The centre-right coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-destra) is an alliance of

political parties in Italy This article contains a list of political parties in Italy since Italian unification in 1861. Throughout history, numerous political parties have been operating in Italy, and since World War II no party has ever gained enough support to govern a ...

, active—under several forms and names—since 1994, when Silvio Berlusconi entered politics and formed his

Forza Italia Forza ItaliaThe name is not usually translated into English: ''forza'' is the second-person singular imperative of ''forzare'', in this case translating to "to compel" or "to press", and so means something like "Forward, Italy", "Come on, Ital ...

party. Despite its name, the alliance mostly falls on the right-wing of the political spectrum. In the 1994 general election, under the leadership of Berlusconi, the centre-right ran with two coalitions, the Pole of Freedoms in

northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...

and Tuscany (mainly Forza Italia and the

Northern League Northern League may refer to: Sport Baseball * Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971 * Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...

) and the Pole of Good Government (mainly Forza Italia and National Alliance) in

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

. In the

1996 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1996. * 1995–1996 Azerbaijani parliamentary election * 1996 Beninese presidential election * 1996 Comorian presidential election * 1996 New Zealand general election * 1996 Nicaraguan general election ...

, after the Northern League had left in late 1994, the centre-right coalition took the name of Pole for Freedoms. The Northern League returned in 2000, and the coalition was re-formed as the

House of Freedoms The House of Freedoms ( it, Casa delle Libertà, CdL) was a major centre-right political and electoral alliance in Italy, led by Silvio Berlusconi. History The CdL was the successor of the Pole of Freedoms/Pole of Good Government and the Pole fo ...

; this lasted until 2008. Since 2008, when Forza Italia and National Alliance merged into The People of Freedom, the coalition has not had official names. The new

was formed in late 2013; for the 2018 general election it joined forces with the Northern League and Brothers of Italy and a collection of mainly centrist forces named Us with Italy– Union of the Centre. In 2018, the Northern League formed a

government coalition A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

with the

Five Star Movement The Five Star Movement ( it, Movimento 5 Stelle , M5S) is a political party in Italy. Its leader and president is Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy from 2018 until 2021. The M5S was founded on 4 October 2009 by Beppe Grillo, a comedian an ...

and without its centre-right allies, which entered the opposition. This led to a deterioration of the centre-right coalition at a national level, although the coalition is still active at the level of local elections. During the

2022 general election The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 local ...

, the center-right coalition obtained a decisive victory by securing the absolute majority of seats in both chambers. Brothers of Italy emerged as the first party by surpassing the League and gained six million votes in four years. This is the first time the center-right won a general election since 2008.

History

Pole of Freedoms and Pole of Good Government

In 1994, the media magnate Silvio Berlusconi, previously very close to the Socialist Prime Minister Bettino Craxi and even having appeared in commercials for the Italian Socialist Party, was studying the possibility of making a political party of his own to avoid what seemed to be the unavoidable victory of the left wing at the next elections. Only three months before the election, he presented his new party,

, in a televised announcement on 26 January 1994. Supporters believed that he wanted to avert a communist victory, while opponents believed that he was defending the ancién regime by rebranding it. Regardless of his motives, he employed his power in communication (he owned, and still owns, all of the three main private TV stations in Italy) and advanced communication techniques he and his allies knew very well, as his fortune was largely based on

advertisement Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

. Berlusconi managed to ally himself with both the National Alliance and the

in February 1994, without these being allied with each other. Forza Italia teamed up with the League in the North, where they competed against the National Alliance, and with the National Alliance in the rest of Italy, where the League was not present. This unusual coalition configuration was caused by the deep hate between the League, which wanted to separate Italy and held Rome in deep contempt, and the nationalist post-fascists; on one occasion, Bossi encouraged his supporters to go find National-Alliance supporters "house by house," suggesting a

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

(which, however, did not actually take place). In the 1994 general election, Berlusconi's coalition won a decisive victory over Occhetto's one, becoming the first center-right coalition to win the general election since the Second World War. In the popular vote, Berlusconi's coalition outpolled the Alliance of Progressives by over 5.1 million votes. Pole of Freedoms won in the main regions of Italy.

Pole for Freedoms

Pole for Freedoms was formed as a continuation of the Pole of Freedoms and Pole of Good Government coalitions, which had both supported the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi at the 1994 general election: the Pole of Freedom was constituted by Forza Italia and

, the Pole of Good Government by Forza Italia and the National Alliance. After that, Lega Nord left the coalition at the end of 1994, the centre-right was forced to reform itself: in 1995, on the occasion of the regional elections, an organic alliance was formed. In 1996 it was officially named "Pole for Freedoms" and debuted in the

; however, it was defeated by the centre-left alliance The Olive Tree, whose leader was Romano Prodi.

House of Freedoms

The

was the successor of the Pole of Freedoms/ Pole of Good Government and the Pole for Freedoms. In the run-up of the 2001 general election, after a six-year spell in opposition, which Berlusconi called "the crossing of the desert", he managed to re-unite the coalition under the "House of Freedoms" banner. According to its leader, the alliance was a "broad democratic arch, composed of the democratic right, namely AN, the great democratic centre, namely Forza Italia, CCD and CDU, and the democratic left represented by the League, the New PSI, and the Italian Republican Party. The CdL won the 2001 general election by a landslide and, consequently, the Berlusconi II Cabinet was formed. In government, FI, whose strongholds included

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

as well as Sicily, and the LN, which was active only in the Centre-North, formed the so-called "axis of the North", through the special relationship between three Lombards leaders, Berlusconi, Giulio Tremonti and Umberto Bossi; on the other side of the coalition, AN and the

Union of Christian and Centre Democrats The Union of the Centre ( it, Unione di Centro, UdC), whose complete name is "Union of Christian and Centre Democrats" (''Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democratici di Centro'', UDC), is a Christian-democratic political party in Italy. Loren ...

(UDC), the party emerged from the merger of the CCD and the CDU in late 2002, became the natural representatives of Southern interests. In 2003 the CdL was routed in local elections by The Olive Tree and the LN threatened to pull out. Also, the

2004 European Parliament election The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for, but electe ...

were disappointing for FI and the coalition as a whole, even though AN, the UDC, and the LN did better than the previous election. As a result, the Berlusconi and FI were weaker within the CdL. In 2005 the coalition lost heavily in regional elections, losing six of the eight regions it controlled. The defeat was particularly damaging in the South, while the only two regions that the coalition managed to keep, Lombardy and Veneto, were in the North, where the LN was decisive. This led to a government crisis, particularly after the UDC pulled its ministers out. A few days later, the Berlusconi III Cabinet was formed with minor changes from the previous cabinet. In the 2006 general election the CdL, which had opened its ranks to a number of minor parties, lost to The Olive Tree.

The People of Freedom

The People of Freedom, launched by Silvio Berlusconi on 18 November 2007, was initially a federation of political parties, notably including

and National Alliance, which participated as a joint election list in the 2008 general election. The federation was later transformed into a party during a party congress on 27–29 March 2009. The UDC, now UdC, left the centre-right coalition and made an alliance with The Rose for Italy, the Populars and other centrist parties. UdC later joined the

New Pole for Italy The New Pole for Italy ( it, Nuovo Polo per l'Italia, NPI), better known as the Third Pole (') and less frequently as Pole of the Nation ('), was a centrist coalition of parties in Italy active from late 2010 to sometime in 2012. The NPI was fo ...

in 2010 and

With Monti for Italy With Monti for Italy ( it, Con Monti per l'Italia) was an electoral coalition of political parties in Italy, formed for the 2013 general election to support the outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti and his reform plans. Its platform was based ...

in 2012. The PdL formed Italy's government from 2008 to 2011 in coalition with the

. In 2010 the

Future and Freedom Future and Freedom ( it, Futuro e Libertà), whose full name was Future and Freedom for Italy (''Futuro e Libertà per l'Italia'', abbreviated to FLI), was a political party in Italy, comprising both liberal and national conservative elements. F ...

(FLI) movement, led by the former MSI/AN leader

Gianfranco Fini Gianfranco Fini (born 3 January 1952) is an Italian politician who served as the president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2008 to 2013. He is the former leader of the far-right Italian Social Movement, the conservative National Allianc ...

, split from PdL. FLI joined UdC and other parties to form the

, but they kept supporting the government. After

Berlusconi's resignation The political career of Silvio Berlusconi began in 1994, when Berlusconi entered politics for the first time serving intermittent terms as Prime Minister of Italy from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011, his career was racked with contro ...

during the European debt crisis, the PdL supported

Mario Monti Mario Monti, (born 19 March 1943) is an Italian economist and academic who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 2011 to 2013, leading a technocratic government in the wake of the Italian debt crisis. Monti served as a European Commiss ...

technocratic government Technocracy is a form of government in which the decision-maker or makers are selected based on their expertise in a given area of responsibility, particularly with regard to scientific or technical knowledge. This system explicitly contrasts wi ...

in 2011–2012, and after the

2013 general election Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

, it became part of Enrico Letta's government of

grand coalition A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government. The term is most commonly used in countries where there are t ...

with the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Civic Choice Civic Choice ( it, Scelta Civica; SC) was a centrist and liberal political party in Italy founded by Mario Monti. The party was formed in the run-up of the 2013 general election to support the outgoing Prime Minister Monti and continue his polit ...

and the Union of the Centre. Angelino Alfano, then party's secretary, functioned as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.

Centre-right coalitions since 2013

In June 2013 Berlusconi announced Forza Italia's revival and the PdL's transformation into a centre-right coalition.Berlusconi annuncia ritorno di Forza Italia. "Temo che sarò ancora il numero uno"
Repubblica.it (2013-06-28). Retrieved on 2013-08-24. On 16 November 2013 the PdL's national council voted to dissolve the party and start a new Forza Italia; the assembly was deserted by a group of dissidents, led by Alfano, who had launched the alternative New Centre-Right party the day before. After the 2016 constitutional referendum, UdC left the centre-left coalition and approached the centre-right coalition again. In 2017

also joined the centre-right coalition. UdC and Civic Choice ran with the centre-right coalition in the

2017 Sicilian regional election The 2017 Sicilian regional election for the renewal of the Sicilian Regional Assembly and the election of the President of Sicily was held on 5 November 2017. Incumbent President Rosario Crocetta was not his party's candidate due to his low popu ...

. Following the 2018 general election, the centre-right coalition, led by Matteo Salvini's League, emerged with a

plurality Plurality may refer to: Voting * Plurality (voting), or relative majority, when a given candidate receives more votes than any other but still fewer than half of the total ** Plurality voting, system in which each voter votes for one candidate and ...

of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate, while the anti-establishment

(M5S) led by Luigi Di Maio became the party with the largest number of votes. The centre-left coalition, led by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, came third. However, no political group or party won an outright majority, resulting in a hung parliament. After three months of negotiation, a

coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

was finally formed on 1 June between the M5S and the League, whose leaders both became Deputy Prime Ministers in a government led by the M5S-linked independent Giuseppe Conte as Prime Minister. This coalition lasted until September 2019. Following the

2021 Italian government crisis The 2021 Italian government crisis was a political event in Italy that began in January 2021 and ended the following month. It includes the events that follow the announcement of Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia Viva (IV) and former Prime Ministe ...

, the previous government was replaced by a national unity government in February 2021, including League and Forza Italia along with M5S, the

, Article One and Italia Viva.

Composition

1994 general election

In the 1994 general election, the centre-right coalition ran under the name of Pole of Freedoms in northern Italy, including the Northern League and leaving out National Alliance, which instead ran alone. In central Italy and southern Italy, where the Northern League wasn't present, the coalition ran instead under the name of Pole of Good Government, including also National Alliance. The Pole of Freedoms was composed of four parties: The Pole of Good Government was instead composed of six parties:

1996 general election

In the

, the Pole for Freedoms was composed of the following parties: The coalition made an agreement of desistance with the Pannella–Sgarbi List in some constituencies.

2001 general election

In the 2001 general election, the House of Freedoms was composed of seven parties: The coalition presented a candidate a member of the Sardinian Reformers in Sardinia. It also made an agreement of desistance with the Tricolour Flame in one constituency in Sicily.

2006 general election

In the 2006 general election, the House of Freedoms was composed of the following parties: The House of Freedoms was also supported by

Unitalia ''Unitalia'' is a minor far-right Italian nationalist political party active in South Tyrol, Italy. The party, founded in 1996 as a split from National Alliance, has since been led by Donato Seppi. In the late 2000s the party was briefly the ...

, by Italy Again and by the National Democratic Party.

2008 general election

Berlusconi launched The People of Freedom in late 2007; this was joined by FI, AN and minor parties, and continued its alliance with the LN. In the 2008 general election, the coalition was composed of three parties:

2013 general election

In the

, the coalition was composed of the following parties:

2018 general election

In the 2018 general election, the coalition was composed of five parties:

2022 general election

For the

the coalition is composed of four parties: The coalition was also supported by

Social Democratic Rebirth The Social Democratic Rebirth (''Rinascita Socialdemocratica''), whose complete name is Movement of Social Democratic Rebirth (''Movimento di Rinascita Socialdemocratica''), is a social democracy minor political party in Italy. History The party ...