Italian Radicals Radicali Italiani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary | Filippo Blengino |
| President | Matteo Hallissey |
| Founded | 14 July 2001; 24 years ago (2001-07-14) |
| Preceded by | Radical Party (not legal predecessor) |
| Headquarters | Via Angelo Bargoni 32–36, 00153Rome |
| Newspaper | Notizie Radicali Quaderni Radicali |
| Membership(2024) | 519[1] |
| Ideology | Liberalism Libertarianism |
| Political position | Centre |
| National affiliation | Centre-left coalition (2004–2013, 2017–present) More Europe (2017–2022, 2024–present) United States of Europe (2024) |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| Colours | Yellow |
| Chamber of Deputies | 1 / 400 (0.3%) |
| Senate | 0 / 205 (0%) |
| European Parliament | 0 / 76 (0%) |
| Regional Councils | 0 / 897 |
| Website | |
| radicali.it | |
TheItalian Radicals (Italian:Radicali Italiani,RI) are aliberal[2][3][4] andlibertarian[5][6][7]political party in Italy. The party draws inspiration form 19th-centuryclassical radicalism and theRadical Party. The RI are a member of theAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party[8] and were previously a member of theLiberal International.[9]
Established on 14 July 2001 withDaniele Capezzone as its first secretary, the party describes itself as "liberale,liberista [and]libertario", whereliberale refers to political liberalism,liberista is an Italian term foreconomic liberalism, andlibertario[10] denotes a form ofcultural liberalism concerning moral and social issues.[11]
From 2001 to 2017, the party intended to be the Italian section of theTransnational Radical Party (TRP) as the continuation of the Radical Party founded in 1955 by the left wing of theItalian Liberal Party and re-launched in the 1960s byMarco Pannella. As the Radical Party had become a transnationalnon-governmental organization working mainly at theUnited Nations level, which by statute could not participate in national elections, its Italian members organised themselves into thePannella List between 1992 and 1999 and theBonino List until 2001, when they established the RI. In 2017, the TRP broke with the RI. From 2017 to 2022 and again since 2024 the RI have been associated withMore Europe (+E), a broader liberal party led by Radicals or former Radicals.Quaderni Radicali andNotizie Radicali are the party's newspapers.[12]Radio Radicale is the officialradio station of the party; in December 2008, it was awarded byItalia Oggi as the "best specialized radio broadcaster".[13]
TheRadical Party was long aleft-libertarian movement in Italy, often proposing itself as the most extreme opposition to the Italian political establishment. WhenSilvio Berlusconi entered the political arena in 1994, the Radicals, who were then organised mostly into thePannella List and were attracted by Berlusconi's proposedeconomic liberalism, supported him, albeit critically and without becoming directly involved in his centre-rightfirst government (1994–1995), in the hope of a "liberal revolution" as opposed to the conservative andstatist political establishment represented by traditional parties.[citation needed]
The relationship between the Radicals and Berlusconi, whose allies includedsocially conservative groups at odds with the Radicals'cultural liberalism, soon ended. In the1999 European Parliament election, theBonino List obtained 8.7% of the vote and seven MEPs, includingEmma Bonino,Marco Pannella,Marco Cappato andBenedetto Della Vedova. However, the Radicals were not able to convert that electoral success into a more stable political influence, as subsequent elections would show.
Shortly after the 1999 election, they deserted Berlusconi's proposal of welcoming them back into the centre-right fold and instead formed the Committee of Radicals for the Liberal Revolution and the United States of Europe, led by Cappato. In the run-up of the 2000 regional elections, the opposite happened: Berlusconi's conservative allies posed a veto on the Radicals, who wanted to re-compose the alliance. Consequently, they ran independent bids in most regions, obtaining elects only inPiedmont andLombardy.
In 2001, after a defeat in thegeneral election (only 2.3% of the vote and no seats), they re-organised themselves as Italian Radicals and elected 28-year-oldDaniele Capezzone as secretary and Della Vedova,Rita Bernardini andLuca Coscioni as joint presidents.
In the run-up of the2005 regional elections, the Radicals understood that their isolation was no longer sustainable and took the unprecedented step of contextually asking to join either the centre-rightHouse of Freedoms or the centre-leftThe Union, regardless of their respective political platforms. The request was turned down by both coalitions, but the effort opened the way for the party's re-positionment in the Italian party system.
In November 2005, the Radicals formed an alliance with theItalian Democratic Socialists (SDI),[14] becomingde facto members of The Union coalition for the2006 general election. The "rose in the fist", the symbol of theSocialist International (which included the SDI) which the Radical Party bought from the FrenchSocialist Party, was chosen for the joint list that was thus namedRose in the Fist (RnP). This decision led those Radicals who were more keen on an alliance with the centre-right to split: this group, led by Della Vedova, launched theLiberal Reformers and joined the House of Freedoms, eventually merging into Berlusconi'sForza Italia.
In the election, the list won a mere 2.6% of the vote, much less than the combined support for the two parties before the alliance (the Radicals alone got 2.3% in the2004 European Parliament election). The Radicals lost voters in their strongholds in the North to Forza Italia, while the Socialists lost ground in their southern heartlands toThe Olive Tree parties (seeelectoral results of the RnP). After the election, Bonino was sworn in as Minister of European Affairs and International Trade in theProdi II Cabinet.
In November 2006, after a row with Pannella, Capezzone was forced not to run again for secretary and was replaced by rank-and-file Bernardini. Since then, although not officially leaving, Capezzone became very critical of the government and formed his own political association namedDecide!, closer to the centre-right than the centre-left. Later on, Capezzone entered Forza Italia and became the party's spokesman.
In November 2007, the RnP was disbanded as the SDI merged with minor Socialist parties to form the modern-dayItalian Socialist Party. The Radicals were at a new turning-point of their history. In the run-up of the 2007 congress, Pannella declared that the party should "give absolute priority to economic, liberal and libertarian reforms rather than the civil struggle to Vatican power, prepotency and arrogance", which had been central in 2006.[15][16] This did not mean a reconciliation with the centre-right.
In the2008 general election, the Radicals stood for re-election in list with theDemocratic Party (PD). Under an agreement with PD's leaderWalter Veltroni, six deputies and three senators were elected. After the election, Bonino was appointed Vice President of theSenate and the Radicals joined the PD's parliamentary groups. In June, Bernardini,Maria Antonietta Coscioni andElisabetta Zamparutti (all three elected MPs) were replaced byAntonella Casu,Bruno Mellano andMichele De Lucia as secretary, president and treasurer, respectively.[17] In November, the new leadership was confirmed by the national congress.[18]
In the2009 European Parliament election, the Radicals ran separately from the PD under the banner ofBonino-Pannella List. Having obtained 2.4% of the vote, they failed to return any MEPs and were excluded from the assembly for the first time in 30 years. In November,Mario Staderini replaced Casu as secretary.[19]
Bonino ran for President ofLazio for thecentre-left coalition in the2010 regional election, but was defeated byRenata Polverini.
In January 2013, the party announced that it would contest theupcoming general election on a stand-alone electoral list called Amnesty, Justice and Freedom (Aministia, Giustizia, e Libertà).[20][21] In the election, the party received 0.2% of the vote, returning no deputies and senators.[22][23] However, in April and after two months of failed attempts at forming a new government, thanks to her international standing and Pannella's lobbying efforts, Bonino was sworn in asMinister of Foreign Affairs in theLetta Cabinet. The cabinet lasted until 22 February 2014, when it was replaced by theRenzi Cabinet, which did not include Bonino.
In November 2013, the party elected a new leadership: Bernardini secretary,Laura Arconti president andValerio Federico treasurer.[24] The party did not take part in the2014 European Parliament election, partly due to lack of funds.
During the annual party congress in November 2015,Riccardo Magi was elected secretary and Cappato president. Pannella, who did not speak at the congress, opposed the change, while Bonino, who was no longer in good terms with the old leader, did not even take part in the congress.[25][26][27][28] However, in the following months Bonino decided to side with Magi and Cappato, who launched "Radical" lists for the 2016 municipal elections inRome andMilan, in a move opposed by the leadership of the TRP, especiallyMaurizio Turco.[29][30] The lists obtained 1.2%[31] and 1.9%,[32] respectively, and in both cases they supported the candidates put forward by the PD, either in the first or the second round, opening the way for the party's rapprochement with the centre-left at country-level.
In May 2016, Pannella, who had long suffered from cancer, died and Italian politicians from across the entire political spectrum paid tribute to him.[33][34]
In the event, the party found itself increasingly divided in two factions: on one side Magi, Cappato and Staderini (who were backed by Bonino), on the other Turco, Bernardini and most of the staff ofRadio Radicale (who were closer to the late Pannella). The former focused more on Italian politics and elections, while the latter were more interested in the activity of theTransnational Radical Party (TRP) and no longer in playing an active role in elections (as suggested by Pannella).[35][36]
The fracture was evident in September 2016 at the congress of the TRP, during which the faction of Turco and Bernardini soundly beat the other wing.[37][38][39][40] At the November 2016 congress, in turn the RI confirmed Magi as secretary, while electingAntonella Soldo as president.[41][42]
In February 2017, the TRP severed its ties with the RI (who were accused of boycotting the TRP) and the latter were forced out of the Radical headquarters.[43][44][45][46][47]
In November 2017, the RI formed, along with Della Vedova'sForza Europa (FE) and some members of theCivics and Innovators (CI),More Europe (+E), a pro-Europeanist list for the2018 general election, led by Bonino.[48][49][50] +E was part of thecentre-left coalition led byMatteo Renzi and the PD.
The list won 2.6% of the vote in the election, falling short of the 3% threshold, but Bonino was elected to the Senate in a single-seat constituency in Rome, Magi to the Chamber also from Rome andAlessandro Fusacchia from the European constituency of Italians abroad. Contextually, the list obtained 2.1% and one regional councillor in theLombard regional election and 2.1% and one regional councillor also in the2018 regional election.
In July 2018, +E started to organise itself as a full-fledged party. It was decided that a committee, presided byGianfranco Spadaccia (a long-time Radical), would lead +E until the founding congress, scheduled for January 2019. The newly formed committee appointed Della Vedova as coordinator.[51] In November, following his election to Parliament, Magi was replaced bySilvja Manzi as secretary; at the same congressBarbara Bonvicini was elected president and Antonella Soldo treasurer.[52][53] One year later, Manzi, Bonvicini and Soldo were respectively replaced byMassimiliano Iervolino,Igor Boni andGiulia Crivellini.[54]
In August 2019, tensions grew within the coalition supporting the Conte government, leading to the issuing of a motion of no-confidence by theLeague.[55] During the followinggovernment crisis, the M5S and the PD agreed to form a new cabinet together, under outgoing Prime Minister Conte.[56] In September, +E decided not to support the newly formedConte II Cabinet, despite opposition by Tabacci, Magi and Fusacchia.[57][58] The three voted in favour of the government in the Chamber, while Bonino voted against it in the Senate.[59] In October, Fusacchia announced he was leaving +E.[60]
In November 2020, Magi and Bonino formed joint sub-groups in theMixed Groups of the Chamber and the Senate respectively, together with the deputies and senators affiliated withAction, a political party led byCarlo Calenda. The sub-group in the Chamber continued to include "Italian Radicals" in its name.[61][62]
The party supported thecentre-left coalition in the2022 general election,[63] with no candidates and elects.
The 2023 annual party congress was due in December, but was suspended due to irregularities.[64][65] The congress was thus rescheduled in January 2024: internal elections were deserted by the party's old guard and, as a result, 20-year-oldMatteo Hallissey was elected secretary, 25-year-oldPatrizia De Grazia president and 23-year-oldFilippo Blengino treasurer.[66][67][68]
In March 2024, in the run-up of the2024 European Parliament election, the party was a founding member of a broad, liberal and pro-Europeanist list named "United States of Europe", along with More Europe,Italia Viva, theItalian Socialist Party and theEuropean Liberal Democrats, in order to overcome the 4% electoral threshold.[69][70] In late April the list was joined also byL'Italia c'è.[71]
In December 2024, during the party's annual congress,Filippo Blengino was elected secretary and Hallissey president.[72] In February 2025, the latter presented a list at More Europe'sfourth congress, obtaining around 11% of delegates, and was finally elected president with 69.5% of the vote, by defeating former More Europe secretary and former Italian Radicals president Della Vedova, who obtained 30.5%.[73]
According to the party statute,[74] the RI is both a "liberal,liberist andlibertarian" party, and a non-ideological, pragmatic, and open movement. The party is the only Italian political movement that consents to dual membership with other parties. The Italian Radicals has been described as representing "the most significant expression" of "libertarianism ... in the Italian context".Libertarianism in this sense is defined as follows:[2] "In emphasising the importance of individual liberty and personal responsibility with respects to all matters, libertarians argued that the only thing that may legtimately be demanded of others is non-interference. Hence, libertarians oppose state intervention to help individuals achieve self-realization (e.g., through welfare measures) or to protect them from themselves (e.g., through legislation against the sale and use of drugs). And on the same grounds they staunchly support private property and unregulated markets."[75][failed verification] According to Tom Lansford, the party is a mostly libertarian, middle-class political grouping standing forcivil andhuman rights.[5]
The RI claims the legacy of Risorgimento radical-republican figures such asCarlo Cattaneo,[76]Giuseppe Mazzini,[77] andFelice Cavallotti, and 19th-century liberal and socialist intellectuals asGaetano Salvemini,[78] the brothersCarlo andNello Rosselli,Benedetto Croce,[79] and party ideologueErnesto Rossi.[80] Internationally, the RI political thought is influenced by ideas ofMartin Luther King Jr.,Mahatma Gandhi,Immanuel Kant andKarl Popper.[81]
The Radicals have long adoptedreferendums to bring political changes. Since 1974, theRadical Party and its successor RI had purposed more than 110 referendums and were successful 35 times.[82] Other political methods have included Gandhi-inspirednonviolence, theSatyagraha, also adopting extreme tactics likehunger strike and, occasionally, thirst strike.[83][84] Pannella became involved in nonviolence after a long-time association withAldo Capitini, a pacifist activist nicknamed the "Italian Gandhi".[85]
On fiscal issues, the RI is usuallyliberal, supporting non-interventionist and free-market policies, but in recent times accepted part of thewelfare state system, especially on healthcare. The RI is divided in two wings, i.e., the Friedmanians, who are influenced byMilton Friedman and theChicago School, and the Keynesians, who supportneo-Keynesian orpost-Keynesian economics.[86] This divide declined in the 2010s, when it adopted moderate liberal trends on economy.[87]
On social issues, the RI appears as the most progressive party in Italy. The RI fully supports progressive stances includingsame-sex marriage,LGBT adoption,abortion,artificial insemination andeuthanasia, vocally advocating for anadvance healthcare directive (AHD).[88] On healthcare, the RI support universal healthcare with possibility to choose between state-managed service and private insurances. The RI also calls for the legalization ofprostitution[89] andcannabis[90][91] while enforcing the fight against hard drugs like heroin withharm reduction methods. On immigration, the RI supportsius soli policy and faster legal integration of regular immigrants, granting them citizenship and theright to vote.[92][93] The RI criticises sentiment against illegal immigrants, rejecting the "invasion" theory supported byfar-rightists.[94] On religious affairs, the RI follows the historical Radical Party's position ofanti-clericalism,[95] calling for the abolition ofLateran Treaty (approved in 1929 and modified in 1984) and secularisation. The party is a strong critic of the Catholic-dominated politics, underlining the ghettoisation of religious minorities, including atheists and agnostics.[96]
On foreign affairs issues, the RI has been a keen supporter ofEuropean federalism,[97][98][99]non-interventionism,Atlanticism[100] andZionism, while advocating atwo-state solution.[101][102] The party is also a strong supporter ofenlargement of the European Union including towardsTurkey,Morocco,Israel andPalestine[103][104] and is a strong opponent of dictatorial-like states such as China, Russia and Syria. Despite their non-interventionism, the RI is not pacifist and supports war actions where civil rights are absent and minorities endangered, e.g., theKosovo andAfghanistan wars. The RI had supported several cultural and social mobilisations in support of several persecuted ethnic and religious minorities including theTibetans, theUyghurs, theDegar and theChechens.
| Year | Votes | % | ± pp | Rank | Seats | +/– | Leader | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 990,694 | 2.60 |  0.36 | 7th | 7 / 630 | 7 | Emma Bonino | Into theRose in the Fist |
| 2008 | N/A | 6 / 630 |  1 | Emma Bonino | Into theDemocratic Party | |||
| 2013 | 64,732 | 0.19 | 2.41 | 19th | 0 / 630 | 6 | Marco Pannella | Into theAmnesty Justice Freedom List |
| 2018 | 841,468 | 2.56 | 2.37 | 7th | 3 / 630 | 3 | Emma Bonino | IntoMore Europe |
| Year | Votes | % | ± pp | Rank | Seats | +/– | Leader | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 851,604 | 2.49 | 0.49 | 9th | 0 / 315 |  0 | Emma Bonino | Into theRose in the Fist |
| 2008 | N/A | 3 / 315 | 3 | Emma Bonino | Into theDemocratic Party | |||
| 2013 | 63,149 | 0.20 | 2.29 | 18th | 0 / 315 | 3 | Marco Pannella | Into theAmnesty Justice Freedom List |
| 2018 | 714,821 | 2.37 | 2.17 | 7th | 1 / 315 | 1 | Emma Bonino | Into theMore Europe |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Emma Bonino | IntoBonino List | 2 / 72 | New | ALDE | |
| 2009 | IntoBonino-Pannella List | 0 / 72 | 2 | – | ||
| 2014 | Did not contest | 0 / 72 | 0 | |||
| 2019 | Emma Bonino | IntoMore Europe | 0 / 76 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | IntoUSE | 0 / 76 | 0 | |||
