The People of Freedom

The People of Freedom (Italian: Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy founded by Silvio Berlusconi. It started as an electoral group for the 2008 Italian general election, bringing together Forza Italia and the National Alliance. Soon after, it became an official party in March 2009.

The PdL played a big role in Italian politics. It supported Mario Monti's government in 2011–2012 and later joined Enrico Letta's government alongside the Democratic Party and other groups. One of its leaders, Angelino Alfano, served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.

In 2013, Silvio Berlusconi announced the revival of Forza Italia, leading to the PdL being dissolved. Most members joined the new Forza Italia party, while some, like Alfano, formed the New Centre-Right. This change marked the end of the People of Freedom as a single party, but its influence continued through these new groups.

History

Background

Before the 2006 Italian general election, the House of Freedoms coalition talked about merging into one big party. Forza Italia, National Alliance, and the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats were interested. But after the election, the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats started to distance themselves, and Lega Nord wasn’t interested because it focused on a specific region.

"Running board revolution"

In 2007, Silvio Berlusconi proposed creating a “freedom party” at a big rally in Rome. Later, Michela Brambilla registered the name “Freedom Party” for him. Berlusconi claimed his supporters collected over 7 million signatures asking for a new election. From a car in Milan, he announced plans to merge Forza Italia into a new party, calling it the “running board revolution.”

Foundation and early years

In 2008, the Prodi government fell, leading to a new election. Forza Italia and National Alliance formed a joint list called The People of Freedom (PdL). Several smaller groups joined too. In the 2008 election, PdL won 37.4% of the vote, becoming Italy’s largest party. In 2009, PdL officially became a party during its first congress in Rome. Berlusconi was elected president.

Berlusconi vs. Fini

Between 2009 and 2010, Gianfranco Fini, former leader of National Alliance, criticized Berlusconi’s leadership. Fini wanted more structure in the party and disagreed with Berlusconi’s style. This led to tensions. In 2010, Fini and his supporters formed their own group called Future and Freedom, leaving PdL.

Re-organisation and discontents

In 2011, PdL faced losses in local elections, including Milan. Angelino Alfano was chosen to reorganize the party. He led a membership drive and steered the party toward Christian-democratic ideas. Some members left due to these changes.

Berlusconi's resignation

In 2011, Berlusconi announced he would step down after passing a budget bill. Later that year, Mario Monti became the new Prime Minister, and PdL supported his government under certain conditions.

2013 general election

In 2012, Berlusconi said he wouldn’t run again for Prime Minister. But in December, he changed his mind and decided to run. In early 2013, most of the party supported him again. PdL took part in the February 2013 election in a coalition with several other parties. They won 21.6% of the vote.

Revival of Forza Italia

In 2013, Berlusconi announced the revival of Forza Italia and planned to transform PdL into a centre-right coalition. Later that year, he was convicted for tax evasion. In November, PdL was formally dissolved and replaced by the new Forza Italia. Some members, led by Alfano, formed a separate group called New Centre-Right.

Ideology and factions

The People of Freedom party, or PdL, wanted to bring together ideas from two main groups: Forza Italia and National Alliance, plus some smaller groups. Forza Italia, started by Silvio Berlusconi in 1994, included many former Christian Democrats, Socialists, and Liberals. National Alliance came from a neo-fascist group but became a conservative party.

The PdL was a big party that included many different ideas. It focused on Christian values and liberal ideas, supporting traditional values and personal responsibility. It also supported European integration and turning Italy into a federal state.

The party had many different groups inside it, with ideas ranging from social democracy to national conservatism. Some groups were Christian democrats, liberal centrists, liberals, social democrats, liberal conservatives, national conservatives, and grassroots members. These groups sometimes agreed and sometimes disagreed on issues like the economy and social policies.

In later years, the party split into four main groups: doves, mediators, loyalists, and hawks. The doves wanted more independence from Berlusconi and supported the Letta Cabinet. The mediators wanted party unity. The loyalists supported Berlusconi and opposed Alfano's leadership. The hawks were strong supporters of Berlusconi and wanted him to take action against Letta's government.

Popular support

The People of Freedom party was most popular in parts of Southern Italy, like Campania, Apulia, and Sicily. It also had support in two northern regions, Lombardy and Veneto, though it faced strong competition there from another group called Lega Nord. By 2013, only four regions were led by governors from this party: Campania, Calabria, Abruzzo, and Sardinia. This was fewer than the regions controlled by the Democratic Party and its allies.

In the 2008 election, the party did very well in several regions, getting over 40% of the votes in places like Campania, Sicily, Apulia, Lazio, and Calabria. However, in the 2013 election, the party lost many votes and did not do as well.

The electoral results of the PdL in the regions of Italy are shown in the table below. As the party was launched in 2007, the electoral results from 1994 to 2006 refer to the combined result of the two main precursor parties: Forza Italia and National Alliance.

Electoral results

Italian Parliament

European Parliament

Leadership

The People of Freedom had several important leaders. Silvio Berlusconi was the president from 2008 to 2013. Angelino Alfano served as the secretary during the same time. Other key roles included coordinators like Sandro Bondi, Ignazio La Russa, and Denis Verdini, as well as leaders in important government groups such as the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate, and the European Parliament.

Symbols

The People of Freedom had two main logos. One was the official logo used for general purposes, and the other was an electoral logo used specifically for elections. These symbols helped people recognize the party during voting and other public events.

Official logo



Electoral logo