Popular Democrats

The Popular Democrats (''Democratici Popolari'', DP) was a Christian-leftist Italian political party active in the

Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official languages , population_blank1 = Italian French ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Its leading members included

Cesare Dujany Cesare Dujany or César Dujany (20 February 1920 in Saint-Vincent (Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , populat ...

, Maurizio Martin and Angelo Pollicini. The party emerged by a

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

split (seven regional deputies out of 13) of regional

Christian Democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

. Subsequently Popular Democrat leader Cesare Dujany became President of the Region at the head of a coalition composed of the

Italian Socialist Party The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parties of the country. Founded in Genoa in 1892, ...

, the Valdostan Rally and the

Italian Democratic Socialist Party The Italian Democratic Socialist Party (, PSDI), also known as Italian Social Democratic Party, was a minor social-democratic political party in Italy. The longest serving partner in government for Christian Democracy, the PSDI had been an im ...

. In the 1973 regional election DP won 22.4% of the vote and got elected eight regional deputies. After the election Dujany was again President of the Region, this time with the support of the Socialists and the Progressive Valdostan Union (UVP), but in 1974 he resigned and the

Valdostan Union The Valdostan Union (french: Union valdôtaine, UV), also Valdostian Union or Valdotanian Union is a regionalist and centrist political party in Aosta Valley, Italy. It represents mainly the Arpitan-speaking minority in the region. Former leade ...

returned in government. In the 1979 general election, due to an electoral pact with UV, Dujany was elected to the

Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitiona ...

, where he served until 1996. After a decline in term of votes (11.8% in 1978), DP joined forces with UVP in the 1983 regional election, winning 10.4%. In 1984 the two parties merged to form the

Progressive Democratic Autonomists The Progressive Democratic Autonomists (french: Autonomistes démocrates progressistes, ADP) was a social-liberal and Christian-leftist Italian political party active in Aosta Valley. Its leading members included Cesare Dujany, Maurizio Martin ...

. {{List of political parties in Europe Political parties in Aosta Valley Political parties disestablished in 1984 Catholic political parties Christian democratic parties in Italy