Veltroniani | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Walter Veltroni |
| Other members | Francesco Rutelli Paolo Gentiloni |
| Ideology | Social democracy Social liberalism Christian left |
| Political position | Centre-left |
Veltroniani referred to the followers ofWalter Veltroni, leader of theDemocratic Party, apolitical party in Italy, from 2007 to 2009. Most of them are social democrats coming from theDemocrats of the Left.
Apart the core group ofVeltroniani, there are some distinct factions within the Democratic Party whose members are usually consideredveltroniani:
During Veltroni's leadership, leading members of the area wereGoffredo Bettini,Giorgio Tonini andEnrico Morando.[1][2] Then there was a group of formerRutelliani, including notablyPaolo Gentiloni andErmete Realacci, who became very close to Veltroni and to his idea of Democratic Party.[3] In strict termsVeltroniani are generally progressives and modernizers, as opposed toDalemiani who are more traditional social democrats.[4]
After the departure of Veltroni from party leadership in February 2009,Veltroniani talked about organizing their faction,[5][6] but finally there was a split between the staunch supporters of the new leaderDario Franceschini and those who soon started to criticize him. The first group includes mainly centrist figures, notably Tonini and Realacci, while the latter, mainly social democrats coming from theItalian Communist Party, led by Bettini andMichele Meta, launched a new faction, theDemocrats in Network.[7][8]
In the2009 Democratic Party leadership election the bulk ofVeltroniani and Veltroni himself supported Franceschini,[9][10] while the Democrats in Netweork of Bettini and Meta supportedIgnazio Marino.[11][12]Pier Luigi Bersani was elected secretary and mostVeltroniani joinedAreaDem, the united minority faction led by Franceschini. However, when Franceschini re-approached with Bersani, Veltroni formed a "movement" to defend the "original spirit" of the PD.[13] In doing this he was supported by 75 deputies: 33Veltroniani, 35Populars close toGiuseppe Fioroni and 7 formerRutelliani led byPaolo Gentiloni.[14][15] The new faction was namedDemocratic Movement.[16]
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