Italy Is Popular
Political party in Italy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Italy Is Popular (Italian: L'Italia è Popolare, IP) was a Christian-democratic political party active in Italy.[1]
Italy Is Popular L'Italia è Popolare | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Giuseppe De Mita |
| Founded | 11 November 2017 |
| Dissolved | March 2021 |
| Split from | Union of the Centre |
| Merged into | Popolari in Rete (which in turn merged into Popular Base in July 2023) |
| Ideology | Christian democracy Popularism |
| Political position | Centre |
| National affiliation | Electoral list: Popular Civic List Coalition: Centre-left coalition |
| Website | |
| www.italiaepopolare.it | |
History
IP was launched as a split from the Union of the Centre (UdC) in November 2017 by Giuseppe De Mita, nephew of Ciriaco De Mita, a former leader of Christian Democracy and Prime Minister of Italy during 1980s. For the 2017 Sicilian regional election, the UdC re-joined the centre-right coalition at the regional level.[2] Giuseppe De Mita criticised the decision, was relinquished as UdC's deputy secretary,[3] and, along with his uncle Ciriaco and Marco Follini, launched IP.[4][5]
In December, IP formed the Popular Civic List (CP), a centrist electoral list within the centre-left coalition, along with Popular Alternative (AP), Italy of Values (IdV), the Centrists for Europe (CpE), Solidary Democracy (DemoS), the Union for Trentino (UpT) and minor parties/groups. Minister of Health Beatrice Lorenzin was chosen as leader.[6][7][8]
In the 2018 general election, CP obtained a mere 0.5% and no seats, except for a handful of elects in single-seat constituencies. De Mita was defeated in the single-seat constituency of Ariano Irpino, where he came third.[9]
In March 2021, Giuseppe De Mita began work on the launch of Popolari in Rete, a movement founded with the aim of reuniting centrists who were formerly members of the Christian Democrats.[10] On 19 July 2023, the Popular Base association was founded; its founders included Giuseppe De Mita, Gaetano Quagliariello, Mario Mauro, Francescomaria Tuccillo and Lorenzo Dellai.[11]