Possible ( it, Possibile, Pos) is 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 ...

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 ...

, launched in Rome on 21 June 2015. The party's leader is Giuseppe Civati, a former prominent member 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). Possible's progressive platform is a mixture of

social democracy Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote s ...

, democratic socialism,

green politics Green politics, or ecopolitics, is a political ideology that aims to foster an ecologically sustainable society often, but not always, rooted in environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice and grassroots democracy. Wall 2010. p. 12-13. It b ...

liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...

and elements of

participatory democracy Participatory democracy, participant democracy or participative democracy is a form of government in which citizens participate individually and directly in political decisions and policies that affect their lives, rather than through elected repr ...

. Possible's logo, including an

equals sign The equals sign (British English, Unicode) or equal sign (American English), also known as the equality sign, is the mathematical symbol , which is used to indicate equality in some well-defined sense. In an equation, it is placed between tw ...

, refers to a fundamental issue for the party,

equality Equality may refer to: Society * Political equality, in which all members of a society are of equal standing ** Consociationalism, in which an ethnically, religiously, or linguistically divided state functions by cooperation of each group's elit ...

, inflected in multiple fields such as the

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

, conflict of interest,

separation of powers Separation of powers refers to the division of a state's government into branches, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities, so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches. The typic ...

, anti-sexism, LGBTI+ rights, and

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...

. In late 2017, the party was a founding member of Free and Equal, a left-wing joint list for the 2018 general election, while it is currently part of the

Greens and Left Alliance The Greens and Left Alliance ( it, Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, AVS), is a left-wing political alliance active in Italy, which was launched on 2 July 2022 as a federation of two political parties, Italian Left (SI) and Green Europe (EV). The AVS is ...

for 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 ...

History

In May 2015, after months of tensions with

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 ...

and party secretary

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 ...

, Civati chose to leave the PD. Civati, who had lost a bid to become leader of the party to Renzi in 2013, had long accused the Prime Minister of being a right-winger and moving the PD to the right or toward a centrist "party of the nation". Civati followed Luca Pastorino, a member of the Chamber of Deputies who was running, with Civati's support, for President in the 2015 Ligurian election and was instrumental in the defeat of the official Democratic candidate. Civati and Pastorino were joined by Elly Schlein, a

member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

sitting in the

Socialists and Democrats The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) is the political group in the European Parliament of the Party of European Socialists (PES). The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats was officially founded as a Socialist ...

' Group, and two more deputies,

Andrea Maestri Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrey, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek language, Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός ...

and

Beatrice Brignone Beatrice Brignone (born 31 January 1978) is an Italian politician, current leader of Possible and a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2015 to 2018. Biography Graduated in Law at the University of Bologna, Brignone began her politi ...

. At Possible's launch, Civati explained that it was intended to "have minimum bureaucracy, and membership will be light, participatory, horizontal" and aimed at unifying all the parties, groups and individuals to the left of the PD, including Sergio Cofferati, Stefano Fassina, Nichi Vendola's

Left Ecology Freedom Left Ecology Freedom ( it, Sinistra Ecologia Libertà, SEL) was a democratic socialist political party in Italy whose bulk was formed by former members of the Communist Refoundation Party. The party's leader was Nichi Vendola, a former Preside ...

(SEL), Maurizio Landini's Social Coalition, the Greens and other environmentalists, etc., in a single party, with a potential support around 10% of the vote. Also representatives of the Italian Radicals,

Green Italia Green Italia is a green politics, green list of political parties in Italy, political party in Italy. The party was founded in June 2013 by a heterogeneous group of politicians, notably including Monica Frassoni (co-spokesperson of the European G ...

, the Communist Refoundation Party,

Free Alternative Free Alternative (''Alternativa Libera'', AL) was a political party in Italy, originally including left-wing, centrist, and right-wing elements. The party was formed in January 2015 by splinters of the Five Star Movement History The party was l ...

(AL) and Italy Work in Progress (the latter two splinter groups from the Five Star Movement, M5S) showed up at Possible's first convention in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In the run-up of the party's second convention, to be held in July in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, some media hinted that five deputies who had left the M5S, four of whom affiliated to AL and one to SEL, and four senators, including the two of Italy Work in Progress, were on the verge of joining Possible, which was thus close to the formation of a group in the Senate. In the meantime, while being open to a joint party with Civati, the two senators of Italy Work in Progress joined

The Other Europe The Other Europe ( it, L'Altra Europa), whose full name was The Other Europe with Tsipras (''L'Altra Europa con Tsipras'', AET), was a left-wing political organisation in Italy. It took part in the 2014 European Parliament election in support of ...

. As of November, Possible parted ways with most left-wing splinters of the PD, who had launched Future to the Left and joined

Italian Left Italian Left ( it, Sinistra Italiana, SI) is a left-wing political party in Italy. SI was launched in November 2015 as a parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies (full name: Italian Left – Left Ecology Freedom), including Left Ecology ...

(SI), along with SEL and some left-wing splinters of the M5S. For his part, Civati looked interested in organising his party more "outside" than "inside the oliticalpalace". Consequently, Possible joined forces with AL, which was active also at the grassroots' level, and formed a joint sub-group within the

Mixed Group The mixed group ( it, Gruppo Misto, GM) is a parliamentary group active in both houses of the Italian Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The groups comprise all the deputies and the senators, respectively, who are not members of ...

of the Chamber. Shortly after, one deputy of AL, Toni Matarrelli, directly joined Possible, becoming its fifth deputy. In January 2016 Civati was elected secretary of the party with 93.2% of the vote by party members. Between February and March 2017 Mattarelli left the party in order to join the Democratic and Progressive Movement (MDP), along with splinters from the PD and SI, while Possible chose to sever its ties with AL and team up with SI instead, by forming a joint group in the Chamber. In December 2017 Possible was a founding member, along with the MDP and SI, of Free and Equal (LeU), the left-wing joint list for the 2018 general election, which chose the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the Senate and former anti-Mafia prosecutor Pietro Grasso as its leader and candidate for Prime Minister. In March 2018, following the electoral result below expectations, Civati resigned from secretary. In May Brignone was elected to replace him with 73.9% of the vote by party members, prevailing over David Tozzo with 26.1%. Subsequently, the party quit from LeU, while Tozzo left Possible to remain in LeU. In the run-up to the

2019 European Parliament election The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peop ...

the party formed, along with the

Federation of the Greens The Federation of the Greens ( it, Federazione dei Verdi, FdV), frequently referred to as Greens (''Verdi''), was a green political party in Italy. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the Federation of Green Lists and the Rainbow Greens. T ...

and

Green Europe Green Europe ( it, Europa Verde, EV), officially Green Europe – Greens (''Europa Verde – Verdi''), is a green political party in Italy. Its leaders are Angelo Bonelli, long-time leader of the former Federation of the Greens, and Eleonora Evi, ...

(EV). In the run-up of the

the party joined the

(AVS), earlier formed by SI and EV.

Ideology

The party, a strong supporter of

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a sim ...

, calls for a new plan on

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

(including

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

LGBT adoption Same-sex adoption is the adoption of children by same-sex couples. It may take the form of a joint adoption by the couple, or of the adoption by one partner of the other's biological child (stepchild adoption). Joint adoption by same-sex coup ...

, legalisation of cannabis and euthanasia), opposes austerity policies, while supporting redistributive ones aimed at a more egalitarian society and is a vocal proponent of

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks ...

. Civati, who describes himself both as a

social democrat Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soc ...

and 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 ...

(or, more precisely, a "left-wing liberal"), is also known for his stance for a more competitive

free market In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ot ...

. Possible's logo, including an

, refers to a fundamental issue for the party,

, inflected in multiple fields such as the

, conflict of interest,

, anti-sexism,

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, ...

, and

. The party's name is reminiscent of the slogan " Yes We Can", used by

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

during the

2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries From January 3 to June 3, 2008, voters of the Democratic Party chose their nominee for president in the 2008 United States presidential election. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was selected as the nominee, becoming the first African Am ...

, "The party of possibilities", title of the motion supporting Civati in the 2013 Democratic Party leadership election, and Podemos, a kin

political party in Spain This article serves as a list of the political parties in Spain. Spain has a multi-party system at both the national and regional level. Nationally, there are five dominant parties: United We Can ( Podemos– IU), the Spanish Socialist Workers' ...

Election results

Italian Parliament

European Parliament

Leadership

*Secretary: Giuseppe Civati (2015–2018),

(2018–present) *Party Leader in the Chamber of Deputies: Giuseppe Civati (2015–2018), Luca Pastorino (2018) *Party Leader in the

: Elly Schlein (2015–2019)

References

External links

*
Official website of Giuseppe CivatiOfficial blog of Giuseppe Civati
{{Italian political parties 2015 establishments in Italy Political parties established in 2015 Democratic Party (Italy) breakaway groups Democratic socialist parties in Europe Feminist parties in Europe Green political parties in Italy Left-wing parties in Europe Left-wing politics in Italy Liberal parties in Italy Progressive parties Social democratic parties in Italy Socialist parties in Italy