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Italy - Political Flags - Index and Overview

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Political Parties, Movements and Organizations

Listed below are the parties that active in all or most of Italy. Regional parties are listed on a separate page.

Abbr. Listed by Italian names Listed by English names
AM
AN
ApI
AM
A3F
Biancofiore

BR
CdL
CPI
CCD
CD
CDU
CI
CU
PDS
DC
Margherita
DE
DP
ERC
FFD
FdCA
FdL
FdV, Verdi
FdS
FI
FN
FdI-CN
FSN
FLI
Girasole
GS
Dem

I Pirati
PID
PdL
IAI
iSD

IdP
IU
La Destra
Legambiente
LN
LS
LC
Militia Christi
LCA
Ulivo
Margherita
M5S
MAIE
MIS
MPA
MSFT
MSI
MUI
No Euro
NPA
NPSI
PPL
PCI
PdCI
PDI
PC
PCL
PRC
PD
PDC
PDS
PLI
PMLI
PNF
PNM
PNIL
P.Pens
PPI
PPI
PR
PRNTT

TRP
PRI
PSDI
PSI
PdL
PU
PR
PRC
RI
RC
RnP
SC
SA
SC
SEL
SL
SDI
SdS
Ulivo
Unione
UDC
UDEUR
UDC
UdC
VF
Alleanza Monarchica (since 1972)
Alleanza Nazionale (1995-2009)
Alleanza per l'Italia
Arpitania Movement
Associazione 3 Febbraio
Biancofiore (coalition 2001)
Blocco Studentesco (since 2006)
Brigate Rosse (since 1970)
Casa delle Libertà (2000-2008)
CasaPound Italia (since 2003)
Centro Cristiano Democratico (1994-2002)
Centro Democratico (since 2012)
Cristiani Democratici Uniti (1995-2002)
Comunisti Italiani (since 1998)
Comunisti Unitari (1995-1998; no flag)
Democratici di Sinistra (1998-2007)
Democrazia Cristiana (1943-1994)
Democrazia č libertà - La Margherita (2002-07)
Democrazia Europea (2000-2002)
Democrazia Proletaria (1978-1991)
Ecologisti e Reti Civiche (since 2011)
Fare per Fermare il Declino (since 2012)
Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici (since 1986)
Federazione dei Liberali (since 1994)
Federazione dei Verdi (since 1990)
Federazione della Sinistra (2009-2012)
Forza Italia (1994-2009)
Forza Nuova (since 1997)
Fratelli d'Italia-Centrodestra Nazionale
Fronte Sociale Nazionale (1997-2008)
Futuro e Libertą per l'Italia (since 2010)
Girasole (coalition - no flag)
Grande Sud (since 2011)
I Democratici (1999-2002)
Insieme per gli Italiani
I Pirati (since 2013?)
i Popolari di Italia Domani (since 2010)
Il Popolo della Libertą (since 2007)
Io Amo l'Italia (since 2009)
i Socialdemocratici (since 2011)
Italia Cristiana (since 2013?)
Italia dei Valori - Lista di Pietro (since 1998)
Italia Unica
La Destra (since 2007)
Legambiente
Lega Nord (since 1991)
Lega Sud Ausonia (since 1991)
Liberal Democratici (since 2007)
Lista Civica "Militia Christi" (since 1992)
Lista Comunista e Anticapitalista (Jul-Dec 2009)
L'Ulivo (1995-2007)
Margherita (Democrazia č libertà) (2002-2007)
MoVimento 5 Stelle (since 2009)
Movimento Associativo Italiani all’Estero
Movimento Italia Sociale (1946-1995)
Movimento per le Autonomie (since 2005)
Movimento Sociale Fiamma Tricolore (since 1995)
Movimento Sociale Italiano (1946-1995)
Movimento Unionista Italiano (1944-1948)
No Euro (since 2003)
Nuovo Partito d'Azione
Nuovo Partito Socialista Italiano (since 2001)
Pane Pace Lavoro
Partito Comunista Italiana (1921-1991)
Partito dei Comunisti Italiani (since 1998)
Partito della Democrazia Italiana (1943-1994)
Partito Comunista (since 2009)
Partito Comunista dei Lavoratori (since 2006)
Partito della Rifondazione Comunista (since 1991)
Partito Democratico (since 2007)
Partito Democratico Cristiano (since 2000)
Partito Democratico della Sinistra (1991-1998)
Partito Liberale Italiano (1922-1994; since 2004)
Partito Marxista-Leninista Italiano (since 1977)
Partito Nazionale Fascista
Partito Nazionale Monarchico (1946-1961)
Partito Nazionalsocialista Italiano dei Lavoratori
Partito Pensionati (since 1987)
Partito Pirata Italiano (since 2006)
Partito Popolare Italiano (1919-1926)
Partito Radicale (1955-1989)
Partito Radicale Nonviolento, Transnazionale e Transpartito (since 1989)
Partito Radicale Transnazionale (since 1989)
Partito Repubblicano Italiano (since 1895)
Partito Socialista Democratico Italiano (since 1947)
Partito Socialista Italiano (1892-1994; since 2007)
Il Popolo della Libertą (2007-2009)
Popolari Uniti (since 2008)
Radicali / Partito Radicale (1955-1989)
Rifondazione Comunista (since 1991)
Rinnovamento Italiano (1996-2002)
Rivoluzione Civile (2012-2013)
Rosa nel Pugno (2005-2007)
Scelta Civica (since 2013)
La Sinistra - l'Arcobaleno (2007-2008)
Sinistra Critica (since 2007)
Sinistra Ecologia e Libertà (since 2009)
Sinistra e Libertà (since 2009)
Socialisti Democratici Italiani (1998-2007)
Studenti di Sinistra (since 1990)
L'Ulivo (1995-2007)
L'Unione (coalition 2006-2008)
Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e di Centro (2002-08)
Unione Democratici per l'Europa (since 1999)
Unione Democristiana e di Centro (since 2002)
Unione di Centro (since 2008)
Verdi Federalisti (1992-2002)
Act to Stop the Decline
Alliance for Italy
Anarchic Communists' Federation
Arpitania Movement
Associative Movement Italians Abroad
Bread Peace Work
Brothers of Italy - National Center-Right
CasaPound Italy
Christian Democratic Centre
Christian Democracy
Christian Democratic Party
Christian-Democratic Union and of Center
Christian Italy
Civil Choice
Civic List "Christ's Militia"
Civil Revolution
Communist and Anti-capitalist List
Communist Party
Communist Refoundation Party
Critical Left
Democracy is Freedom
Democratic Center
Democratic Party
The Democrats
Democratic Party of the Left
Democrats of the Left
Ecologists and Civic Networks
Environment League
European Democracy
Federalist Greens
Federation of the Greens
Federation of the Liberals
Five Star Movement
Future and Freedom for Italy
Go Italy!
Great South
House of Freedoms
I Love Italy
Interethnic Antiracist Association 3 February
Italian Communist Party
Italian Democracy Party
Italian Democratic Socialists
Italian Liberal Party
Italian Marxist-Leninist Party
Italian People's Party
Italian Pirate Party
Italian Renewal
Italian Republican Party
Italian Socialist Democratic Party
Italian Socialist Party
Italian Social Movement
Italian Unionist Movement
Italy of Values - List Di Pietro
Left and Liberty
Left Ecology and Liberty
Left-wing Federation
Liberal Democrats
Monarchist Alliance
Movement for Autonomies
Movement Social Italy
National Alliance
National Fascist Party
National Monarchist Party
National Social Front
National Socialist Workers Party
New Action Party
New Force
New Italian Socialist Party
No Euro
Northern League
Olive Tree
Party of Italian Communists
Pensioners Party
People of Freedom
Pirate Party
Populars of Italy Tomorrow
Proletarian Democracy
Radical Party
Red Brigades
Rose in the Fist
Social Democrats
Social Movement Tricolour Flame
Southern League Ausonia
Student Bloc
Students of the Left
Sunflower (coalition - no flag)
The Left - The Rainbow
The Olive Tree
The Right
The Union
Together for the Italians
Transnational Radical Party
Union of Christian and Centre Democrats
Union of Democrats for Europe
Union of the Centre
United Christian Democrats
Unitarian Communists (no flag)
Unique/United Italy
United Populars
Whiteflower
The White Ox-Eye Daisy
Workers Communist Party

See also:


Politics and Flags

The new (1993) electoral law forced the creation of larger political coalitions.

It is worth noticing that the coalitions and some new parties have adopted symbols based on the Italian flag. The Left coalition (for the 1994 elections) symbol was a white circle with red-white-green strips and the word Progressisti (Progressives). In the Middle coalition symbol there are the red-white-green strips tied together. The bigger (and newer) party in the Right coalition is identified by a variation on the Italian flag: the white strip is oblique and narrow and they add the words Forza Italia (Cheer up Italy).

I think all the assemblages use the national colors because:

  • The national flag is not related to any political trend, it's neutral enough to be used by all parties. The new assemblages do not want to be politically extreme, all of them want to persuade the common, politically-middle man.
  • The national flag represents the unity of the nation. One of the new parties, Lega Nord, asserts the independence of the northern part called Padania . The assemblages assert instead the unity of the nation.

Some older parties also have used the national flag in their symbols. Curiously they are left- or right-oriented parties, not middle. In the PCI's (Italian Communist Party) symbol there was a national flag mostly hidden by a red sickle-and-hammer flag: I suppose it meant the communist ideology superimposed over the national identity. Today Rifondazione Comunista (neo-communist party) still has the red flag but the national one is represented as a half-circle in the bottom of the symbol, therefore the superimposition is not so evident. In the MSI's (neo-fascist party) symbol there was a green-white-red flame. PLI (Italian Liberal Party) directly used the national flag with the three letters P L I over the three strips. Both of them are conservative parties: they used national flag and colors to emphasize patriotism. In fact in Italian culture patriotism is considered a conservative idea.
Giuseppe Bottasini, 1995


Overview

The current system of political parties in Italy is complicated due to the great number of parties, their frequent fissions and fusions and name changes, and the electoral system urging the parties to form bigger coalitions and sub-coalitions for the elections. I will try to give an overview of the current (2001/2002) system of parties and coalitions.
There are basically five groups of parties in Italy:
1. The parties that came together to form the right-wing coalition Casa delle Libertà for the 2001 elections.
2. The parties that came together to form the left-wing coalition L'Ulivo for the 2001 elections.
3. The Rifondazione Comunista (Communist Refoundation).
4. Regionalist parties.
5. Other parties.

1. Casa delle Libertà (House of Liberties) coalition. This currently joins together five parties or sub-coalitions:
1.1. FI  Forza Italia  (Go, Italy)
1.2. AN  Alleanza Nazionale  (National Alliance)
1.3. Lega Nord  (Northern League)
1.4. UDC  Unione Democristiana e di Centro (Christian-Democratic Union and of Center) sub-coalition, a.k.a Biancofiore The UDC is a sub-coalition of the Casa delle Libertà joining together parties claiming heritage of the old DC Democrazia Cristiana (Christian Democracy). The more left-wing fission products of the DC belong to L'Ulivo, sub-coalition Margherita (see below 2.2)
   1.4.1. CCD  Centro Cristiano Democratico (Christian Democratic Centre)
   1.4.2. CDU  Cristiani Democratici Uniti (United Christian Democrats).
   1.4.3. DE  Democrazia Europea  (European Democracy)
   1.4.4. PDC  Partito Democratico Cristiano  (Christian Democratic Party)
1.5. NPSI or Nuovo PSI  Nuovo Partito Socialista Italiano  (New Italian Socialist Party).

2. L'Ulivo (Olive tree) coalition This currently joins together four parties and sub-coalitions. After the 2001 election the Girasole sub-coalition split into its constituents, the SDI and the Verdi; recently several deputies of the UDEUR left the Margherita group to form an own parliamentary group of the UDEUR.
2.1. DS  Democratici di Sinistra  (Democrats of the Left)
2.2. Margherita (Democrazia č libertà) - La Margherita  (Democracy is Freedom - The White Ox-Eye). The Margherita is a sub-coalition of the L'Ulivo coalition joining together parties claiming heritage of the old DC  Democrazia Cristiana (Christian Democracy). The more right-wing fission products of the DC belong to Casa delle Libertà, sub-coalition UDC (see above 1.4)
   2.2.1. PPI  Partito Popolare Italiano (Italian People's Party)
   2.2.2. Democratici Democrats
   2.2.3. Rinnovamento Italiano (Italian Renewal), a.k.a. Liste Dini
   2.2.4. UDEUR  Unione Democratici per l'Europa (Union Democrats for Europe)
2.3. Girasole (Sunflower) sub-coalition
   2.3.1. Verdi  Federazione dei Verdi (Federation of the Greens)
   2.3.2. SDI  Socialisti Democratici Italiani (Italian Democratic Socialists)
2.4. PdCI  Partito dei Comunisti Italiani (Party of the Italian Communists), a.k.a. Comunisti Italiani

3. Rifondazione Comunista (Communist Refoundation Party)

4. Regionalist parties
4.1. SVP  Südtiroler Volkspartei  (South Tyrolian People's Party)
4.2. Union Valdōtaine (Aosta Valley Union)
4.3. Partito Sardo d'Azione (Sardinian Action Party)
4.4. Fronte Nazionale Siciliano Sicilia Indipendente (Sicilian National Front Independent Sicily)
4.5. Autonomisti Trentini (Trentine Autonomists)
4.6. Fronte Giuliano (Julian Front)
4.7. Liga dei Veneti (League of the Venetians)
4.8. Movimento per l'Autonomia della Romagna (Movement for the Autonomy of the Romagna)
4.9. Lega per l'autonomia lombarda (League for the Lombardian Autonomy)
4.10. Lega Sud Ausonia (Southern League Ausonia)
4.11. Lega Sannitica (Samnite League)
4.12. Liga Fronte Veneto (League Front Veneto)

5. Other parties
5.1. Left-wing
   5.1.1. PSDI  Partito Socialista Democratico Italiano (Party of the Italian Social Democrats)
   5.1.2. Radicali di Sinistra (Radicals of the Left)
   5.1.3. Partito della Rifondazione Socialista (Party of the Socialist Refoundation)
   5.1.4. PU  Partito Umanista Italiano  (Italian Humanist Party)
   5.1.5. PUDI  Partito Umanista Democratico Italiano  (Italian Democratic Humanist Party)
   5.1.6. PMLI  Partito Marxista-Leninista Italiano (Italian Marxist-Leninist Party)
5.2. Center
   5.2.1. Partito Liberale (Liberal Party)
   5.2.2. PRI  Partito Repubblicano Italiano (Italian Republican Party)
   5.2.3. F.d.L.  Federazione dei Liberali (Federation of the Liberals)
   5.2.4. Radicali Italiani (Italian Radicals), a.k.a. Partito Radicale or Lista Emma Bonino or Lista Pannella
   5.2.5. Lista di Pietro - Italia dei Valori (List di Pietro - Italy of the Values)
   5.2.6. Partito Pensionati (Pensioners' Party)
   5.2.7. Verdi Federalisti (Federalist Greens)
5.3. Right-wing
   5.3.1. MSFT  Movimento Sociale Fiamma Tricolore (Social Movement Tricolour Flame)
   5.3.2. Movimento Italia Sociale (Movement Social Italy)
   5.3.3. Fronte Sociale Nazionale (National Social Front)
   5.3.4. Forza Nuova (New Force)

Main sources:
- [fwa02], and earlier editions of it
- website of the Camera dei Deputati , the lower house of the Parliament at www.camera.it
- website of the Senato , the upper house of the Parliament at www.senato.it
- websites of the different parties (will be cited with the more detailed discussion of the party)
M. Schmöger, 16 July 2002

Additional sources I use for describing the Italian parties (history and programmatics):
- www.riccati.it/ita_rep
- www.iic-berlino.de
- www.grandinotizie.it
- www.cronologia.it
- www.pericles.it
- guide.supereva.it/partiti
- Paolo Carusi (2001) I partiti politici italiani dall'Unità ad oggi. Roma (Edizioni Studium).
- Simona Colarizi (1996) Storia dei partiti nell'Italia repubblicana. Roma (Editori Laterza).
- Girogio Galli (1994) I partiti politici in Italia, 1944-1994. Torino (UTET Libreria).
- A page with all the election emblems of the 2001 election cedweb.mininterno.it:8890
- Election results 2001: cedweb.mininterno.it:8890/camera/B000000.htm, C000000.htm and senato/S000000.htm
M. Schmöger, 27 July 2002

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