Liberal Popular Alliance Explained
The Liberal Popular Alliance, whose full name was Liberal Popular Alliance – Autonomies (Italian: Alleanza Liberalpopolare – Autonomie, ALA), was a centrist and liberal political party in Italy. ALA members were known as Verdiniani, from the name of their leader Denis Verdini, who was formerly a long-time member and national coordinator of three successive centre-right parties led by Silvio Berlusconi (Forza Italia, The People of Freedom and again Forza Italia) until July 2015, when he broke with Berlusconi in order to support the government led by Matteo Renzi, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party.
Verdini aimed at launching the "Moderates for Renzi", that would eventually include the other centrist parties supporting the government.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] After Renzi's resignation as Prime Minister in December 2016 the party lost relevance and after the 2018 general election it was deprived of its parliamentary representation.
History
The Liberal Popular Alliance emerged in July 2015 from a split from Forza Italia (FI), led by Denis Verdini, who wanted to support the reforms put forward by the Renzi Cabinet, and was joined by senators coming from different centre-right groups, including Great Autonomies and Freedom (GAL), Conservatives and Reformists (CoR) and New Centre-Right (NCD).[7] [8] Lucio Barani, who until then was the secretary of the New Italian Socialist Party (NPSI),[9] [10] was elected president of the senatorial group. "Autonomies" was possibly added to "Liberal Popular Alliance" because of the presence of two senators of the Movement for the Autonomies–Party of Sicilians (MpA–PdS) in the group. Other than Barani, who continued to be a member of the NPSI,[11] [12] [13] and the two MpA senators, the group included non-party independents.
Between September and October 2015, four senators and seven deputies left FI and joined Verdini; the deputies formed a joint sub-group with the Associative Movement Italians Abroad (MAIE) named "Liberal Popular Alliance – Autonomies – MAIE.[7] [14] [15] [16] Between December and January 2016, the party was joined by five more senators,[7] including Sandro Bondi, another former FI national coordinator.[17] [18] Also in January, three ALA members were elected deputy chairpersons of three Senate committees.[19] A twentieth senator and an eight deputy joined in May.[7] [8] However, Bondi left as early as in June.[20] [21] In April 2016 the presence of two senators of the MpA, who had broken ties with FI while joining the ALA as direct members,[22] was marked by a new name of the group in the Senate: "Liberal Popular Alliance – Autonomies (Movement for the Autonomies)".[7]
The ALA fielded some lists for the 2016 local elections, especially in the South and usually in support of candidates of the Democratic Party (PD).[23] In Naples, the largest city in which the party was present, the ALA obtained a mere 1.4% of the vote.[24]
Between July and December 2016, the party formed joint groups with Civic Choice (SC),[25] [26] [27] [28] which were renamed "ALA – Civic Choice for the Liberal and Popular Constituent Assembly",[8] [7] and attracted two intellectual leaders from the liberal wing of the old FI: Marcello Pera, a former President of the Senate, and Giuliano Urbani, a former minister of Culture in Berlusconi II Cabinet.[29] [30] [31]
The ALA, SC, Pera and Urbani campaigned heavily for the "Yes" in the 2016 constitutional referendum, which resulted in a defeat for the "Yes" camp and the subsequent resignation of Renzi. The ALA did not join and support the new government led by Paolo Gentiloni.
In February 2017 two senators left and joined Union of the Centre (UDC),[32] [33] in April one deputy joined Popular Alternative (AP), successor of the NCD,[34] in June two senators re-joined FI,[35] and in July another deputy joined AP.[36] In November the party was further reduced to 4 deputies and 12 senators as the two deputies associated with Cantiere Popolare (CP) and the two senators of the MpA left[37] [38] (the CP and the MpA had participated together in the 2017 Sicilian regional election).[39] [40] [41] [42]
In January 2018 the party formed an alliance with the Italian Republican Party (PRI), of which Verdini had been a member until 1994. Under the ALA–PRI alliance, ALA's senatorial group was re-named "Liberal Popular Alliance – Italian Republican Party".[7] [43] [44] In the 2018 general election the list, which actually included only Republican candidates, obtained a mere 0.1% of the vote. Verdini himself did not vote for the list, but voted FI for the Chamber and the PD for the Senate.[45] The party has since become inactive.
Electoral results
Italian Parliament
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Pubblicato: 19/10/2015 19:58 CEST . Finanziaria: iniziano le prove generali dei Moderati per Renzi. Verdini fissa il prezzo del sì. Altri tre senatori in arrivo . Huffingtonpost.it . 2015-10-19 . 2016-05-06.
- Web site: Verdini dà la linea ai centristi | l'Occidentale . it . Loccidentale.it . 2014-01-24 . 2016-05-06.
- Web site: Chi sono i Moderati per Renzi? – Termometro Politico . 21 October 2015 . Termometropolitico.it . 2016-05-06.
- Web site: Il triste destino di Ncd finisce in balia di Verdini . it . IlGiornale.it . 2015-10-21 . 2016-05-06.
- Web site: Moderati per Renzi, il progetto di Cicchitto – Termometro Politico . 11 November 2015 . Termometropolitico.it . 2016-05-06.
- Web site: Francesco Verderami . Verdini contro Alfano, la battaglia dei centri con Matteo Renzi alla regia . March 2016 . Corriere.it . 2016-05-06.
- Web site: Gruppo ALA (Alleanza Liberal Popolare) - PRI (Partito Repubblicano Italiano) . senato.it . 2013–2018 . 2019-09-28 .
- Web site: XVII Legislatura . camera.it . 2013–2018 . 2019-09-28.
- News: Nuovo PSI il segretario Barani aderisce al gruppo di Verdini ma rischia l'espulsione . ilfattoquotidiano.it . 2015-07-27 . 2019-09-28 .
- News: Nuovo PSI, Lucio Barani si dimette da segretario nazionale . https://web.archive.org/web/20150925115617/http://www.agenparl.com/nuovo-psi-lucio-barani-si-dimette-da-segretario-nazionale/ . usurped . September 25, 2015 . agenparl.co .
- News: E' frattura fra Forza Italia e Nuovo Psi . ottopagine.it . 2015-10-30 . 2019-09-28 .
- News: Nuovo Psi, Fasolino coordinatore nazionale . 2015-10-24 . 2019-09-28 . ottopagine.it .
- News: Nuovo Psi, un piede in due scarpe: la strana coppia Caldoro-Barani . 2015-10-27 . 2019-09-28 . avellinotoday.it .
- Web site: Redazione Online . Forza Italia, dieci parlamentari lasciano il partito per andare nel movimento di Verdini . Corriere.it . 2015-09-23 . 2016-05-06.
- Web site: Altri articoli dalla categoria . Forza Italia, altre sette deputati e un senatore lasciano il partito e passano con i verdiniani . Repubblica.it . 2015-09-23 . 2016-05-06.
- Web site: Di Antonio Bucci . Anche Iurlaro con Verdini, il senatore abbandona Forza Italia . Affaritaliani.it . 2016-05-06.
- Web site: Altri articoli dalla categoria . Senato, Bondi e Repetti passano con Verdini . Repubblica.it . 2015-12-22 . 2016-05-06.
- Web site: Pubblicato: 22/12/2015 14:35 CET . Bondi e Repetti con Verdini. L'ex "poeta di Arcore" supera i dissidi e aderisce ad Ala: "Non c'è alternativa a Renzi" . Huffingtonpost.it . 2015-12-22 . 2016-05-06.
- Web site: Altri articoli dalla categoria . Senato, a Verdini tre vicepresidenti di commissione. Minoranza dem insorge. Renzi: "Non entra in maggioranza" . Repubblica.it . 2016-01-21 . 2016-05-06.
- News: Nuovo "trasloco" per coppia Bondi-Repetti. Addio a gruppo di Verdini al Senato . repubblica.it . 2019-09-28 . 2016-06-20.
- News: Verdini addio, Bondi e Repetti abbandonano Denis. "Non è vero che Renzi ha perso" . 2019-09-28 . 2016-06-21 . espresso.repubblica.it .
- Web site: Rotta intesa FI-Mpa, Scavone: "Vertici siciliani non adeguati" – LiveSicilia Catania . 13 August 2015 . Catania.livesicilia.it . 2016-05-06.
- News: Comunali 2016, la fase 2 dell'alleanza Pd-verdiniani. Gli uomini di Denis con Renzi ovunque: Napoli, Campania e non solo . 2019-09-28 . 2016-05-05 . ilfattoquotidiano.it .
- Web site: ELEZIONI COMUNALI 5 GIUGNO 2016 . repubblica.it . 2019-09-28 . 2016 .
- Web site: Mario Monti perde il marchio "Scelta Civica". E a Montecitorio rinasce con Verdini . repubblica.it . 2019-09-28 . 2016-12-10 .
- Web site: Scelta Civica, Zanetti vince la battaglia sul nome e Verdini entra in maggioranza . espresso.repubblica.it . 2019-09-28 . 2016-10-12 .
- Web site: Verdini e Zanetti fanno gruppo unico | Avanti! . 2016-12-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161031054429/http://www.avantionline.it/2016/10/verdini-e-zanetti-fanno-gruppo-unico/ . 2016-10-31 . dead .
- News: Verdini e Zanetti beffano Monti e fanno gongolare Renzi . formiche.net . 2019-09-28 . 2016-10-13 .
- News: Verdini, Zanetti e Pera a cena per rafforzare Renzi. Tra referendum, campagna acquisti e nuovo gruppo parlamentare . huffingtonpost.it . 2019-09-28 . 2016-07-21 .
- News: Tutte le mosse degli ex azzurri Verdini, Pera e Urbani per il Sì liberale al referendum . 2019-09-28 . formiche.net .
- News: Referendum, Pera lancia il comitato pro riforma e invita Berlusconi a ripensarci: "Il suo No è flebile, a volte sembra un Sì" . 2019-09-28. ilfattoquotidiano.it . 2016-09-13 .
- News: Senato: Ala perde pezzi, 2 vanno a Udc . 2019-09-28 . 2017-02-09 . ansa.it .
- Web site: Grandi manovre in corso al senato, Verdini e Alfano perdono pezzi - Siciliainformazioni . 2017-02-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170209200658/http://www.siciliainformazioni.com/redazione/548134/grandi-manovre-corso-al-senato-verdini-alfano-perdono-pezzi . 2017-02-09 . dead .
- News: Questo è il parlamento con più cambi di casacca di sempre. Sono 458 da inizio legislatura . 2019-09-28 . 2017-04-03 . HuffPost.
- News: Fi: rientrano senatori Piccinelli e Auricchio . agora24.it . 2019-09-28 . 2017-06-28 .
- Web site: Giorgio Lainati lascia Ala per Ap, Angelino Alfano: "Benvenuto e insieme per nuove battaglie" - Agorà24 . 2017-07-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170915051251/http://www.agora24.it/2017/07/giorgio-lainati-lascia-ala-ap-angelino-alfano-benvenuto-insieme-nuove-battaglie/ . 2017-09-15 . dead .
- News: Cinque deputati e due senatori, tra i quali l'ex ministro Saverio Romano, hanno lasciato il gruppo parlamentare di ALA . ilpost.it . 2019-09-28 . 2017-12-03 .
- News: Romano dice addio a Verdini "Spero in Berlusconi premier" . livesicilia.it . 2019-09-28 . 2017-12-03 . 2017-12-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171203113613/http://livesicilia.it/2017/12/03/saverio-romano-lascia-gruppo-ala-berlusconi-verdini_912303/ . dead .
- News: Elezioni regionali,il cartello degli autonomisti Mpa-Cantiere popolare: "Arriviamo alla doppia cifra" . 2019-09-28 . 2017-09-25 . palermo.repubblica.it.
- News: Da Lagalla a Lombardo passando per Saverio Romano, ecco il simbolo di 'Popolari e autonomisti' . 2019-09-28 . 2017-09-22 . palermo.blogsicilia.it .
- News: Regionali: asse tra Lombardo, Romano e Lagalla I nomi dei catanesi e l'incognita del "nipote di" . 2019-09-28 . 2017-09-20 . catania.meridionews.it .
- News: Regionali, i lombardiani non tramontano mai Pippo Compagnone, da Verdini a Musumeci . 2019-09-22 . 2017-11-08 . catania.meridionews.it .
- Web site: Archived copy . 2018-01-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180115124756/http://www.partitorepubblicanoitaliano.it/new/8%20Gennaio%202018/DOCUMENTO%20DN%206%20GENNAIO%202018.pdf . 2018-01-15 . dead .
- Web site: L'Accordo tra Verdini e il Partito repubblicano c'è, ora il problema è trovare un alleato. 12 January 2018.
- Web site: Elezioni, Verdini: "Ho nostalgia di Renzi e Berlusconi. Senza voltagabbana Camera e Senato non staranno in piedi". 2 March 2018.