
coalition = stand-alone
international = Socialist International
european = Party of European Socialists
europarl = Party of European Socialists
website = http://www.partitosocialista.it
colorcode = red

The Socialist Party ("Partito Socialista", PS) is a social-democratic political party in Italy.

The party was founded in 2007–2008 by the merger of six minor social-democratic parties and associations and the participation of some individual members:
*Italian Democratic Socialists;
*Democracy and Socialism;
*The Italian Socialists;
*Socialist Party–De Michelis;
*Association for the Rose in the Fist;
*Socialism is Freedom.

History

A merger of all the former social-democratic parties in Italy was initially proposed by Enrico Boselli during the April 2007 congress of the Italian Democratic Socialists (SDI), during which the party decided not to join the Democratic Party, asking other parties to join them in a "Socialist Constituent Assembly" ("Costituente Socialista") with the aim to create a new social-democratic party inspired to the late Italian Socialist Party (PSI).

Some minor parties and associations, including The Italian Socialists of Bobo Craxi, Socialism is Freedom led by Rino Formica and the Association for the Rose in the Fist of Lanfranco Turci joined from the beginning 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 from July instead. The former retained the NPSI identity, while De Michelis' faction adopted the name Socialist Party.

The Socialist Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 14 July 2007 in Rome, and was attended also by former Democrats of the Left and then-Democratic Left members Gavino Angius (leader of Democracy and Socialism), Franco Grillini and Valdo Spini, as well as Roberto Barbieri, he himself a former DS member, Cinzia Dato, a former Liberal from Democracy is Freedom – Daisy (DL), and Luigi Angeletti, trade unionist and national secretary of the Italian Labour Union (UIL). In September 2007 Angius, Grillini and Spini quit Democratic Left citing their opposition to build an alliance with a number of Italian far left parties and instead joined the Socialist Constituent Assembly.

In the 2008 general election the Socialist Party stood alone outside of any alliance with other parties with Boselli as candidate for Prime Minister. [ [http://www.agi.it/italy/news/200802121823-pol-ren0064-art.html Agi News On - Elections: Socialist Party Lists For Upper And Lower Houses ] ] 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 congress of the party, which took place on 4–6 July 2008, Riccardo Nencini was elected secretary, replacing Boselli, while Pia Elda Locatelli was elected president. [http://www.ansa.it/opencms/export/site/notizie/rubriche/daassociare/visualizza_new.html_105809290.html] In September Nencini, proposed a new "reformist axis" comprising the Democratic Party, the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and the Socialists, while explaining that the Democrats need to chose between the reformism of the PS and the populism of Italy of Values, with which the Socialists reject for now any alliance. [http://www.partitosocialista.it/site/artId__932/306/168-Nencini-_asse_riformista__PD-UDC-PS_per_un_nuovo_progetto_di_governo.aspx] Nencini also recruited two maverick liberals, Vittorio Sgarbi and Alessandro Cecchi Paone, both former members of Forza Italia, in support of the "autumn campaign" centred on constitutional reforms, labour and civil rights.

Popular support

Similarly to its predecursors, the party is rooted in the South, where its strongholds are. 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.

Leadership

*Secretary: Enrico Boselli (2007–2008), Riccardo Nencini (2008–...)
**President: Marco Di Lello (2008–...)
*President: Pia Elda Locatelli (2008–...)

References

External links

* [http://www.partitosocialista.it Official website]
* [http://www.costituentesocialista.it Socialist Constituent Assembly]