New Centre-Right Explained

New Centre-Right
Native Name:Nuovo Centrodestra
Leader1 Title:President
Leader1 Name:Angelino Alfano
Foundation:15 November 2013
Dissolved:18 March 2017
Split:The People of Freedom
Successor:Popular Alternative
Ideology:Conservatism[1]
Christian democracy[2]
Headquarters:Via Arcione 71
00186 Rome
Newspaper:l'Occidentale (online)
Youth Wing:NCD Young People
Membership Year:2014
Membership:100,000[3]
Position:Centre-right
National:Popular Area
Colours: Blue
Country:Italy

New Centre-Right (Italian: Nuovo Centrodestra, NCD) was a centre-right political party in Italy.[4] The party was launched on 15 November 2013 by a group of dissidents of The People of Freedom (PdL) who opposed the party's reformation as Forza Italia (FI), which would take place the following day.[5] The NCD leader was Angelino Alfano, who had been Silvio Berlusconi's protégé and national secretary of the PdL from 2011 to 2013.

The NCD was a member of the European People's Party (EPP). The party participated in the Letta, Renzi and Gentiloni governments. On 18 March 2017, the NCD was dissolved into Popular Alternative (AP).

History

Background and foundation

The party was formed by splinters from the PdL on 15 November 2013. Its founders, lately known as "doves" in the party, were strong supporters of Enrico Letta's government and refused to join the new Forza Italia (FI), founded upon the dissolution of the PdL. All five PdL ministers, three under-secretaries, 30 senators and 27 deputies immediately joined the NCD.[6] Most were Christian democrats and many came from the southern regions of Calabria and Sicily.

Besides Alfano (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior), leading members included Maurizio Lupi (Minister of Infrastructure and Transport), Nunzia De Girolamo (Minister of Agriculture), Beatrice Lorenzin (Minister of Health), Gaetano Quagliariello (Minister of Constitutional Reforms), Giuseppe Scopelliti (President of Calabria), Roberto Formigoni (former President of Lombardy), Renato Schifani (former President of the Senate and PdL floor leader until November 2013), Fabrizio Cicchitto (former PdL leader in the Chamber in 2008–2013) and Carlo Giovanardi (a former minister for the UDC).[7]

Support to Renzi and Popular Area

In February 2014, after the fall of Letta's government, the NCD joined a new coalition government led by Matteo Renzi, who had been elected secretary of the Democratic Party (PD) in December 2013. In the new government the NCD retained three ministers: Alfano at the Interior, Lupi at Infrastrctures and Transports, and Lorenzin at Health.[8] Quagliariello, who had not been confirmed as minister of Institutional Reforms, was elected national coordinator by the assembly of the parliamentary groups.[9]

The party ran in the 2014 European Parliament election on a joint list with the Union of the Centre (UdC). The list obtained 4.4% of the vote and three MEPs, two for the NCD and one for the UdC. The list did especially well in the South: 7.1% in Apulia, 11.4% in Calabria and 9.1% in Sicily.[10]

On 11 September 2014, the NCD was officially accepted into the European People's Party (EPP).[11] [12]

In December 2014 the NCD formed joint parliamentary groups with the UdC in both the Chamber of Deputies and Senate. The two groups, a step toward a complete merger of the two parties,[13] were named Popular Area, where "popular" was a reference to popolarismo, the Italian variety of Christian democracy.

Internal squabbles and splits

Following Alfano's decision to support Sergio Mattarella's bid to become President of Italy during the 2015 presidential election (Matteralla was effectively elected on 31 January), the NCD experienced an internal crisis. Most notably, Barbara Saltamartini and Maurizio Sacconi resigned from party's spokesperson and leader in the Senate, respectively.[14] [15] [16] Schifani was unanimously elected to succeed to Sacconi,[17] while Saltamartini left the party altogether.[18] In March Lupi was hit by a minor corruption scandal and resigned from minister of Infrastrctures and Transports.[19] [20] As result, the party was left with only two ministers. In April De Girolamo, a frequent critic of the government since Mattarella's election, was replaced as leader in the Chamber by Lupi.[21] [22] During the summer, one deputy (De Girolamo,[23] [24] who had been a founder of The Republicans)[25] [26] and one MEP (Massimiliano Salini)[27] re-joined FI.

A bigger blow to Alfano came in October, when Quaglieriello resigned from coordinator and threatened to lead a splinter group out of the party if the NCD were to continue its support to Renzi.[28] [29] In the following weeks, Quaglieriello deserted a meeting of the party's national board[30] and made clear he was leaving the party. Two deputies (Vincenso Piso[31] [32] and Eugenia Roccella)[31] and two colleagues of Quaglieriello (Andrea Augello[32] [33] and Giovanardi)[34] [35] in the Senate followed suit. These, along with a fourth senator (Luigi Compagna, a former Liberal) finally launched Identity and Action (IDEA).[36] [37]

In February 2016, during a government reshuffle, NCD's Enrico Costa was appointed minister of Regional Affairs and Autonomies.[38] Shortly afterwards, it was announced by Lorenzin that the party would soon change its name, dropping the word "right", or take part to the formation of an entirely new party.[39] [40]

After NCD's dismal results in the 2016 local elections, several MPs, mainly senators, started weighing on leaving the party.[41] [42] In July 2016 Schifani, who criticised the party's permanence in the government and aimed at re-unifying the Italian fractured centre-right, stepped down from leader in the Senate[43] [44] and was replaced by Laura Bianconi, a close ally of Alfano.[45] A couple of weeks later, Schifani left the party, along with another senator, and returned to FI.[46]

Road to the new party

In the run-up of the 2016 constitutional referendum the UdC campaigned for the "no", while the NCD was among the keenest supporters of the "yes". After the referendum, which saw a huge defeat by the "no" side, the UdC left AP altogether, but some splinters named Centrists for Italy, notably including Pier Ferdinando Casini and minister Gian Luca Galletti, stayed with AP.[47] [48] [49] The referendum's result and the demise of Renzi Cabinet revived NCD's internal tensions too, that led to splits (one deputy left in December,[48] [50] one senator in February).[51] [52] In the following government led by Democrat Paolo Gentiloni, Alfano was sworn in as minister of Foreign Affairs, while Lorenzin, Galletti (CpI) and Costa were confirmed as ministers of Health, the Environment and Regional Affairs, respectively.

On 18 March 2017 the party was dissolved in order to make way for Popular Alternative (AP), which consisted mostly of the former NCD.

Ideology and factions

Despite being home to some social democrats (Reformism and Freedom, We Reformers), the party was mainly a Christian-democratic party with a social-conservative streak. According to Corriere della Sera, differently from FI, NCD's stances on the "so-called ethical issues" (abortion, LGBT rights, etc.) were "closer to those of the European traditionalist right" and "thus not very compatible with those of the EPP's parties in big countries such as Germany".[53] However, the party voted in favor of civil unions, whereas most FI members voted against it.[54] The NCD was also criticised by some Catholic associations for not opposing enough the teaching of gender studies in schools.[55] In addition, the NCD, as part of centre-left governments, proved more progressive than FI on the management of illegal immigration, which was negatively evaluated by Berlusconi's party.[56] Precisely for these and other reasons, several NCD politicians left the party to either form Identity and Action (IdeA) led by Gaetano Quagliariello or re-joined FI (e.g. Nunzia De Girolamo, Renato Schifani and Massimiliano Salini),[57] in both cases re-aligning with the FI-led centre-right coalition.[58]

Former PdL-affiliated factions or think tanks which joined the NCD included:

In January 2014 three bigwigs of the party who later left the party (Quagliariello, Eugenia Roccella and Maurizio Sacconi) published a book titled Moderati. Per un nuovo umanesimo politico ("Moderates: For a new political humanism"), a sort of manifesto of the party. The book, whose key words are "person", "family", "enterprise" and "tradition", emphasises institutional reforms (including direct election of the President and federalism), ethical issues (marriage, opposition to abortion, limits to assisted reproductive technology, etc.) and the need for a smaller state ("less public law, more private rights").[64] [65] [66] According to Benedetto Ippolito, a university professor of history of philosophy, while NCD members insist that their party is "moderate", it is in fact "conservative" and "anti-progressive", albeit not "berlusconiano".[1]

In February 2014 the NCD unveiled a platform on labour, including a universal protection system safety net for the unemployed, a tax relief for entrepreneurs hiring the young, the reduction of the tax wedge on labour and the overcoming of article 18 of the "Statute of Workers", making easier for entrepreneurs to hire and fire employees.[67]

Electoral results

European Parliament

European Parliament
width=13%Election yearwidth=16%Voteswidth=6%% width=1%Seatswidth=8%+/–width=18%Leader
20141,202,350 (5th)4.38

Regional Councils

width=19%Regionwidth=13%Election yearwidth=16%Voteswidth=7%% width=1%Seats
Abruzzo201440,219 (4th)5.9
Apulia2015101,817 (7th)6.0
Calabria201447,574 (6th)6.1
Campania2015133,753 (5th)5.9
Emilia-Romagna201431,635 (7th)2.6
Liguria20159,269 (9th)1.7
Marche201521,049 (7th)4.0
Piedmont201449,059 (7th)2.5
Tuscany201515,808 (8th)1.2
Umbria20159,285 (9th)2.6
Veneto201537.937 (11th)2.0

Leadership

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Un paio di consigli spassionati per il Nuovo Centrodestra di Alfano . Formiche . 2014-01-13 . 2014-02-20.
  2. Web site: Nuovo Centrodestra o vecchia Democrazia Cristiana? . it . 17 November 2013 . . 2 December 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131202110412/http://news.panorama.it/politica/nuovo-centrodestra-democrazia-cristiana . 2 December 2013 . dead .
  3. Web site: Albertini cambia: "Aderisco al Nuovo centrodestra, Mauro mi segua" . Il Giorgno . 2014-03-02 . 2014-03-15.
  4. News: Silvio Berlusconi's heir Angelino Alfano forms new party in Italy. Associated Press. . 15 November 2013 . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/silvio-berlusconis-heir-angelino-alfano-forms-new-party-in-italy-8943520.html . 18 June 2022 . subscription . live. 16 November 2013.
  5. Book: Nicolas Bonnet. Silvo's Party. Agnès Alexandre-Collier. François Vergniolle De Chantal. Leadership and Uncertainty Management in Politics: Leaders, Followers and Constraints in Western Democracies. https://books.google.com/books?id=v1ROCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA105. 2015. Palgrave Macmillan. 978-1-137-43924-6. 105–106.
  6. Book: Tom Lansford. Political Handbook of the World 2015. 2015. SAGE Publications. 978-1-4833-7155-9. 3067.
  7. News: What the Alfano-Berlusconi split means for Italian politics. 20 November 2013. Suffragio. 18 November 2013. Kevin Lees.
  8. Web site: I ministri giurano, il governo è in carica Renzi: "Ce la faremo". Ma Letta lo gela. 22 February 2014. La Stampa. 9 June 2015.
  9. Web site: Ncd, Quagliariello coordinatore. rainews. 9 June 2015.
  10. Web site: ::: Ministero dell'Interno ::: Archivio Storico delle Elezioni - Europee del 25 Maggio 2014 . Elezionistorico.interno.it . 2016-08-02.
  11. Web site: EPP concerned over actions of radical Islamic militant groups and over latest political developments in Romania; welcomes five new member parties - EPP. 9 June 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150413072435/http://www.epp.eu/epp-concerned-over-actions-radical-islamic-militant-groups-and-over-latest-political-developments. 13 April 2015.
  12. Web site: Ncd: Quagliariello, accolti con voto unanime in famiglia Ppe. ANSA.it. 12 September 2014 . 9 June 2015.
  13. Web site: Ncd e Udc verso la fusione, la "start-up dei moderati" per incidere sul voto del Colle . Data 24 News. 9 June 2015.
  14. Web site: Ncd nel caos. E Sacconi si dimette. 9 June 2015.
  15. Web site: Quirinale/ Terremoto nell'Ncd, Saltamartini e Sacconi si dimettono. Affaritaliani.it. 9 June 2015. 18 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221018174718/https://www.affaritaliani.it/speciale-quirinale/ncd-saltamartini3101.html. dead.
  16. Web site: Terremoto nel Ncd: si dimettono Sacconi e Saltamartini. Federico Morbegno. 31 January 2015 . 9 June 2015.
  17. Web site: Ncd, Schifani nuovo capogruppo al Senato. Affaritaliani.it. 11 February 2015 . 9 June 2015.
  18. Web site: Ncd, Barbara Saltamartini lascia, critiche ad Alfano. E Matteo Renzi sfotte Angelino: "Leccati le ferite". 9 June 2015.
  19. Web site: Lupi si dimette da ministro: "Lascio a testa alta". Per la successione le ipotesi sono Delrio e Lotti. 20 March 2015. La Stampa. 9 June 2015.
  20. Web site: Maurizio Lupi si dimette. Panorama. 9 June 2015.
  21. Web site: Lupi nuovo capogruppo di Area Popolare alla Camera, De Girolamo si dimette in polemica. 8 April 2015. La Stampa. 9 June 2015.
  22. Web site: Ncd, Lupi capogruppo Camera al posto di De Girolamo. Lei: 'Come Grande Fratello' . Il Fatto Quotidiano. 9 April 2015 . 9 June 2015.
  23. Web site: Tommaso Labate . De Girolamo dà l'addio a Ncd . Corriere della Sera . 24 August 2015 . 2016-08-02.
  24. Web site: Alberto Di Majo . De Girolamo: "Torno in Forza Italia E non ho paura del cerchio magico" - Politica - iltempo . Il Tempo . 2015-08-26 . 2016-08-02 . 28 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150928182254/http://www.iltempo.it/politica/2015/08/26/nunzia-de-girolamo-torno-in-forza-italia-e-non-ho-paura-del-cerchio-magico-1.1450826 . dead .
  25. Web site: di Alessandro Da Rold . Reguzzoni (Lega) e De Girolamo (Ncd), la strana coppia per il partito Repubblicano . Linkiesta.it . 2015-05-21 . 2016-08-02 . 9 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170709122640/http://www.linkiesta.it/it/blog-post/2015/05/21/reguzzoni-lega-e-de-girolamo-ncd-la-strana-coppia-per-il-partito-repub/22894/ . dead .
  26. Web site: Il Ncd è spolpato: De Girolamo lancia i Repubblicani . lettera43 . 2016-08-02.
  27. Web site: Ncd: eurodeputato Salini lascia per andare in Fi - Altre news - ANSA Europa . ANSA.it . 24 September 2015 . 2016-08-02.
  28. Web site: Monica Guerzoni . Quagliariello-Ncd, è rotturaAlfano: «Io non trattengo nessuno . Corriere della Sera . 14 October 2015 . 2016-08-02.
  29. Web site: Alessandro De Angelis . Gaetano Quagliariello si dimette da coordinatore Ncd e scrive ad Alfano: "Se non lasci Renzi, formo gruppo al Senato" . Huffingtonpost.it . 2015-10-14 . 2016-08-02.
  30. Web site: Quagliariello diserta la direzione Ncd . it . Il Giornale . 5 November 2015 . 2016-08-02.
  31. Web site: Alfano ne perde altri due . it . Il Giornale . 2015-11-23 . 2016-08-02.
  32. Web site: Augello e Piso lasciano Ncd Il caso dei 'gesti sessisti' sarà riesaminato - Politica - iltempo . Il Tempo . 2015-10-24 . 2016-08-02 . 24 November 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151124210115/http://www.iltempo.it/politica/2015/10/24/augello-e-piso-lasciano-ncd-il-caso-dei-gesti-sessisti-sara-riesaminato-1.1471501 . dead .
  33. Web site: Alfano perde un altro pezzo. Andrea Augello lascia Ncd. Direzione Fitto? - Secolo d'Italia . Secoloditalia.it . 1976-02-23 . 2016-08-02.
  34. Web site: Giovanardi (e i suoi) lasciano Ncd: «Alfano ha fallito, governo arrogante sulle nozze gay . Corriere della Sera . 26 October 2015 . 2016-08-02.
  35. Web site: Carlo Giovanardi lascia Ncd e maggioranza. "Ma non torno in Forza Italia" . la Repubblica . 2015-10-26 . 2016-08-02.
  36. Web site: Centrodestra, Quagliariello lancia "Idea". Alternativi a Renzi, guardando ai territori | l'Occidentale . it . Loccidentale.it . 2016-08-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151126050517/http://www.loccidentale.it/node/138607 . 26 November 2015 . dead .
  37. Web site: Ncd, Quagliariello lancia il quarto petalo. Cassano: "Voleva il Ministero" . Affaritaliani.it . 25 November 2015 . 2016-08-02.
  38. Web site: Governo, via al rimpasto: 13 nomi nuovi. Torna anche il contestato Gentile . la Repubblica . 2016-01-28 . 2016-08-02.
  39. Web site: Ncd cambia nome, sparisce la parola 'destra' - Politica . Quotidiano.net . 18 February 2016 . 2016-08-02.
  40. Web site: "Via 'destra' dal simbolo Ncd". Finalmente Alfano se ne è accorto . it . Il Giornale . 2016-02-18 . 2016-08-02.
  41. Web site: Dopo il voto Alfano lancia polo moderato. Ma in Ap è scontro . Askanews.it . 2016-08-02 . 1 July 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160701005108/http://www.askanews.it/politica/dopo-il-voto-alfano-lancia-polo-moderato-ma-in-ap-e-scontro_711839932.htm . dead .
  42. Web site: Fronda contro Alfano: cinque Ncd pronti all'addio - Politica - iltempo . Il Tempo . 2016-06-21 . 2016-08-02 .
  43. Web site: Area Popolare, Schifani si dimette da capogruppo al Senato. "Udc si sfila da area governo: "Noi per no al referendum" - Il Fatto Quotidiano . Il Fatto Quotidiano . 2016-07-19 . 2016-08-02.
  44. Web site: Gianluca Abate . Strappo di Schifani: «Basta appoggi a Renzi e offese a Berlusconi . Corriere della Sera . 2016-07-19 . 2016-08-02.
  45. Web site: Schifani lascia Alfano, Laura Bianconi prende il suo posto - Politica - iltempo . Il Tempo . 2016-07-20 . 2016-08-02.
  46. Web site: Schifani ritorna in Forza Italia. Berlusconi: "Ha continuato a coltivare le nostre radici" - la Repubblica. 4 August 2016.
  47. Web site: Area Popolare si spacca dopo il referendum. Udc: "L'esperienza, forse mai decollata, si conclude qui" - Il Fatto Quotidiano. 6 December 2016.
  48. Web site: Fuggi fuggi al Senato: I centristi guardano a Fi. E Alfano resta da solo. 7 December 2016.
  49. Web site: "Alfano succube di Renzi, ce ne andiamo" - giornaleditalia . www.ilgiornaleditalia.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161207170147/http://www.ilgiornaleditalia.org/news/politica/883499/-Alfano-succube-di-Renzi-.html . 2016-12-07.
  50. Web site: Bernardo (NCD): lascio NCD, momento più basso del partito | www.newsagielle.it . 7 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220104905/http://www.newsagielle.it/Detail_News_Display/Politica/bernardo-ncd--lascio-ncd-momento-piu-basso-del-partito . 20 December 2016 . dead .
  51. Web site: Senato: Ala perde pezzi, 2 vanno a Udc - Politica. 9 February 2017.
  52. Web site: Grandi manovre in corso al senato, Verdini e Alfano perdono pezzi - Siciliainformazioni . 10 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170209200658/http://www.siciliainformazioni.com/redazione/548134/grandi-manovre-corso-al-senato-verdini-alfano-perdono-pezzi . 9 February 2017 . dead .
  53. Web site: Pd-azzurri: asse sui diritti (senza Ncd) . Corriere della Sera . 2014-02-20.
  54. Web site: Unioni civili sono legge: M5s si astiene. Lega e Fdi contro. Renzi: "E' un giorno di festa". Le destre: "Referendum". 11 May 2016.
  55. Web site: Gender a Scuola: Nella Riforma Il Trucco C'e' Ma non Si Vede. 27 June 2015.
  56. Web site: Migranti, Berlusconi: "Un accordo con la Libia è l'unica soluzione". 27 July 2017.
  57. Web site: ADDIO NCD/ Massimiliano Salini lascia Lupi e torna in Forza Italia. 25 September 2015.
  58. Web site: Renato Schifani torna in Forza Italia. 4 August 2016.
  59. Web site: Il clan politico di Cl si attovaglia per spartirsi la torta dell'Expo . Mentiinformatiche.com . 2014-01-21 . 2014-02-20 . 16 October 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141016184051/http://mentiinformatiche.com/2013/12/il-clan-politico-di-cl-si-attovaglia-per-spartirsi-la-torta-dellexpo.html . dead .
  60. Web site: Popolari liberali nel Ncd in pista per le primarie . it . 1 December 2013 . . 2 December 2013.
  61. Web site: Federazione Cristiano Popolari, l'on.Baccini ad Avellino per il nuovo Centrodestra . it . Irpinia24.it . 2013-02-21 . 2014-02-20.
  62. Web site: Il 'Nuovo centrodestra', gruppi in crescita e logo tricolore . la Repubblica . 2013-11-16 . 2014-02-20.
  63. Web site: Noi Riformatori Per Il Nuovo Centrodestra . Noiriformatori.it . 2014-02-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131218101705/http://www.noiriformatori.it/noi-riformatori-per-il-nuovo-centrodestra/ . 18 December 2013 . dead .
  64. Web site: "Per un nuovo umanesimo politico". In libreria il manifesto dei moderati . Affaritaliani.it . 2002-01-04 . 2014-02-20.
  65. Web site: Meno tasse e più etica, il manifesto dei moderati . Corriere della Sera . 2014-02-20.
  66. Web site: Tutte le riforme che ha in mente il Nuovo Centrodestra . 12 January 2014 . Formiche . 2014-02-20.
  67. Web site: Ncd, il Piano Sacconi sul lavoro in dieci punti. Il Sole 24 ORE. 9 June 2015.
  68. Schifani's full title was "President of the Promoting Committee".

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