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Civic Choice ( it, Scelta Civica; SC) was a
centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...
and
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
political party 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 ...
founded by Mario Monti. The party was formed in the run-up of the 2013 general election to support the outgoing
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Monti and continue his political agenda. In the election SC was part of a
centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...
coalition named With Monti for Italy, along with Union of the Centre of
Pier Ferdinando Casini Pier Ferdinando Casini (; born 3 December 1955) is an Italian politician. He served as President of the Chamber of Deputies from 2001 to 2006. Casini is the honorary president of the Centrist Democrat International and the Inter-Parliamentary ...
and
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 ...
of Gianfranco Fini. In April 2013, SC became part of the grand coalition
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
led by
Enrico Letta Enrico Letta (; born 20 August 1966) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from April 2013 to February 2014, leading a grand coalition of centre-left and centre-right parties. Since March 2021, Letta has been secretary ...
of 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 ...
. In February 2014 after Letta's resignation, Civic Choice supported the cabinet of
Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi (; born 11 January 1975) is an Italian politician who served as prime minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016. He has been a senator for Florence since 2018. Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva (IV) since 2019, having bee ...
. After that, the party did not support the cabinet of
Paolo Gentiloni Paolo Gentiloni Silveri (; born 22 November 1954) is an Italian politician who has served as European Commissioner for Economy in the von der Leyen Commission since 1 December 2019. He previously served as prime minister of Italy from December ...
; by the end of 2017, SC joined forces with
Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies f ...
's Forza Italia. Following the
2018 Italian general election The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017. Voters were electing the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 elective member ...
, the party was disbanded on 24 July 2019.


History


Foundation and composition

In order to compete in the upcoming general election, on 4 January 2013 technocratic Prime Minister Mario Monti launched SC as an electoral list of the "civil society" to implement his "agenda". It was announced that SC would be part of the With Monti for Italy (CMI) coalition, alongside the Union of the Centre (UdC) and
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). At its beginnings SC was composed of several groups and individuals, who were represented in the party's lists:Lista candidati di “Scelta Civica"-"Con Monti per. Italia" - Italia e Circoscrizione Estero - Insieme per l'Agenda Monti
. (20 January 2013). Retrieved 28 August 2013. * Toward the Third Republic (''Verso la Terza Repubblica'', VTR),A Montecitorio spazio solo alla società civile Le «quote» del Senato
Archiviostorico.corriere.it. Retrieved 24 August 2013. notably including: ** Future Italy (''Italia Futura'', IF), led by
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (; born 31 August 1947) is an Italian businessman, former Chairman of Ferrari, and formerly Chairman of Fiat S.p.A. and President of Confindustria and FIEG. He comes from an aristocratic family from the region of Piedmo ...
;La_sorpresa_di_Monti_in_Veneto,_piace_al_Nord-est_-_[_Il_Foglio.it_›_La_giornata_]
._Ilfoglio.it._Retrieved_24_August_2013. **leading_figures_of_Catholic_Church.html" "title="Il Foglio.it › La giornata ]">La sorpresa di Monti in Veneto, piace al Nord-est - [ Il Foglio.it › La giornata ]
. Ilfoglio.it. Retrieved 24 August 2013. **leading figures of Catholic Church">Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
ecclesial movements, such as minister
Andrea Riccardi Andrea Riccardi (born 16 January 1950, in Rome) is an Italian historian, professor, politician and activist, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio. He served as minister for international cooperation Minister without portfolio, without portfol ...
of the Community of Sant'Egidio and Andrea Olivero of the Christian Associations of Italian Workers (ACLI); **Union for Trentino (''Unione per il Trentino'', UpT), led by
Lorenzo Dellai Lorenzo Dellai (born 28 November 1959 in Trento) is an Italian politician deputy of the Chamber of Deputies, and former governor of the Autonomous Province of Trento and former President of the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Backgrou ...
; ** Toward North (''Verso Nord''), led by Alessio Vianello; *ministers of Monti's technical government, including Riccardi, Renato Balduzzi and
Enzo Moavero Milanesi Enzo Moavero Milanesi (born 17 August 1954) is an Italian independent politician and law professor who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the first Cabinet of Giuseppe Conte from 1 June 2018 to 5 September 2019. He was also the Chairman- ...
(a fourth minister, Mario Catania, ran with UdC; others, like Corrado Passera, chose not to endorse Monti); *dissidents from
The People of Freedom The People of Freedom ( it, Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The PdL, launched by Silvio Berlusconi on 18 November 2007, was initially a federation of political parties, notably including Forza Italia a ...
(PdL), including Mario Mauro,
Gabriele Albertini Gabriele Albertini (born 6 July 1950 in Milan) is an Italian politician. Biography In 1974 he Graduated in Law from the University of Milan. He was the Manager of ''Albertini Cesare Spa'', a company working in the aluminium pressure die casting ...
and Giuliano Cazzola, plus others retiring from Parliament (
Franco Frattini Franco Frattini (14 March 1957 – 24 December 2022) was an Italian politician and magistrate. From January to December 2022, Frattini served as president of the Council of State. Frattini previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from ...
,
Giuseppe Pisanu Giuseppe "Beppe" Pisanu (born 2 January 1937 in Ittiri, province of Sassari) is an Italian politician, longtime member of the Chamber of Deputies for the Christian Democracy (1972–1992) and then for Forza Italia (1994–2006). Biography Pi ...
, etc.);Centristi, vertice sulle candidature E Bondi taglia i profili «sospetti»
Archiviostorico.corriere.it. Retrieved 24 August 2013.E in Toscana e Umbria il Professore schiera gli ex renziani
Archiviostorico.corriere.it. Retrieved 24 August 2013.Centristi, caccia a cattolici e renziani delusi
Archiviostorico.corriere.it. Retrieved 24 August 2013. *dissidents from 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 ...
(PD), including Pietro Ichino, Maria Paola Merloni, Alessandro Maran, Benedetto Adragna, plus others retiring from Parliament ( Lucio D'Ubaldo, Flavio Pertoldi, etc.); * Italian Union (''Unione Italiana'', UI), led by Gianfranco Librandi; *individuals from other parties, such as Fabio Gava of the
Italian Liberal Party The Italian Liberal Party ( it, Partito Liberale Italiano, PLI) was a liberal and conservative political party in Italy. The PLI, which is the heir of the liberal currents of both the Historical Right and the Historical Left, was a minor part ...
(PLI) and Emanuela Baio of
Alliance for Italy Alliance for Italy ( it, Alleanza per l'Italia; ApI) was a centrist political party in Italy. The party, which was described in its manifesto as "democratic, liberal, popular" as opposed both to "right-wing populism" and the "social-democratic l ...
(ApI). *other minor groups and individuals, notably including Linda Lanzillotta (a senator elected with ApI),
Alberto Bombassei Alberto Bombassei (born October 1940) is an Italian billionaire businessman, the chairman and president of Brembo, an Italian manufacturer of automotive brake systems. He controls 53.5% of Brembo. He was born in Vicenza, Italy. His father Emili ...
(a former vice president of
Confindustria The General Confederation of Italian Industry ( it, Confederazione generale dell'industria italiana), commonly known as Confindustria, is the Italian employers' federation and national chamber of commerce, founded in 1910. It groups together mor ...
), Luigi Marino (president of Confcooperative),
Mario Sechi is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
, Ilaria Capua,
Valentina Vezzali Maria Valentina Vezzali (; born 14 February 1974) is an Italian politician and retired fencer. As a fencer, Vezzali won six Olympic gold medals and was a 16-time World Champion in foil. She is one of only five athletes in the history of the Summ ...
and Annalisa Minetti.


2013 general election and aftermath

In the 2013 general election SC obtained 8.3% of the vote, 37 deputies (in its own lists) and 15 senators (within CMI). After the election, SC deputies and senators formed joint groups named "Civic Choice", including also UdC and FLI MPs, in both houses of Parliament. In late April the party joined
Enrico Letta Enrico Letta (; born 20 August 1966) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from April 2013 to February 2014, leading a grand coalition of centre-left and centre-right parties. Since March 2021, Letta has been secretary ...
's grand coalition
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
, which included three SC leading members: Mario Mauro as minister of Defence,
Enzo Moavero Milanesi Enzo Moavero Milanesi (born 17 August 1954) is an Italian independent politician and law professor who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the first Cabinet of Giuseppe Conte from 1 June 2018 to 5 September 2019. He was also the Chairman- ...
as minister of European Affairs and Carlo Calenda as deputy minister of Economic Development. The party began to take shape too: on 13 March Monti, who replaced
Andrea Riccardi Andrea Riccardi (born 16 January 1950, in Rome) is an Italian historian, professor, politician and activist, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio. He served as minister for international cooperation Minister without portfolio, without portfol ...
as provisional president, appointed Andrea Olivero as coordinator; on 16 May Monti was unanimously elected president by the party's assembly; on 23 May the leadership proposed by Monti was approved with only three abstentions. In the event Olivero was confirmed coordinator,
Alberto Bombassei Alberto Bombassei (born October 1940) is an Italian billionaire businessman, the chairman and president of Brembo, an Italian manufacturer of automotive brake systems. He controls 53.5% of Brembo. He was born in Vicenza, Italy. His father Emili ...
was appointed first vice president, and Benedetto Della Vedova, a former member of the Italian Radicals, Forza Italia, the PdL and finally FLI, spokesperson. The rest of the leadership was composed mainly by former Democrats: Maria Paola Merloni (vice president),
Lorenzo Dellai Lorenzo Dellai (born 28 November 1959 in Trento) is an Italian politician deputy of the Chamber of Deputies, and former governor of the Autonomous Province of Trento and former President of the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Backgrou ...
(party leader in the Chamber of Deputies),
Gianluca Susta Gianluca Susta (born 10 April 1956, Biella) is an Italian politician. He is a member of the Italian Senate, elected in February 2013. Previously he served as Mayor of Biella from 1992 to 2004, he was a member of the European Parliament between 8 ...
(party leader in the Senate), Andrea Causin (organizational secretary), Pietro Ichino (platform coordinator) and Gregorio Gitti (local structures' coordinator). No member of Future Italy, a
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
think tank, took a leading role. Since then, the party was often riven by internal disputes. Monti twice presented (and later retracted) his resignation from president. In late July he clashed with the "
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
" wing of the party, especially with Olivero, whom he accused of being too close to the UdC (whose deputies and senators were part of SC's parliamentary groups). Also Future Italy, seemed to have little patience with the "Catholic" wing and even to be willing to distance from the party. In this phase, an issue which divided SC was the debate on European party affiliation. Some, including the party's "Catholics", former members of PdL and Monti himself, favoured joining the European People's Party (EPP), while others, notably those close to Future Italy, Benedetto Della Vedova and Linda Lanzillotta, preferred the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party. It later emerged that Monti had favoured the EPP and had consequently started talks with the EPP's leadership in order to appease the party's
Christian democrats __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social ...
led by Mauro and avoid a split.


Monti's resignation and Populars' split

On 17 October 2013 Monti resigned as president of SC and was replaced by his deputy
Alberto Bombassei Alberto Bombassei (born October 1940) is an Italian billionaire businessman, the chairman and president of Brembo, an Italian manufacturer of automotive brake systems. He controls 53.5% of Brembo. He was born in Vicenza, Italy. His father Emili ...
as acting president. Monti cited his disagreement with 12 senators (out of 20), including Mario Mauro, Andrea Olivero,
Gabriele Albertini Gabriele Albertini (born 6 July 1950 in Milan) is an Italian politician. Biography In 1974 he Graduated in Law from the University of Milan. He was the Manager of ''Albertini Cesare Spa'', a company working in the aluminium pressure die casting ...
,
Pier Ferdinando Casini Pier Ferdinando Casini (; born 3 December 1955) is an Italian politician. He served as President of the Chamber of Deputies from 2001 to 2006. Casini is the honorary president of the Centrist Democrat International and the Inter-Parliamentary ...
(UdC leader), Maria Paola Merloni, Luigi Marino and
Lucio Romano Lucio is an Italian and Spanish male given name derived from the Latin name ''Lucius''. In Portuguese, the given name is accented Lúcio. Lucio is also an Italian surname. Given name * Lúcio (Lucimar Ferreira da Silva) (born 1978), Brazilian ...
. Particularly, Monti criticized Mauro's line of unconditioned support to the government and of transforming SC in a larger
centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...
political party, open to the PdL. One of the 12 senators, Tito Di Maggio, was even unveiled as PdL–SC–UdC joint candidate for President in Basilicata. After Monti's abrupt departure, spokesperson Benedetto Della Vedova, who represented the liberal wing of the party (including Pietro Ichino,
Gianluca Susta Gianluca Susta (born 10 April 1956, Biella) is an Italian politician. He is a member of the Italian Senate, elected in February 2013. Previously he served as Mayor of Biella from 1992 to 2004, he was a member of the European Parliament between 8 ...
, Linda Lanzillotta, etc.), announced that SC would "go on" as a "liberal, people's, reform and European party" and would never form a partnership with the PdL. Lanzillotta remarked that "Italy needs a liberal, people's, deeply reform-minded and Europeanist party" and that "we did not take votes for giving life to a Catholic party and being part of a centre-right still led by
Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...
. For his part, during a TV interview, Monti stated that "my and SC's commitment does not end now" and that "many tell me they did not vote for SC for the specific reason that we were with president Casini; they might have been right". On 22 October the executive committee voted in favour of the separation from the UdC. The "popular" majority of SC's parliamentary group in the Senate responded by dismissing Susta as floor leader, while Olivero stated that the Populars aimed at forming a party modelled on
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
's Christian Democratic Union. On 6 November the SC senatorial group, dominated by Populars, elected L. Romano as new floor leader; the decision was not endorsed by Bombassei and was opposed by ''Montiani'' and liberals, who talked about dismissing
Lorenzo Dellai Lorenzo Dellai (born 28 November 1959 in Trento) is an Italian politician deputy of the Chamber of Deputies, and former governor of the Autonomous Province of Trento and former President of the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Backgrou ...
from leader in the Chamber as retaliation. On 15 November the Populars walked away from the party's national assembly and left the party altogether. The assembly elected Bombassei president and appointed Stefania Giannini secretary. On 23 November the Populars, led by Mauro, Dellai and Olivero, launched
Populars for Italy Populars for Italy ( it, Popolari per l'Italia, PpI) is a Christian-democratic political party in Italy led by Mario Mauro, minister of Defence in Letta Cabinet and, previously, long-serving MEP for Forza Italia. History The party was launched ...
(PpI). On 10 December the party's break-up was effective in Parliament: 20 deputies (led by Dellai) and 12 senators (led by L. Romano) launched For Italy (PI) groups, while 26 deputies (led by Andrea Romano) and 8 senators (led by Susta) confirmed their allegiance to SC. All the UdC MPs but one joined PI.


From the centre to the Democrats

After
Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi (; born 11 January 1975) is an Italian politician who served as prime minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016. He has been a senator for Florence since 2018. Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva (IV) since 2019, having bee ...
's election as secretary of 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 ...
(PD) in December, SC started to approach the centre-left, while ruling out any alliance with the centre-right, once again led by
Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies f ...
's Forza Italia (FI). SC had long expressed a certain affinity for Renzi, and, in early February 2014, Stefania Giannini finally declared that she saw "its party more as the right-wing of a reformed and reforming left than the left-wing of a right that still has in Berlusconi its standard-bearer". Subsequently, SC was a keen supporter of the replacement of
Enrico Letta Enrico Letta (; born 20 August 1966) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from April 2013 to February 2014, leading a grand coalition of centre-left and centre-right parties. Since March 2021, Letta has been secretary ...
with Renzi. On 22 February 2014 the
Renzi Cabinet The Renzi government was the 63rd government of the Italian Republic, in office from February 2014 to December 2016. It was led by Matteo Renzi, secretary and leader of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD). The government was composed of membe ...
was sworn in with Giannini, a university professor, as minister of Education. On 4 March it was announced that SC would run in the
2014 European Parliament election The 2014 European Parliament election was held in the European Union, from 22 to 25 May 2014. It was the 8th parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979, and the first in which the European political parties fielded candid ...
within European Choice (SE), an electoral list including, among others, Democratic Centre,
Act to Stop the Decline Act to Stop the Decline ( it, Fare per Fermare il Declino, Fare or FFD) was a liberal political party in Italy, founded in 2012 as Stop the Decline (''Fermare il Declino'', FiD). Oscar Giannino and Michele Boldrin have been its main leaders. H ...
and the
Italian Liberal Party The Italian Liberal Party ( it, Partito Liberale Italiano, PLI) was a liberal and conservative political party in Italy. The PLI, which is the heir of the liberal currents of both the Historical Right and the Historical Left, was a minor part ...
. Members of SC topped SE's slates in two of five constituencies. The decision to side with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party, cherished by Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE's candidate for President of the European Commission) and
Romano Prodi Romano Antonio Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician, economist, academic, senior civil servant, and business executive who served as the tenth president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He served twice as Pr ...
, prompted the resignation of Andrea Causin, one of SC's few remaining Christian democrats, from organizational secretary. On 10 April Bombassei resigned as president of the party, citing his disagreement with the party's political re-positionment (no longer a third-party force, but a close ally of Renzi's PD, under Giannini's leadership), the change in party's identity and "prevailing personal ambitions". On election day SC/SE received just 0.7% of the vote and failed to return any MEPs. Consequently, Giannini resigned from secretary. In October A. Romano, who had left the position of floor leader in the Chamber some months earlier, left the party in order to join the PD.


Party's congress and diaspora

In November the party's assembly decided that the new leadership, replacing Giannini and Balduzzi, who had been elected to the Supreme Council of Magistrature and had resigned from Parliament, will be selected in a congress to be held in January 2015. Two candidates,
Irene Tinagli Irene Tinagli (born 16 April 1974) is an Italian economist and politician, who has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. She serves as chairwoman of the European Parliament Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Career Tinag ...
and
Enrico Zanetti Enrico Zanetti (born 12 August 1973, Venice) is an Italian politician and tax advisor. He was appointed Secretary of Civic Choice in February 2015. Biography Enrico Zanetti was born on 12 August 1973 in Venice; from 1990 to 1998 he moved to Go ...
, announced their bid for secretary, while Pietro Ichino was the front-runner to become the party's president. However, in mid December, Tinagli retired from the race. In January 2015 Benedetto Della Vedova came out against Zanetti on the grounds that SC should continue to exist only through its parliamentary groups, tried to stop the congress (along with Giannini, Bombassei, Ichino, Tinagli, Carlo Calenda, Linda Lanzillotta and other senior members) and finally decided to run for secretary (along with a third candidate, Luciana Cazzaniga). During the congress, postponed two weeks in order not to overlap with the
presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...
triggered by President Giorgio Napolitano's resignation, Zanetti was virtually unanimously elected secretary. However, on 6 February, two days before the congress, eight senior members of the party (including six former Democrats), including its minister (Giannini), its deputy minister (Calenda), two deputies and five senators (including Giannini), had already left the party; all of them, except Calenda (who later became minister), joined the PD. As a result, the party was deprived of its parliamentary group in the Senate. In fact, of the two remaining senators, Della Vedova left during the congress, while Monti was no longer active. In two years, from the 2013 election to February 2015, SC had lost more than the half of its MPs, mostly to Popular Area and the PD.


Zanetti's leadership and further splits

In July 2015 the party's national board elected Salvatore Matarrese president, Angelo D'Agostino first vice president and
Valentina Vezzali Maria Valentina Vezzali (; born 14 February 1974) is an Italian politician and retired fencer. As a fencer, Vezzali won six Olympic gold medals and was a 16-time World Champion in foil. She is one of only five athletes in the history of the Summ ...
vice president. More important, the assembly decided that the party would change name and symbol by the end of the summer, in the effort of being more competitive in the 2016 municipal elections. The new chosen name, "Citizens for Italy", would be used only in local elections, indeed. In January 2016, during a cabinet's reshuffle, Zanetti was promoted deputy minister of the Economy, while another SC deputy, Antimo Cesaro, was appointed undersecretary at Culture. Despite this, the party, which had virtually disappeared from opinion polls, continued to lose deputies and its group in the Chamber was reduced to 20 individuals by February. In the meantime, Zanetti explained that there were similarities between SC and
Denis Verdini Denis Verdini (born 8 May 1951) is an Italian politician, banker, and convicted felon. Biography Born in Fivizzano, he graduated in Political Sciences and later became president of the local cooperative bank Credito Cooperativo Fiorentino. A ...
's
Liberal Popular Alliance The Liberal Popular Alliance, whose full name was Liberal Popular Alliance – Autonomies ( it, Alleanza Liberalpopolare – Autonomie, ALA), was a centrist and liberal political party in Italy. ALA members were known as ''Verdiniani'', from the ...
(ALA), and, according to '' Corriere della Sera'', the two groups could soon merge. In the meantime, SC formed a federative pact with the
Moderates Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...
. In July, after that the majority of the party's deputies had come in opposition of an alliance with the ALA (a party basically formed by splinters form Berlusconi's FI), Zanetti led four deputies out of the parliamentary group. Contextually, Zanetti, who pretended to be still the leader of SC, started to organise a joint group with the ALA and, possibly,
Flavio Tosi Flavio Tosi (born 18 June 1969) is an Italian politician who served as the mayor of Verona from 2007 to 2017. He has been a long-time member of Liga Veneta–Lega Nord. Political career Having joined Liga Veneta (LV) in 1991, Tosi was elected ...
's Act!, and a new liberal party with the contribution of
Marcello Pera Marcello Pera (; born 28 January 1943
.) is an Italian
, a former President of the Senate and former leader of FI in
Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...
. The party's national board sided with Zanetti in July and the national assembly did the same in October, with 63 votes in favour and 39 against. This caused the final split of the party and the formation of two different parliamentary groups: *"Civic Choice toward Cizitens for Italy – MAIE" (the official SC group), formed by eight deputies of the ALA, five of SC (Zanetti, D'Agostino, Vezzali, Rabino and Giulio Sottanelli, who was elected group leader), two of the
Associative Movement Italians Abroad The Associative Movement of Italians Abroad ( it, Movimento Associativo Italiani all'Estero, MAIE) is an Italian political party representing Italians abroad. Based in Argentina and active mainly in South America, the MAIE is a centrist party. Hi ...
(MAIE) and one splinter from Act!; the group was renamed "Civic Choice – ALA for the Liberal and Popular Constituent Assembly – MAIE" in December 2016; * Civics and Innovators, formed by the rump of the former SC group ( Giovanni Monchiero stayed as group leader).


Road toward the centre-right

In April 2017 Rabino was elected president of the party. In September 2017 Zanetti re-positioned SC from the centre-left to the centre-right and, more specifically, in close alliance with Berlusconi's FI. 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 ...
, for which SC announced that its candidates would run within FI's lists, marked the first time that SC officially sided with the centre-right. In November, the party's national board endorsed Zanetti's political line and marked SC's official adhesion to the centre-right coalition. The decision was opposed by a vocal minority of the party's membership and three deputies ( Ernesto Auci, D'Agostino and Vezzali) subsequently left and formed the European Civics. In December 2017 SC was a founding member of
Us with Italy Us with Italy ( it, Noi con l'Italia, NcI) is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Italy. NcI started as a federation of minor centre-right parties and, as such, was part of the centre-right coalition in the 2018 gen ...
(NcI), a pro-Berlusconi centrist electoral list within the centre-right coalition for the 2018 general election, along with Act!, splinters of
Popular Alternative Popular Alternative ( it, Alternativa Popolare, AP) is a Christian-democratic political party in Italy that was founded on 18 March 2017 after the dissolution of New Centre-Right (NCD), one of the two parties that emerged at the break-up of The ...
(AP – two groups, a liberal one led by Enrico Costa and a Christian-democratic one led by
Maurizio Lupi Maurizio Lupi (born 3 October 1959) is an Italian politician. He served as minister of infrastructure and transport between 28 April 2013 and 20 March 2015. Early life and education Lupi was born in Milan, Italy, on 3 October 1959. He has a deg ...
),
Direction Italy Direction Italy ( it, Direzione Italia, DI) was a liberal-conservative political party in Italy. The party was led by Raffaele Fitto, an MEP in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group. History The party was formed in January 2017 ...
(DI), Cantiere Popolare (CP) and the
Movement for the Autonomies The Movement for Autonomy ( it, Movimento per l'Autonomia, MpA) is a regionalist, Christian-democratic political party in Italy, based in Sicily. The MpA, whose founder and leader is Raffaele Lombardo, demands economic development, greater autono ...
(MpA). NcI was later enlarged to the UdC and
Identity and Action Identity and Action ( it, Identità e Azione, IDeA) is a conservative political party in Italy, whose membership stretches from Christian democracy to liberal conservatism. The party's leader is Gaetano Quagliariello, a former minister for In ...
(IdeA), with the goal of reaching 3%, required to win seats from proportional lists under a new electoral law. In the election NcI obtained 1.3% and SC had no deputies or senators elected. The party was dissolved in July 2019 and was subsequently cancelled from the Register of Political Parties on 24 July 2019. Zanetti subsequently became a member of Us with Italy when it became a political party in 2021.


Electoral results


Italian Parliament


European Parliament


Regional Councils


Leadership

*President:
Andrea Riccardi Andrea Riccardi (born 16 January 1950, in Rome) is an Italian historian, professor, politician and activist, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio. He served as minister for international cooperation Minister without portfolio, without portfol ...
(2013), Mario Monti (2013),
Alberto Bombassei Alberto Bombassei (born October 1940) is an Italian billionaire businessman, the chairman and president of Brembo, an Italian manufacturer of automotive brake systems. He controls 53.5% of Brembo. He was born in Vicenza, Italy. His father Emili ...
(2013–2014), Renato Balduzzi (2014), Salvatore Matarrese (2015–2016), Mariano Rabino (2017) *First Vice President:
Andrea Riccardi Andrea Riccardi (born 16 January 1950, in Rome) is an Italian historian, professor, politician and activist, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio. He served as minister for international cooperation Minister without portfolio, without portfol ...
(2013),
Alberto Bombassei Alberto Bombassei (born October 1940) is an Italian billionaire businessman, the chairman and president of Brembo, an Italian manufacturer of automotive brake systems. He controls 53.5% of Brembo. He was born in Vicenza, Italy. His father Emili ...
(2013), Renato Balduzzi (2013–2014), Angelo D'Agostino (2015–2017) *Vice President: Carlo Calenda (2013), Ilaria Capua (2013), Maria Paola Merloni (2013), Milena Santerini (2013), Luciano Cimmino (2013–2015), Ilaria Borletti Buitoni (2013–2015),
Valentina Vezzali Maria Valentina Vezzali (; born 14 February 1974) is an Italian politician and retired fencer. As a fencer, Vezzali won six Olympic gold medals and was a 16-time World Champion in foil. She is one of only five athletes in the history of the Summ ...
(2015–2017) *Coordinator / Secretary: Andrea Olivero (2013), Stefania Giannini (2013–2014),
Enrico Zanetti Enrico Zanetti (born 12 August 1973, Venice) is an Italian politician and tax advisor. He was appointed Secretary of Civic Choice in February 2015. Biography Enrico Zanetti was born on 12 August 1973 in Venice; from 1990 to 1998 he moved to Go ...
(2015–2017) *Executive Secretary: Silvia Colombo (2013–2015) *Organizational Secretary: Andrea Causin (2013–2014), Mariano Rabino (2014–2017) *Spokesperson: Lelio Alfonso (2013–2015), Benedetto Della Vedova (2013–2015) *Party Leader in the Chamber of Deputies:
Lorenzo Dellai Lorenzo Dellai (born 28 November 1959 in Trento) is an Italian politician deputy of the Chamber of Deputies, and former governor of the Autonomous Province of Trento and former President of the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Backgrou ...
(2013), Andrea Romano (2013–2014), Andrea Mazziotti (2014–2015), Giovanni Monchiero (2015–2016), Giulio Sottanelli (2016–present) *Party Leader in the Senate: Mario Mauro (2013),
Gianluca Susta Gianluca Susta (born 10 April 1956, Biella) is an Italian politician. He is a member of the Italian Senate, elected in February 2013. Previously he served as Mayor of Biella from 1992 to 2004, he was a member of the European Parliament between 8 ...
(2013),
Lucio Romano Lucio is an Italian and Spanish male given name derived from the Latin name ''Lucius''. In Portuguese, the given name is accented Lúcio. Lucio is also an Italian surname. Given name * Lúcio (Lucimar Ferreira da Silva) (born 1978), Brazilian ...
(2013),
Gianluca Susta Gianluca Susta (born 10 April 1956, Biella) is an Italian politician. He is a member of the Italian Senate, elected in February 2013. Previously he served as Mayor of Biella from 1992 to 2004, he was a member of the European Parliament between 8 ...
(2013–2015)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Civic Choice Defunct political parties in Italy 2013 establishments in Italy 2017 disestablishments in Italy Centrist parties in Italy Liberal parties in Italy Political parties established in 2013 Political parties disestablished in 2017