Italia Viva | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | IV |
| President | Matteo Renzi |
| Coordinator | Raffaella Paita |
| Founded | 18 September 2019; 6 years ago (2019-09-18) |
| Split from | Democratic Party |
| Headquarters | Via della Colonna Antonina 52, Rome |
| Ideology | Liberalism[1][2] (Italian) |
| Political position | Centre[3] tocentre-left[4] |
| National affiliation | Action – Italia Viva (2022–2023) United States of Europe (2024) Centre-left coalition (since 2024) |
| European affiliation | European Democratic Party |
| European Parliament group | Renew Europe (2019–2024) |
| Colours | Fuchsia |
| Chamber of Deputies | 6 / 400 |
| Senate | 8 / 205 |
| European Parliament[a] | 0 / 76 |
| Regional Councils | 11 / 896 |
| Conference of Regions | 0 / 21 |
| Website | |
| italiaviva.it | |
| |
Italia Viva (lit. 'Italy Alive',IV) is aliberalpolitical party in Italy founded in September 2019.[5] The party is led byMatteo Renzi, a formerPrime Minister of Italy and former secretary of theDemocratic Party (PD).[6] As of 2021, Italia Viva is a member of theEuropean Democratic Party.[7]
Matteo Renzi started his political career in theItalian People's Party (PPI), aChristian-democratic party, and was elected president of theProvince of Florence in 2004. ThroughDemocracy is Freedom – The Daisy, the PPI's successor, he joined the centre-leftDemocratic Party (PD) in 2007[8] and was electedMayor of Florence in 2009. A frequent critic of party leadership, especially underPier Luigi Bersani, Renzi made his name asil Rottamatore (lit. 'the Scrapper'[9] orlit. 'the Demolisher')[10] of old leaders and ideas, for his advocacy of complete change in the party, as well as a reformer and a moderniser.[11][12][13] His followers were known asRenziani.
Speculations over a new party led by Renzi date back to 2012, when he was defeated by Bersani in the run-off of thecentre-left primary election.[14] Rumors stopped when Renzi was elected secretary of the PD in December 2013. He also becamePrime Minister in February 2014.[15] He led the party to huge electoral success in the2014 European Parliament election (40.8%), but badly lost the2016 Italian constitutional referendum (59.1% to 40.9%), which caused his resignation as Prime Minister.
After the PD's defeat in the2018 general election,[16] in which the PD only gained 18.7% of vote, forcing Renzi to resign as secretary,[17][18] rumours of a split emerged.[19] In March 2019,Nicola Zingaretti, asocial democrat and a prominent member of the party's left wing who had roots in theItalian Communist Party, won theleadership election by a landslide, defeatingMaurizio Martina (Renzi's former deputy secretary) andRoberto Giachetti (supported by mostRenziani).[20] Zingaretti focused his campaign on a clear contrast with Renzi's policies and, according to pundits, his victory opened the way for a major shift in the character of the Democratic Party.[21][22]
In August 2019, tensions grew within the coalition supportingGiuseppe Conte'sfirst government, leading to a motion of no-confidence by theLeague.[23] Despite having opposed it in the past, Renzi advocated the formation of a new government between the PD and the populistFive Star Movement (M5S).[24] After days of tensions within the PD, on 28 August, Zingaretti announced his support for a new government with the M5S, led by Conte.[25] TheConte II Cabinet was sworn in on 5 September,[26] and Renzi was seen by many as the real kingmaker of the new parliamentary majority.[27]
On 16 September, in an interview tola Repubblica, Renzi announced his intention to leave the PD and create new parliamentary groups.[28] On the same day, interviewed byBruno Vespa during thelate-night TV talk-showPorta a Porta, he officially launchedItalia Viva.[29] In the interview he also confirmed his support for Conte's government.[30] Renzi was initially followed by 24 deputies and 12 senators from the PD, notably includingMaria Elena Boschi,Roberto Giachetti,Teresa Bellanova (Minister of Agriculture) andElena Bonetti (Minister of Family and Equal Opportunities).[31][32] Three more senators, Donatella Conzatti,Riccardo Nencini and Gelsomina Vono, joined respectively fromForza Italia (FI), theItalian Socialist Party (PSI) and M5S,[33][34][35] while one deputy, Gabriele Toccafondi, joined fromPopular Civic List (CP).[36]
The split was condemned by the PD's leadership: Zingaretti described it as a "mistake",[37] whileDario Franceschini called it a "big problem".[38][39]Beppe Grillo, founder of the M5S, described Renzi's actions as "an act of narcissism".[40] Prime Minister Conte declared his perplexity too, saying that Renzi "should have informed [him] before the birth of the government".[41] Additionally,Il Foglio revealed that internet domainsitaliaviva.eu anditaliaviva.org were created on 9 August 2019, hinting that the split had been prepared in advance.[42] The following day,la Repubblica revealed that the domains were bought by Alessandro Risso, a former member ofChristian Democracy and the PPI from Piedmont.[43] However, Risso explained that his moves had nothing to do with Renzi, whom he opposed.[44]
Italia Viva's backbone was largely based on the Committees of Civil Action ofBack to the Future, launched by Renzi during the 2018Leopolda convention inFlorence[45] and seen by some people as the initial step of a new party.[46]Ettore Rosato, the organiser of the committees, and Bellanova were appointed party's coordinators.[47]
In October, during theLeopolda annual convention, the logo of IV was unveiled. It featured a stylisedseagull and was chosen by supporters in an online vote.[48][49]
In February,Nicola Danti, IV member and MEP, left theProgressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group and joined theRenew Europe group.[50] A few days before,Sandro Gozi, a former member of the PD's national board who later joined IV,[51] had been sworn in asmember of theEuropean Parliament forFrance (elected withRenaissance list, formed largely by members ofLa République En Marche) and became the party's second MEP.
In January 2021, IV withdrew its support for Conte's second government, triggering a political crisis.[52] Conte subsequently won confidence motions in both houses of Parliament, with the abstention of IV, but could only reach a plurality in the Senate, rather than an absolute majority.[53][54][55] In the wake of this, Conte tendered his resignation to President Mattarella, who then began a round of discussions with various parties to form a new government.[56] Consequently, IV was instrumental in the formation ofMario Draghi'sgovernment, in which minister Bonetti was confirmed.
In December 2021, IV joined theEuropean Democratic Party.[57]
In December 2022, Renzi was elected president of the party, replacing Rosato and Bellanova.[58]
In the run-up of the2022 general election, the party, which refused to join, or was refused entry to, the PD-ledcentre-left coalition,[59][60] joined forces with theNational Civic List[61] (put forward byFederico Pizzarotti ofItalia in Comune andPiercamillo Falasca ofL'Italia c'è) and theItalian Republican Party (PRI).[62] Most importantly, IV formed ajoint electoral list withCarlo Calenda'sAction.[63][64][65] The joint list obtained 7.8% of the vote.
After the election, Renzi frequently clashed with Calenda,[66][67] leaving the alliance's future uncertain. The party continued to achieve high-profile recruits, notably including senatorEnrico Borghi from the PD,[68][69] deputiesNaike Gruppioni andIsabella De Monte from Action[70][71] and senatorDafne Musolino fromSouth calls North.[72] In September 2023, Renzi announced that IV would run in the2024 European Parliament election within a brand new coalition/list named "The Centre".[73][74] This ledElena Bonetti to leave the party in order to seek an alternative alliance with Action.[75][76] AlsoEttore Rosato was critical and seemed interested in joining Action, but, before leaving the party, he was expelled by Renzi.[77][78] Subsequently, Bonetti and Rosato launchedPopulars Europeanists Reformers[79] and, in January 2024, joined Action.[80][81]
In October 2023, the party held its first national congress, during which Renzi was re-elected president.[82]
In March 2024, the party dropped the idea of "The Centre" list in favour of a broader, liberal and pro-Europeanist list named "United States of Europe", which will include alsoMore Europe, theItalian Radicals, theItalian Socialist Party and theEuropean Liberal Democrats, in order to overcome the 4% electoral threshold.[83][84] In late April, the list was also joined byL'Italia c'è.[85]
During the summer of 2024 Renzi re-positioned his party within the centre-left coalition.[86] As a result,Luigi Marattin left the party and formed an association named Liberal Horizons,[87] that would be merged into the largerLiberal Democratic Party in March 2025.[88] Also in March, senatorAnnamaria Furlan left the PD and switched to IV.[89] For the 2025 membership campaign, Renzi choose as party iconAlcide De Gasperi, the formerChristian Democratic leader and Prime Minister who once said that he aimed at a "centre looking left".[90]
In September 2025, Renzi launched "Reformist House" as a new political umbrella for IV and other liberal and centrist forces.[91][92] The project was introduced with a new logo for the regional elections inCalabria,Tuscany andCampania. Renzi described it as a political space intended to balance the left-leaning branches of the coalition and to help the centre-left win future general elections.[93]
Italia Viva is considered aliberal andreformist party.[94] Its "Charter of Values", presented in October 2019, referred to republican andanti-fascist values expressed in theConstitution of Italy, as well as in theCharter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights.[95] The movement also emphasised the principle ofgender equality, the relaunch ofglobalisation and a strong opposition to all forms ofprotectionism andsouverainism.[96] It also supported a more incisive European political and economic integration, with the direct election of thePresident of the European Commission and the introduction of transnational lists.[97]
Renzi described his party as a "young, innovative andfeminist house, where new ideas for Italy and Europe are launched."[98] Additionally, Renzi has likened IV toEmmanuel Macron'sLa République En Marche! (REM).[99][100]
| Chamber of Deputies | |||||
| Election year | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | IntoA–IV | 7.8 | 9 / 400 |  9 | |
| Senate of the Republic | |||||
| Election year | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | IntoA–IV | 7.8 | 5 / 200 | 5 | |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Matteo Renzi | IntoUSE | 0 / 76 | New | – | |
| Region | Election year | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Status in legislature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aosta Valley | 2020 | In a joint list withAV andEdelweiss | 0 / 35 | – | No seats | |
| Lombardy | 2023 | IntoAction – Italia Viva | 2 / 80 | 2 | Opposition | |
| Veneto | 2020 | In a joint list withPSI andPRI | 0 / 51 | – | No seats | |
| Friuli-Venezia Giulia | 2023 | IntoAction – Italia Viva | 0 / 48 | – | No seats | |
| Emilia-Romagna | 2024 | Into De Pascale list | 0 / 50 |  1 | No seats | |
| Liguria | 2020 | In a joint list withMore Europe andPSI | 0 / 41 | – | No seats | |
| Tuscany | 2020 | In a joint list withMore Europe | 2 / 41 | 2 | Majority | |
| Lazio | 2023 | IntoAction – Italia Viva | 2 / 51 | 2 | Opposition | |
| Apulia | 2020 | 18,025 (14th) | 1.1 | 0 / 51 | – | No seats |
| Campania | 2020 | 173,870 (5th) | 7.4 | 4 / 41 | 4 | Majority |
| Sicily | 2022 | IntoAction – Italia Viva | 0 / 70 | – | No seats | |
| Member parties |
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| Leadership |
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