Communist Refoundation Party
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The Communist Refoundation Party ( it, Partito della Rifondazione Comunista, PRC) is a
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
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 ...
that emerged from a split of the
Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy. The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI). ...
(PCI) in 1991. The party's secretary is Maurizio Acerbo, who replaced
Paolo Ferrero Paolo Ferrero (born 17 November 1960) is an Italian politician. He is a leading member of the Communist Refoundation Party (''Partito della Rifondazione Comunista''; PRC), and served as Minister of Social Solidarity from 2006 to 2008 as part of ...
in 2017.
Armando Cossutta Armando Cossutta (2 September 1926 – 14 December 2015) was an Italian communist politician. Biography Born in Milan, Cossutta joined the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1943, and took part in the Italian resistance movement as a partisan. Aft ...
was the party's founder, while
Fausto Bertinotti Fausto Bertinotti (born 22 March 1940) is an Italian politician who led the Communist Refoundation Party (''Partito della Rifondazione Comunista'') from 1994 to 2006. On 29 April 2006, after the centre-left coalition's victory in the Italian ...
its longest-serving leader (1994–2008). The latter transformed the PRC from a traditional
communist party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
into a collection of radical
social movement A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a social or political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. It is a type of group action and may ...
s. The PRC is a member of the
Party of the European Left The Party of the European Left (PEL), commonly abbreviated European Left, is a European political party that operates as an association of democratic socialist and communist political parties in the European Union and other European countries. ...
(PEL), of which Bertinotti was the inaugural president in 2004. The PRC has not been represented in 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 ...
since 2008, but had 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 ...
,
Eleonora Forenza Eleonora Forenza (born 10 November 1976) is an Politics of Italy, Italian politician, spokesperson for culture and communications in the Communist Refoundation Party. She is also a member of the collective ''Femministe Nove'' and a member of th ...
, who sat with the
European United Left–Nordic Green Left European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe a ...
(GUE/NGL) group in 2014–2019.


History


Foundation and early years

In February 1991, when the
Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy. The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI). ...
(PCI) was transformed into the
Democratic Party of the Left The Democratic Party of the Left ( it, Partito Democratico della Sinistra, PDS) was a democratic socialist and social-democratic political party in Italy. Founded in February 1991 as the post-communist evolution of the Italian Communist Party, ...
(PDS) under the leadership of
Achille Occhetto Achille Leone Occhetto (; born 3 March 1936) is an Italian political figure. He served as the last secretary-general of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) between 1988 and 1991, and the first leader of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), the p ...
, left-wing dissidents led by
Armando Cossutta Armando Cossutta (2 September 1926 – 14 December 2015) was an Italian communist politician. Biography Born in Milan, Cossutta joined the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1943, and took part in the Italian resistance movement as a partisan. Aft ...
launched the Movement for Communist Refoundation. Hardliners in PCI were not happy of the changes made inside the party after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Later that year,
Proletarian Democracy Proletarian Democracy ( it, Democrazia Proletaria, DP) was a far-left political party in Italy. History 1970s DP was founded in 1975 as a joint electoral front of the Proletarian Unity Party (Italy), Proletarian Unity Party (PdUP), Workers Vangua ...
(DP), a far-left outfit, dissolved itself so that its members could join the PCI dissidents and form a united front of all Italian communists. In December, the PRC was officially founded and
Sergio Garavini Sergio Garavini (18 May 1926 – 7 September 2001) was an Italian politician, writer and trade unionist. Biography Garavini was born in Turin. At a very young age, he entered the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and the trade union Italian Gene ...
was elected secretary. In the 1992 general election, the party obtained 5.6% of the vote. Garavini resigned from secretary in June 1993 and was replaced by
Fausto Bertinotti Fausto Bertinotti (born 22 March 1940) is an Italian politician who led the Communist Refoundation Party (''Partito della Rifondazione Comunista'') from 1994 to 2006. On 29 April 2006, after the centre-left coalition's victory in the Italian ...
, a trade unionist of the
Italian General Confederation of Labour The Italian General Confederation of Labour (; CGIL) is a national trade union based in Italy. It was formed by agreement between socialists, communists, and Christian democrats in the "Pact of Rome" of June 1944. In 1950, socialists and Christi ...
(CGIL) who had left the PDS only a few months before, in January 1994. In the 1994 general election, the PRC was part of the PDS-led
Alliance of Progressives The Alliance of Progressives ( it, Alleanza dei Progressisti) was a left-wing political alliance of parties in Italy formed in 1994, with relevant predecessors at local level in 1993. The leader of the alliance was Achille Occhetto. The allianc ...
and obtained 6.1% of the vote. In June 1995, a group of splinters led by
Lucio Magri Lucio Magri (19 August 1932 – 28 November 2011) was an Italian journalist and politician. Biography Magri was born in Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna, one of the most left-wing regions of Italy, but grew up in the strongly Catholic Bergamo, L ...
and
Famiano Crucianelli Famiano Crucianelli (born 1 January 1948 in Rome) is an Italian politician and surgeon. Biography A graduated in medicine and a surgeon, Crucianelli was one of the founders of '' Il manifesto'', the eponymous newspaper of the political group p ...
formed the
Movement of Unitarian Communists The Movement of Unitarian Communists (, MCU), or simply Unitarian Communists ( it, Comunisti Unitari), was a communist political party in Italy. History The party was founded in June 1995 as a split from the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC ...
(MCU), which would eventually merge with the PDS, being one of the founding members of the
Democrats of the Left The Democrats of the Left ( it, Democratici di Sinistra, DS) was a social-democratic political party in Italy. The DS, successor of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) and the Italian Communist Party, was formed in 1998 upon the merger of th ...
(DS) in February 1998.


Bertinotti vs. Cossutta

The leadership of Bertinotti was a turning point for the party, which jumped to 8.6% of vote in the 1996 general election, fought by the party in a loose alliance with The Olive Tree, the major
centre-left coalition The centre-left coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-sinistra) is an political alliance, alliance of list of political parties in Italy, political parties in Italy active, under several forms and names, since 1995 when The Olive Tree (Italy), Th ...
whose dominant partner was the PDS. After the election, the PRC decided to externally support the first cabinet led by
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 Prim ...
. Tensions soon arose within the coalition and the party. In October 1998 the PRC was divided between those who wanted to stop supporting Prodi's government, led by Bertinotti; and those who wanted to continue the alliance, led by Cossutta, the party's president. The central committee endorsed Bertinotti's line, but Cossutta and his followers decided to ignore this line and to support Prodi. The votes of the ''cossuttiani'' were not enough and the government lost a confidence vote in Parliament. The dissidents, who controlled the majority of deputies and senators, split and formed a rival communist party, the
Party of Italian Communists The Party of Italian Communists ( it, Partito dei Comunisti Italiani, PdCI) was a communist party in Italy established in October 1998 by splinters from the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC). The split was led by Armando Cossutta, founder and e ...
(PdCI), which would soon join the first cabinet led by
Massimo D'Alema Massimo D'Alema (; born 20 April 1949) is an Italian politician and journalist who was the 53rd prime minister of Italy from 1998 to 2000. He was Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2008. D'Alema also serv ...
, the leader of the DS, who replaced Prodi and became the first post-communist to hold the job of
Prime Minister of Italy The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...
. Deprived of most of its parliamentary representation, the PRC fought for its existence and voters supported it rather than the PdCI, both in the
1999 European Parliament election The 1999 European Parliament election was a European election for all 626 members of the European Parliament held across the 15 European Union member states on 10, 11 and 13 June 1999. The voter turn-out was generally low, except in Belgium and ...
(4.3% to 2.0%) and the 2001 general election (5.0% to 1.7%).


Renewal and heyday

Despite competition from the PdCI, the PRC confirmed its status as Italy's largest communist party. Having been left by most traditional communists, it also started to enlarge its scope aiming at becoming a collector of radical
social movement A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a social or political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. It is a type of group action and may ...
s and, foremost, the main representative of the
anti-globalization movement The anti-globalization movement or counter-globalization movement, is a social movement critical of economic globalization. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalis ...
in
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 ...
. The PRC also forged new alliances at the European level and was instrumental in the foundation of the
Party of the European Left The Party of the European Left (PEL), commonly abbreviated European Left, is a European political party that operates as an association of democratic socialist and communist political parties in the European Union and other European countries. ...
in May 2004. In October 2004, the PRC re-joined the centre-left coalition, once again led by Prodi. In April 2005,
Nichi Vendola Nicola "Nichi" Vendola (; born 26 August 1958) is an Italian left-wing politician and LGBT activist who was a Member of the Chamber of Deputies from Apulia from 1992 to 2005 and President of Apulia from 2005 to 2015. He is one of the first o ...
, an openly
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
politician and one of the emerging leaders of the party, won a primary election and was elected president of traditionally conservative southern region of
Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...
, becoming the only regional president ever belonging to the PRC. In the 2006 general election, the PRC was part of The Union, which won narrowly over the
centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...
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 ...
coalition and the party obtained 5.8%. After the election, Bertinotti was elected
President of the Chamber of Deputies President of the Chamber of Deputies may refer to: * List of presidents of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies * List of presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia * President of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil) * President of the Chamber of Dep ...
and replaced by
Franco Giordano Francesco "Franco" Giordano (born 26 August 1957) is an Italian politician. Born in Bari, he became a member of the Italian Communist Party in 1974. From 1985 to 1987 he was member of the national leadership of Federation of Young Italian Comm ...
as secretary. Additionally, for the first time it entered a government by joining the
Prodi II Cabinet The second Prodi government was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008, a total of 722 days, or 1 year, 11 months and 21 days. The 59th cabinet of the Italian Republic, it was the only cabinet of the XV Legislatur ...
, with
Paolo Ferrero Paolo Ferrero (born 17 November 1960) is an Italian politician. He is a leading member of the Communist Refoundation Party (''Partito della Rifondazione Comunista''; PRC), and served as Minister of Social Solidarity from 2006 to 2008 as part of ...
Minister of Social Solidarity and seven undersecretaries. The decision to participate in the coalition government and vote to refinance the Italian military presence in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and send troops to
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
attracted criticism from sectors of the European far-left and provoked the splits of several groups from the ranks of his own party, notably including the Workers' Communist Party, the
Communist Alternative Party The Communist Alternative Party (''Partito di Alternativa Comunista'', PdAC) is a communist political party in Italy. Its leader and founder is Francesco Ricci. History In April 2006 some members of Communist Project, a trotskyist faction wit ...
and
Critical Left Critical Left ( it, Sinistra Critica, SC) was a communist and Trotskyist political party in Italy, affiliated to the Fourth International. History Originally a Trotskyist faction within the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC), it broke ranks ...
. Prodi, whose majority was weak and fragmented, resigned in January 2008.


Crisis, splits and decline

For the 2008 general election, the PRC formed a joint list named Rainbow Left (SA) with the PdCI, 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 the Democratic Left under Bertinotti's leadership. SA obtained a mere 3.1% (compared to 10.2% won by the constituent parties individually two years before) and no seats. Consequently, Bertinotti quit politics and Giordano resigned and after that some ''
bertinottiani The Bertinottiani were an Italian political faction around Fausto Bertinotti, the leader of the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) from 1994 to 2006. In 1998, in the wake of the crisis of Romano Prodi's first government, Bertinotti convinced the ...
'', led by Ferrero and Giovanni Russo Spena (both former
Proletarian Democracy Proletarian Democracy ( it, Democrazia Proletaria, DP) was a far-left political party in Italy. History 1970s DP was founded in 1975 as a joint electoral front of the Proletarian Unity Party (Italy), Proletarian Unity Party (PdUP), Workers Vangua ...
members), had forged an alliance with former ''cossuttiani''. At the July 2008 congress, the PRC was highly divided around ideological and regional lines with Vendola, the ''bertinottianis standard-bearer, accusing northern delegates of having absorbed '' leghismo'' and stating that it was the end of the party as he knew it. The internal left-wing (which wanted to return to PRC's original communist project) finally prevailed over the bulk of ''bertinottiani'' (who insisted on the creation of a broader left-wing party) and Ferrero was elected secretary by the central committee with 50.5%. In January 2009, the faction around Vendola and Giordano, silently supported by Bertinotti, left the PRC and launched the
Movement for the Left Movement for the Left ( it, Movimento per la Sinistra, MpS) was a socialist political party in Italy. It emerged as a split from the Communist Refoundation Party and later merged into Left Ecology Freedom. Its leader was Nichi Vendola. History ...
(MpS), aimed at forming a broader left-wing party, which would eventually be
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 President ...
(SEL).


Left-wing alliances

In the
2009 European Parliament election The 2009 European Parliament election was held in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making th ...
the PRC ran with the PdCI and minor groups within the
Anticapitalist and Communist List The Anticapitalist and Communist List ( it, Lista Comunista e Anticapitalista) was a communist coalition of political parties in Italy, formed in the run-up to the 2009 European Parliament election in order to overcome the 4% threshold introduced b ...
, obtaining 3.4% of the vote and no MEPs. In April 2009 the list was transformed into the
Federation of the Left The Federation of the Left ( it, Federazione della Sinistra, FdS) was an electoral alliance of communist political parties in Italy. The coalition was the evolution of the Anticapitalist and Communist List. History At the start, in May 2009, th ...
, which would be disbanded by the end of 2012 and officially dissolved in 2015. In the 2013 general election the PRC ran within
Civil Revolution Civil Revolution ( it, Rivoluzione Civile, RC) was a left-wing coalition of political parties in Italy. The coalition was headed by Antonio Ingroia, a former anti-mafia prosecutor of Palermo from 1992 to 2012 and then director of a UN inves ...
along with the PdCI, the Greens,
Italy of Values Italy of Values ( it, Italia dei Valori, IdV) is a populist and anti-corruption political party in Italy. The party was founded in 1998 by former ''Mani pulite'' prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro, who entered politics in 1996 and finally left the par ...
and minor groups, obtaining 2.2% and no seats. 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 ...
the PRC was part of
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 ...
, which obtained 4.0% of the vote and three MEPs, including PRC's
Eleonora Forenza Eleonora Forenza (born 10 November 1976) is an Politics of Italy, Italian politician, spokesperson for culture and communications in the Communist Refoundation Party. She is also a member of the collective ''Femministe Nove'' and a member of th ...
. In April 2017 Ferrero was replaced as secretary by Maurizio Acerbo, a former member of the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
. In the 2018 general election the PRC was part of the Power to the People (PaP) electoral list, which obtained 1.1% of the vote and no seats. In 2020–2021 the party was briefly represented in the Senate by
Paola Nugnes Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. Notable people with the name include: People In arts and entertainment *Paola Del Medico (born 1950), Swiss singer *Paola e Chiara, pop music duo consisting of two sisters born i ...
, a splinter from 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 ...
who later 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 Fr ...
(SI). In 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 peopl ...
the PRC was part of The Left electoral list, which obtained 1.8% and no seats. In February 2022 the party formed a joint sub-group with PaP in the Chamber of Deputies' Mixed Group. In June 2022 the same happened in the Senate, and senator Nugnes returned to the party. In the run-up of the 2022 general election the PRC was a founding member of the People's Union (UP), a left-wing electoral list led by Luigi de Magistris.


Factions

The majority of the party following the October 2004 congress was led by
Fausto Bertinotti Fausto Bertinotti (born 22 March 1940) is an Italian politician who led the Communist Refoundation Party (''Partito della Rifondazione Comunista'') from 1994 to 2006. On 29 April 2006, after the centre-left coalition's victory in the Italian ...
(59.2%) and viewed the PRC as the representative of the
anti-globalization movement The anti-globalization movement or counter-globalization movement, is a social movement critical of economic globalization. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalis ...
in Italy. Other factions strongly opposed Bertinotti's innovations. These included the hard-line traditionalist
Being Communists Being Communists (''Essere Comunisti'') was a faction within the Communist Refoundation Party in Italy. It was formed in 1998 by former followers of Armando Cossutta, who left the party in 1998 to form the Party of Italian Communists. The leader of ...
(26.2%) which was composed of former followers of
Armando Cossutta Armando Cossutta (2 September 1926 – 14 December 2015) was an Italian communist politician. Biography Born in Milan, Cossutta joined the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1943, and took part in the Italian resistance movement as a partisan. Aft ...
as well as the
Trotskyists Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a re ...
of
Critical Left Critical Left ( it, Sinistra Critica, SC) was a communist and Trotskyist political party in Italy, affiliated to the Fourth International. History Originally a Trotskyist faction within the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC), it broke ranks ...
, Communist Project and HammerSickle (14.6% together). Communist Project, which opposed the party's participation in the
Prodi II Cabinet The second Prodi government was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008, a total of 722 days, or 1 year, 11 months and 21 days. The 59th cabinet of the Italian Republic, it was the only cabinet of the XV Legislatur ...
, unfolded shortly after the 2006 general election. A group led by Francesco Ricci established the
Communist Alternative Party The Communist Alternative Party (''Partito di Alternativa Comunista'', PdAC) is a communist political party in Italy. Its leader and founder is Francesco Ricci. History In April 2006 some members of Communist Project, a trotskyist faction wit ...
, others, led by the
Trotskyite Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an Orthodox Marxism, orthod ...
Marco Ferrando, formed the Workers' Communist Party, while a tiny minority chose to stay in the party and launched Countercurrent. In February 2007, senator Franco Turigliatto of Critical Left, led by Salvatore Cannavò, voted twice against the government's foreign policy, leading
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 Prim ...
to temporarily resign from
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 is not ...
. In April, Turigliatto was expelled from the party and Critical Left was suspended from it, leading to its final split and establishment as a party in December. Turigliatto's ejection was supported also by Claudio Grassi (leader of Being Communists) and this caused a break-up of the faction. A group led by Fosco Giannini launched an alternative faction named
The Ernesto The Ernesto (''L'Ernesto'') was a faction within the Communist Refoundation Party in Italy. The group emerged in February 2007 as a split from Being Communists, the faction led by Claudio Grassi, and took the name from ''L'Ernesto'', a communis ...
(from the eponymous communist publication), but it would suffer the 2008 split of
Communist Left Left communism, or the communist left, is a position held by the left wing of communism, which criticises the political ideas and practices espoused by Marxist–Leninists and social democrats. Left communists assert positions which they reg ...
, which would splinter in 2011 into Communist Left and Communists Together/ The Future City. Following the severe defeat of the party in the 2008 general election, a group of ''
bertinottiani The Bertinottiani were an Italian political faction around Fausto Bertinotti, the leader of the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) from 1994 to 2006. In 1998, in the wake of the crisis of Romano Prodi's first government, Bertinotti convinced the ...
'' composed mainly of former members of
Proletarian Democracy Proletarian Democracy ( it, Democrazia Proletaria, DP) was a far-left political party in Italy. History 1970s DP was founded in 1975 as a joint electoral front of the Proletarian Unity Party (Italy), Proletarian Unity Party (PdUP), Workers Vangua ...
and led by
Paolo Ferrero Paolo Ferrero (born 17 November 1960) is an Italian politician. He is a leading member of the Communist Refoundation Party (''Partito della Rifondazione Comunista''; PRC), and served as Minister of Social Solidarity from 2006 to 2008 as part of ...
and Giovanni Russo Spena allied with the other minority factions, notably including Being Communists, to force
Franco Giordano Francesco "Franco" Giordano (born 26 August 1957) is an Italian politician. Born in Bari, he became a member of the Italian Communist Party in 1974. From 1985 to 1987 he was member of the national leadership of Federation of Young Italian Comm ...
's resignation from secretary. Subsequently, in the July congress Ferrero's and Grassi's
Refoundation in Movement Refoundation in Movement ( it, Rifondazione in Movimento) was a faction within the Communist Refoundation Party in Italy. In April 2008, following the severe defeat of the party in the 2008 general election, a group of former , composed basically ...
motion (40.1%) faced the bulk of ''bertinottiani'', who organized themselves around a motion named "Manifesto for the Refoundation" (47.6%) with
Nichi Vendola Nicola "Nichi" Vendola (; born 26 August 1958) is an Italian left-wing politician and LGBT activist who was a Member of the Chamber of Deputies from Apulia from 1992 to 2005 and President of Apulia from 2005 to 2015. He is one of the first o ...
as standard-bearer. Giannini's The Ernesto and Countercurrent (7.7%), Claudio Bellotti's HammerSickle (3.2%) and a minor group of former ''bertinottiani'' called "Disarm, Renew, Refound" (1.5%) joined forces with the Ferrero-Grassi group. Vendola, defeated by Ferrero, announced the creation of a new minority faction,
Refoundation for the Left Refoundation for the Left (''Rifondazione per la Sinistra'', RpS) was a faction within the Communist Refoundation Party, a list of political parties in Italy, political party in Italy. Most of its members launched the Movement for the Left (MpS) ...
(RpS). RpS finally left the party in 2009 to form the
Movement for the Left Movement for the Left ( it, Movimento per la Sinistra, MpS) was a socialist political party in Italy. It emerged as a split from the Communist Refoundation Party and later merged into Left Ecology Freedom. Its leader was Nichi Vendola. History ...
(MpS), but some of its members, led by
Augusto Rocchi Augusto is an Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish given name or surname. Notable people with the name include: * Augusto Aníbal *Augusto dos Anjos * Augusto Arbizo *Augusto Barbera (born 1938), Italian law professor, politician and judge *Augusto Be ...
, decided to stay in the PRC and launched
To the Left with Refoundation To the Left with Refoundation (''A Sinistra con Rifondazione'') was a faction within the Communist Refoundation Party, a communist political party in Italy. Its leader was Austo Rocchi and represented the right-wing of the party. The faction was f ...
. However, the alliance between Ferrero and the traditionalists did not last. The Ernesto joined the PdCI in 2011 while Being Communists divided in two groups, both eventually quitting the party. One group joined SEL in 2014 and was later merged into the Democratic and Progressive Movement (MDP) in 2016; a second, larger group (including Grassi) participated in the foundation of SEL's successor,
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 Fr ...
(SI). In the 2017 congress, two motions were presented by Ferrero and
Eleonora Forenza Eleonora Forenza (born 10 November 1976) is an Politics of Italy, Italian politician, spokesperson for culture and communications in the Communist Refoundation Party. She is also a member of the collective ''Femministe Nove'' and a member of th ...
, respectively. The coalition of factions led by Ferrero prevailed with the vote of 71.5% of party members. Consequently, Maurizio Acerbo, supported by Ferrero, was elected secretary by the central committee.


Popular support

The electoral results of the PRC in general (Chamber of Deputies) elections and European Parliament elections since 1994 are shown in the chart below. The 2008 result refers to that of
The Left – The Rainbow The Left – The Rainbow ( it, La Sinistra – L'Arcobaleno, SA), frequently referred as Rainbow Left ( it, Sinistra Arcobaleno), was a left-wing federation of parties in Italy that participated in the 2008 general election. History The federat ...
, a joint list comprising the
Party of Italian Communists The Party of Italian Communists ( it, Partito dei Comunisti Italiani, PdCI) was a communist party in Italy established in October 1998 by splinters from the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC). The split was led by Armando Cossutta, founder and e ...
, Democratic Left and 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 ...
. After that, the party formed joint lists with the Party of Italian Communists. The 2014 result refers to that of
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 ...
, a joint list led by
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 President ...
. The electoral results of the PRC in the ten most populated
regions of Italy The regions of Italy ( it, regioni d'Italia) are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which have higher autonomy than the rest. U ...
are shown in the table below.


Election results


Italian Parliament


European Parliament


Regional Councils


Symbols

File:RIFONDAZIONE COMUNISTA - 1.jpg, 1991–1998 File:RIFONDAZIONE COMUNISTA - 2.png, 1999–2004 File:RIFONDAZIONE COMUNISTA - 3.png, 2004–2011 File:Simbolo Partito della Rifondazione Comunista.png, 2011–present


Leadership

* Secretary:
Sergio Garavini Sergio Garavini (18 May 1926 – 7 September 2001) was an Italian politician, writer and trade unionist. Biography Garavini was born in Turin. At a very young age, he entered the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and the trade union Italian Gene ...
(1991–1993),
Fausto Bertinotti Fausto Bertinotti (born 22 March 1940) is an Italian politician who led the Communist Refoundation Party (''Partito della Rifondazione Comunista'') from 1994 to 2006. On 29 April 2006, after the centre-left coalition's victory in the Italian ...
(1994–2006),
Franco Giordano Francesco "Franco" Giordano (born 26 August 1957) is an Italian politician. Born in Bari, he became a member of the Italian Communist Party in 1974. From 1985 to 1987 he was member of the national leadership of Federation of Young Italian Comm ...
(2006–2008),
Paolo Ferrero Paolo Ferrero (born 17 November 1960) is an Italian politician. He is a leading member of the Communist Refoundation Party (''Partito della Rifondazione Comunista''; PRC), and served as Minister of Social Solidarity from 2006 to 2008 as part of ...
(2008–2017), Maurizio Acerbo (2017–present) ** Coordinator: Walter De Cesaris (2004–2008), Nando Mainardi (2014–2017), Stefano Galieni (2017–present) * President:
Armando Cossutta Armando Cossutta (2 September 1926 – 14 December 2015) was an Italian communist politician. Biography Born in Milan, Cossutta joined the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1943, and took part in the Italian resistance movement as a partisan. Aft ...
(1991–1998) * Party leader in the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
:
Lucio Magri Lucio Magri (19 August 1932 – 28 November 2011) was an Italian journalist and politician. Biography Magri was born in Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna, one of the most left-wing regions of Italy, but grew up in the strongly Catholic Bergamo, L ...
(1992–1994),
Famiano Crucianelli Famiano Crucianelli (born 1 January 1948 in Rome) is an Italian politician and surgeon. Biography A graduated in medicine and a surgeon, Crucianelli was one of the founders of '' Il manifesto'', the eponymous newspaper of the political group p ...
(1994–1995),
Oliviero Diliberto Oliviero Diliberto (born 13 October 1956 in Cagliari) is an Italian politician. He has been leader of the Party of Italian Communists. Early life Oliviero Diliberto was born in a family of public servants (his father Marco was employed as at ...
(1995–1998),
Franco Giordano Francesco "Franco" Giordano (born 26 August 1957) is an Italian politician. Born in Bari, he became a member of the Italian Communist Party in 1974. From 1985 to 1987 he was member of the national leadership of Federation of Young Italian Comm ...
(1998–2006),
Gennaro Migliore Gennaro Migliore (born 21 June 1968 in Naples) is an Italian politician of the Italia Viva party who has served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2006 until 2008 and again since 2013. Early life and career Migliore was born on 21 June ...
(2006–2008) * Party leader in the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
:
Lucio Libertini 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 ...
(1992–1993), Ersilia Salvato (1993–1995), Fausto Marchetti (1995–1996), Luigi Marino (1996–1998), Giovanni Russo Spena (1998–2001), Giorgio Malentacchi (2001–2002), Luigi Malabarba (2002–2006), Giovanni Russo Spena (2006–2008) * Party leader in 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 ...
: Luigi Vinci (1994–2004), Roberto Musacchio (2004–2009),
Eleonora Forenza Eleonora Forenza (born 10 November 1976) is an Politics of Italy, Italian politician, spokesperson for culture and communications in the Communist Refoundation Party. She is also a member of the collective ''Femministe Nove'' and a member of th ...
(2014–present)


Notes


External links


Official website
{{Authority control Far-left politics in Italy Communist parties in Italy 1991 establishments in Italy Political parties established in 1991 International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties