Italian Left

Italian Left Sinistra Italiana
Leaders	Nicola Fratoianni Stefano Fassina Alfredo D'Attorre Sergio Cofferati
Founded	7 November 2015
Headquarters	Via Arenula, 29 00186 Rome, Italy
Ideology	Democratic socialism Social democracy Eco-socialism Anti-austerity
Political position	Left-wing
European affiliation	EGP (Grüne)
International affiliation	GG (Grüne)
European Parliament group	GUE/NGL (1 MEP) S&D (1 MEP)
Colours	Red
Chamber of Deputies	32 / 630
Senate	8 / 315
European Parliament	2 / 73
Regional Government	0 / 20
Website
www.sinistraitaliana.si
Politics of Italy Political parties Elections

Italian Left (Italian: Sinistra Italiana, SI) is the name of a left-wing coalition, initially active as a parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies (full name: Italian Left – Left Ecology Freedom). The coalition includes Left Ecology Freedom, dissidents from the Democratic Party (see Future to the Left) and splinters from the Five Star Movement.^[1]

According to its promoters, primarily Nicola Fratoianni, Stefano Fassina, Alfredo D'Attorre and Sergio Cofferati, SI will take part to the 2016 local elections and will be transformed into a full-fledged party by the end of 2016.^[2]

Notable members of SI include Laura Boldrini (President of the Chamber of Deputies), Marco Doria (mayor of Genoa), and Leoluca Orlando (mayor of Palermo).

History

In June 2015 Fassina, a long-time critic of Matteo Renzi, leader of the Democratic Party (PD) and Prime Minister, left the party,^[3] followed by his long-time ally Monica Gregori.^[4] In July, during a convention, Fassina launched Future to the Left, which aimed at being an embryonic new party to the left of the PD, open to other Democratic splinters, such as those gathered in Giuseppe Civati's Possible, and Left Ecology Freedom, a political party led by Nichi Vendola.

In November one senator (Corradino Mineo)^[5] and three more deputies (Alfredo D'Attorre, Carlo Galli and Vincenzo Folino)^[6][7] left the party in protest at Renzi. D'Attorre, who holds a doctorate in philosophy from the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies,^[8] wrote a manifesto for a new "labour" party, which was signed also by the other five MPs and, among other things, read: "The genetic mutation of the PD, born as central force of the Italian centre-left, is unfortunately already completed. The Renzi experience and the introduced mutations won't be a parenthesis. They have already altered in a irreversible way the perception of the PD and its function in the collective imagination".^[9] Subsequently, a parliamentary group under the banner of Italian Left was formed in the Chamber of Deputies, whose core was formed by SEL.^[10][11]

In February 2016 SI held its constituent assembly in Rome, where it was announced that SI will be founded as a full-fledged party in December.^[12][13][14] Consequently, SI was established as a sub-group within the Mixed Group in the Senate: five senators of SEL, two dissidents from the Five Star Movement (Fabrizio Bocchino and Francesco Campanella and one former Democrat (Mineo) joined,^[15] while two SEL senators (including Sardinian nationalist Luciano Uras)^[16] refused to join.^[17]

Several lists named after SI participated in the 2016 local elections. The party did particularly well in Sesto Fiorentino, a medium-sized city in the metropolitan area of Florence, where it won 17.5% of the vote and its candidate for mayor was elected in the run-off with 65.5%.^[18][19]

Composition

Along these, some youth organisations (including ACT! Agire Costruire Trasformare^[28] and TILT^[29]), local groups and individuals have joined SI.

The latter include senators Francesco Campanella and Fabrizio Bocchino, Sergio Cofferati MEP, Franco Bartolomei (former member of the Italian Socialist Party, PSI and leader of "Socialist Risorgimento"), Remo Bodei, Luca Casarini, Luciana Castellina, Claudio Fava, Roberto Musacchio, Andrea Ranieri, Giuliana Sgrena, Aldo Tortorella, and Lanfranco Turci (most recently leader of the Association for the Rose in the Fist and member of the PSI).^[30][31][32]

Ideology

SI's ideology is a mix of democratic socialism, social democracy and anti-austerity issues.

In his manifesto, D'Attorre wrote that the new party will need to "go beyond the separation between reformists and radicals" and later explained that SI will be Keynesian and opposed to neoliberalism. The coalition's economics adviser is Joseph Stiglitz, a well-known American economist and winner of the Nobel prize in economics, who had already been involved with the Greek Syriza, the Spanish Podemos and the British Labour Party.^[33]

Fassina has also proposed a "controlled disintegration of the Eurozone".^[34]

Electoral results

Regional Councils

Leadership

• Party Leader in the Chamber of Deputies: Arturo Scotto (2015–present)
• Party Leader in the Senate: Loredana De Petris (2016–present)

Symbols

• 

  2015–2016

• 

  2016–present

References

External links

• Official website
• Parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies – official website
• Website of SI's constituent assembly, Cosmopolitica
• Complete recording of the first day of Cosmopolitica from Radio Radicale
• Complete recording of the third day of Cosmopolitica from Radio Radicale

Political parties in Italy
Major	Democratic Party Five Star Movement
Medium	Forza Italia Lega Nord–Us with Salvini Popular Area (New Centre-Right–Union of the Centre) Italian Left (Left Ecology Freedom–Future to the Left)
Minor	Brothers of Italy Green Italy–Federation of the Greens Italy of Values Liberal Popular Alliance–Civic Choice Conservatives and Reformists Democrazia Solidale Possible–Free Alternative Identity and Action Act! Italian Socialist Party Democratic Centre Movement for the Autonomies Great South Communist Refoundation Party Alliance for Italy New Italian Socialist Party Popular Construction Populars for Italy X Movement The Right Italian Communist Party The Network 2018
Regional	Aosta Valley Valdostan Union Progressive Valdostan Union Autonomy Liberty Participation Ecology Edelweiss For Our Valley Piedmont Lega Nord Piemont Moderates Lombardy Lega Lombarda South Tyrol South Tyrolean People's Party Die Freiheitlichen Greens South Tyrolean Freedom Trentino Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Party Union for Trentino Trentino Project Lega Nord Trentino Trentino Civic List Veneto Liga Veneta Tosi List for Veneto We Independent Veneto Venetian Independence Friuli-Venezia Giulia Responsible Autonomy Lega Nord FVG Civic Freedom Emilia-Romagna Lega Nord Emilia Lega Nord Romagna Liguria Lega Nord Liguria Tuscany Lega Nord Toscana Marche Lega Nord Marche Marche 2020 Umbria Lega Nord Umbria Campania We the South Basilicata Reality Italy Calabria The DemoKRats Autonomy and Rights Sicily Pact of Democrats for Reforms Party of Sicilians The Megaphone Democratic Sicily Sardinia Sardinian Reformers Sardinian Action Party United Project Republic of Sardinia Party of Sardinians Red Moors Sardinian Democratic Union Christian Popular Union
Abroad	South America Associative Movement Italians Abroad South American Union Italian Emigrants
Parliament	Chamber and Senate Mixed Group Popular Area Chamber Civics and Innovators Senate For the Autonomies Great Autonomies and Freedom
Politics of Italy List of political parties in Italy Historical parties