View source for Democrats of the Left

{{short description|Italian political party}}
{{about|the Italian political party active in 1998–2007|for its predecessor|Democratic Party of the Left}}
{{use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox political party
| country         = Italy
| name            = Democrats of the Left
| native_name     = Democratici di Sinistra
| logo            = Democratici di Sinistra.svg
| foundation      = {{start date and age|1998|02|14|df=y}}
| dissolution     = {{end date and age|2007|10|14|df=y}}
| leader1_title   = Secretary
| leader1_name    = {{ublist
 | [[Massimo D'Alema]] (first)
 | [[Piero Fassino]] (last)
}}
| leader2_title   = President
| leader2_name    = [[Massimo D'Alema]]
| headquarters    = Via Palermo 12, [[Rome]]
| predecessor     = [[Democratic Party of the Left]]
| merged          = [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]]
| membership_year = 2007
| membership      = 615,414<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.corriere.it/Speciali/Politica/2007/congresso_DS/articoli/index4.shtml|title=Ds: Tutti i numeri del quarto congresso|work=Corriere della Sera|date=19 April 2007|access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref>
| ideology        = [[Social democracy]]
| position        = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]
| youth_wing      = [[Youth Left (Italy)|Youth Left]]
| national        = {{ublist
 | [[The Olive Tree (Italy)|The Olive Tree]] (1998–2007)
 | [[The Union (Italy)|The Union]] (2004–2007)
}}
| international   = [[Socialist International]]
| european        = {{nowrap|[[Party of European Socialists]]}}
| europarl        = [[Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats|Party of European Socialists]]
| colors          = {{Color box|{{party color|Democrats of the Left}}|border=darkgray}} [[Red (politics)|Red]] 
| colorcode       = {{party color|Democrats of the Left}}
}}

The '''Democrats of the Left''' ({{langx|it|Democratici di Sinistra}}, DS) was a [[social-democratic]] political party in Italy.<ref>{{cite book|author=André Krouwel|title=Party Transformations in European Democracies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w4DMRL66gOIC&pg=PA333|access-date=14 February 2013|year=2012|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-1-4384-4483-3|page=333}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Marcus E. Ethridge|author2=Howard Handelman|title=Politics in a Changing World: A Comparative Introduction to Political Science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6RkLVlONHyUC&pg=PA157|access-date=17 August 2012|year=2009|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-495-57048-6|page=157}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Donald F. Busky|title=Communism in History and Theory: The European Experience|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UABjSQ5v2_8C&pg=PA57|access-date=24 August 2012|year=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-97734-4|page=57}}</ref> Positioned on the [[centre-left]],<ref>{{cite book|author=Pietro Castelli Gattinara|chapter=Appendix 2|title=The Politics of Migration in Italy: Perspectives on Local Debates and Party Competition|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y1D7CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA192|year= 2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-24174-4|page=192}}</ref> the DS, successor of the [[Democratic Party of the Left]] (PDS) and the [[Italian Communist Party]], was formed in 1998 upon the merger of the PDS with several minor parties. A member of [[The Olive Tree (Italy)|The Olive Tree]] coalition, the DS was successively led by [[Massimo D'Alema]], [[Walter Veltroni]], and [[Piero Fassino]], and merged with [[Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy]] and a number of minor centre-left parties to form the [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]] in October 2007.<ref>{{cite book|author=Donatella M. Viola|chapter=Italy|title=Routledge Handbook of European Elections|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7stgCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA116|year=2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-50363-7|page=116}}</ref>

==History==
=== Background and foundation ===
At its 20th congress in 1991, the [[Italian Communist Party]] (PCI) was transformed into the [[Democratic Party of the Left]] (PDS), responding to the [[Revolutions of 1989]] in eastern Europe by re-orienting the party towards the European democratic socialist tradition.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Daniela Giannetti |author2=Rosa Mulé |chapter=The Democratici di Sinistra: In Search of a New Identity |editor1=Anna Bosco |editor2=Leonardo Morlino |title=Party Change in Southern Europe |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IbHdAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA123 |year=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-76777-7 |page=123}}</ref> Under the leadership of [[Massimo D'Alema]], the PDS merged with some minor centre-left movements ([[Labour Federation (Italy)|Labour Federation]], [[Social Christians]], [[Republican Left (Italy)|Republican Left]], [[Movement of Unitarian Communists]], Reformists for Europe, and [[Democratic Federation (Sardinia)|Democratic Federation]]) on 13 February 1998 to form the Democrats of the Left (DS).<ref>{{cite book |author=Donatella M. Viola |chapter=Italy |title=Routledge Handbook of European Elections |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7stgCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA126 |year=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-50363-7 |page=126}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Daniela Giannetti |author2=Michael Laver |editor1=Daniela Giannetti |editor2=Kenneth Benoit |chapter=Party cohesion, party discipline, and party factions in Europe |title=Intra-Party Politics and Coalition Governments |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IKp9AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA152 |year=2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-04288-3 |page=152}}</ref>

The DS' symbol lacked the [[hammer and sickle | hammer-and-sickle]], which had featured in the PDS logo; it was replaced by the red [[rose]] of European social democracy as used by the [[Party of European Socialists]] (PES). [[Massimo D'Alema]] became [[Prime Minister of Italy]] in October 1998, the first former Communist to hold the post.  [[Walter Veltroni]] succeeded D'Alema as the leader of DS. During the party's first national congress in January 2000, Veltroni received the support of the 79.9% of delegates, while the left wing of the party, at the time led by three women ([[Anna Finocchiaro]], [[Fulvia Bandoli]], and [[Pasqualina Napoletano]]), had the support of 20.1% of delegates.

=== Leadership of Piero Fassino ===
During the party's second national congress in November 2001, [[Piero Fassino]], a mainstream social-democrat, was elected secretary with 61.8% of party members' votes. In the event, [[Giovanni Berlinguer]], endorsed by left-wingers, democratic socialists, and the [[Italian General Confederation of Labour]] (CGIL) trade union, gained 34.1%, while [[Enrico Morando]], from the liberal right-wing, got 4.1%. Contextually, D'Alema was elected president. During the third national congress in February 2005, Fassino was re-elected with 79.0% of the vote. While no one stood against Fassino, left-wing candidates ran for congressional delegates: the ''DS Left – returning to win'' motion/list won 14.6% of the vote; ''DS Left for Socialism'', 4.0%; and the ''Ecologist Left'', 2.4%.

===2006 general election===
In the [[2006 Italian general election]], the DS endorsed [[Romano Prodi]] for Prime Minister and formed part of [[The Olive Tree (Italy)|The Olive Tree]] [[electoral list]] {{--}} along with [[Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy]] (DL) and the [[European Republicans Movement]] (MRE) {{--}} for the [[Chamber of Deputies (Italy)|Chamber of Deputies]], while fielding its own list for the [[Senate of the Republic (Italy)|Senate of the Republic]]. The DS–DL–MRE joint list obtained 31.2% of the vote and 220 deputies, while the DS list won 17.2% and 62 senate seats. The party's dismal result and the razor-thin win of [[The Union (Italy)|The Union]] coalition over the centre-right [[House of Freedoms]] coalition prompted a discussion on the party's future. By the end of 2006, the party leaders had committed to a merger with DL. Nine Ministers of the [[Prodi II Cabinet]] were affiliated to the DS, notably including D'Alema, who served as [[Deputy Prime Minister of Italy]] and [[Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs]]. [[Giorgio Napolitano]], another DS member, was elected [[President of Italy]] in May 2006 and re-elected in April 2013 for a second term.

===Merger into the Democratic Party===
The party's fourth national congress took place from 19 to 21 April 2007. During local congresses, Fassino and his motion named ''For the Democratic Party'', backed by most leading members (D'Alema, [[Pier Luigi Bersani]], and [[Antonio Bassolino]], among others), received the support of 75.6% of party members. The left wing of [[Fabio Mussi]], [[Cesare Salvi]], [[Fulvia Bandoli]], and [[Valdo Spini]] (''To the Left. For European Socialism'') scored 15.0%; this motion was instead opposed to the merger of the DS with DL. A third motion (''For a New, Democratic and Socialist Party''), signed by [[Gavino Angius]], [[Mauro Zani]], and originally by [[Giuseppe Caldarola]], took 9.3% of the vote; its members (gathered in the new [[Socialists and Europeans]] faction) supported the creation of a new party only within the PES, which was opposed by the DL. As a result, the DS approved the formation of a Democratic Party, along with DL and minor parties. Most supporters of the two motions which had opposed the merger left the DS immediately after the congress and launched the [[Democratic Left (Italy)|Democratic Left]] on 5 May 2007, which aimed to unite the heterogeneous Italian left.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Daniela Giannetti |author2=Michael Laver |chapter=Party cohesion, party discipline, and party factions in Italy |editor1=Daniela Giannetti |editor2=Kenneth Benoit |title=Intra-Party Politics and Coalition Governments |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IKp9AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA154 |year=2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-04288-3 |page=154}}</ref>

The [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]] (PD) formed in October 2007. Its first secretary was [[Walter Veltroni]], a former DS leader who was elected leader of the new party through a [[2007 Democratic Party (Italy) leadership election|leadership election]], which saw the participation of over 3.5 million Italian voters. Veltroni won 75.8% of the vote.

==Factions==
Inside the DS, there was often a somewhat simplistic distinction between reformists (''riformisti'') and radicals (''radicali''), indicating respectively the party's mainstream and its left wing. The party also included several organised factions. The [[social-democratic]] majority was loosely organised, while including several organised movements: the [[Labour Federation (Italy)|Labourites – Liberal Socialists]] and Sicily's Reformist Movement, both splinter groups of the [[Italian Socialist Party]]; Reformist Europe, a splinter group of the [[Democratic Union (Italy)|Democratic Union]] led by [[Giorgio Benvenuto]] (previously named Reformists for Europe); the [[Social Christians]], which had emerged from the left wing of [[Christian Democracy (Italy)|Christian Democracy]]; the [[Republican Left (Italy)|Republican Left]], from the left wing of the [[Italian Republican Party]]; and the [[Liberal Left]], from the left wing of the [[Italian Liberal Party]]. A dissident group left the Labourites in order to launch [[Democracy and Socialism|Socialists and Europeans]] as a vehicle to oppose the party's merger with DL. On the party's right, the [[Liberal DS]] had a moderate [[Third Way]] or [[radical centrist]] political agenda and joined the party's majority in latter years.

Before the party's last congress in 2007, the left-wing opposition was led by the ''DS Left – Returning to win'', a democratic-socialist grouping, with other smaller groups including ''DS Left – for Socialism'' and the ''Ecologist Left''. Before that, some DS leading members, including [[Pietro Ingrao]], [[Achille Occhetto]], and [[Pietro Folena]], had left the party in order to join the [[Communist Refoundation Party]], which at its sixth congress held in January 2005 moved toward a more heterogeneous, non-sectarian, and strongly pacifist variety of leftism.

==Popular support==
The electoral results of DS (PDS until 1998) in general (Chamber of Deputies) and European Parliament elections from 1992 to 2006 are shown in chart below. The result for the 2006 general election refers to the election for the Senate (the DS contested the election for the Chamber of Deputies in a joint list with the DL).

{{Graph:Chart
|width=400
|type=rect
|colors=#FF0000
|xAxisTitle=
|xAxisAngle=-40
|x=1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 
|yAxisMin=0
|yAxisFormat=%
|yAxisTitle=% of popular vote
|y1=.161, 0, .204, 0, .211, 0, 0, 0.173, 0, .166, 0, 0, 0, 0, .172, 0, 
|y2=,,.191,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 
}}

The electoral results of the DS (PDS until 1998) in the 10 most populated [[regions of Italy]] are shown in the table below.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
|  ||'''1994 general'''||'''1995 regional'''||'''1996 general'''||'''1999 European'''||'''2000 regional'''||'''2001 general'''||'''2004 European'''||'''2005 regional'''||'''2006 general'''
|-
|'''Piedmont'''||16.7||21.7||16.9||13.7||17.7||15.9||<small>with Ulivo</small>||20.1 ||16.9
|-
|'''Lombardy'''||13.0||16.5||15.1||12.9||<small>with [[The Olive Tree (Italy)|Ulivo]]</small>||11.7||<small>with Ulivo</small>||<small>with Ulivo</small>||12.4
|-
|'''Veneto'''||12.2||16.5||11.8||11.1||12.3||10.7||<small>with Ulivo</small>||<small>with Ulivo</small>||11.5
|-
|'''Emilia-Romagna'''||36.6||43.0||35.7||32.8||36.2||28.8||<small>with Ulivo</small>||<small>with Ulivo</small>||30.6
|-
|'''Tuscany'''||33.7||40.9||34.8||31.9||36.4||30.9||<small>with Ulivo</small>||<small>with Ulivo</small>||29.8
|-
|'''Lazio'''||23.3||27.2||23.5||18.4||20.0||17.3||<small>with Ulivo</small>||<small>with Ulivo</small>||19.2
|-
|'''Campania'''||19.7||19.5||20.0||13.8||14.2||14.3||<small>with Ulivo</small>||15.3||14.1
|-
|'''Apulia'''||19.9||22.1||22.1||14.1||15.7||12.9||<small>with Ulivo</small>||16.6||15.6
|-
|'''Calabria'''||22.2||22.2||21.0||16.4||14.3||17.9||<small>with Ulivo</small>||15.4||14.4
|-
|'''Sicily'''||16.5||14.1 <small>(1996)</small>||16.6||12.0||10.1 <small>(2001)</small>||10.3||<small>with Ulivo</small>||14.0 <small>(2006)</small>||11.4
|-
|}

==Electoral results==

===Italian Parliament===
{| class=wikitable style="width:50%; border:1px #AAAAFF solid"
|-
| colspan=6|[[Chamber of Deputies (Italy)|Chamber of Deputies]]
|-
! width=13%|Election year
! width=16%|Votes
! width=6%|% 
! width=1%|Seats
! width=8%|+/−
! width=18%|Leader
|-
! [[2001 Italian general election|2001]]
| 6,151,154 (2nd)
| 16.6
| {{Composition bar|137|630|hex={{party color|Democrats of the Left}}}}
| {{center|–}}
| {{center|[[Walter Veltroni]]}}
|-
! [[2006 Italian general election|2006]]
| with [[The Olive Tree (Italy)|Ulivo]]
| –
| {{Composition bar|123|630|hex={{party color|Democrats of the Left}}}}
| {{center|{{decrease}} 14}}
| {{center|[[Piero Fassino]]}}
|}

{| class=wikitable style="width:50%; border:1px #AAAAFF solid"
|-
| colspan=6|[[Senate of the Republic (Italy)|Senate of the Republic]]
|-
! width=13%|Election year
! width=16%|Votes
! width=6%|% 
! width=1%|Seats
! width=8%|+/−
! width=18%|Leader
|-
! [[2001 Italian general election|2001]]
| with [[The Olive Tree (Italy)|Ulivo]]
| –
| {{Composition bar|64|315|hex={{party color|Democrats of the Left}}}}
| {{center|–}}
| {{center|[[Walter Veltroni]]}}
|-
! [[2006 Italian general election|2006]]
| 5,977,347 (2nd)
| 17.5
| {{Composition bar|62|315|hex={{party color|Democrats of the Left}}}}
| {{center|{{decrease}} 2}}
| {{center|[[Piero Fassino]]}}
|}

===European Parliament===
{| class=wikitable style="width:50%; border:1px #AAAAFF solid"
|-
| colspan=6|[[European Parliament]]
|-
! width=13%|Election year
! width=16%|Votes
! width=6%|% 
! width=1%|Seats
! width=8%|+/−
! width=18%|Leader
|-
! [[1999 European Parliament election in Italy|1999]]
| 5,387,729 (2nd)
| 17.3
| {{Composition bar|15|87|hex={{party color|Democrats of the Left}}}}
| {{center|–}}
| {{center|[[Walter Veltroni]]}}
|-
! [[2004 European Parliament election in Italy|2004]]
| with [[The Olive Tree (Italy)|Ulivo]]
| –
| {{Composition bar|12|78|hex={{party color|Democrats of the Left}}}}
| {{center|{{decrease}} 3}}
| {{center|[[Piero Fassino]]}}
|}

==Symbols==
<gallery>
File:DEMOCRATICI DI SINISTRA - 1.gif|1998
File:Democratici di Sinistra.svg|2004
</gallery>

==Leadership==
*Secretary: [[Massimo D'Alema]] (1998), [[Walter Veltroni]] (1998–2001), [[Piero Fassino]] (2001–2007)
**Coordinator: [[Marco Minniti]] (1998), [[Pietro Folena]] (1998–2001), [[Vannino Chiti]] (2001–2004), [[Vannino Chiti]] / [[Maurizio Migliavacca]] (2004–2006), [[Maurizio Migliavacca]] (2006–2007)
**Organizational Secretary: [[Pietro Folena]] (1998), [[Franco Passuello]] (1998–2001), [[Maurizio Migliavacca]] (2001–2004), [[Marina Sereni]] (2004–2006), [[Andrea Orlando]] (2006–2007)
*President: [[Massimo D'Alema]] (2000–2007)
*Party Leader in the [[Italian Chamber of Deputies|Chamber of Deputies]]: [[Fabio Mussi]] (1998–2001), [[Luciano Violante]] (2001–2006), [[Marina Sereni]] (deputy-leader of the [[The Olive Tree (Italy)|Olive Tree]]'s group, 2006–2007)
*Party Leader in the [[Italian Senate|Senate]]: [[Gavino Angius]] (1998–2006), [[Anna Finocchiaro]] (leader of the [[The Olive Tree (Italy)|Olive Tree]]'s group, 2006–2007)
*Party Leader in the [[European Parliament]]: [[Renzo Imbeni]] (1998–1999), [[Pasqualina Napoletano]] (1999–2004), [[Nicola Zingaretti]] (2004–2006), [[Giovanni Pittella]] (2006–2009)

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.dsonline.it Official website]
{{Italian Communist Party}}
{{Historical Italian political parties}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Democrats of The Left}}
[[Category:1998 establishments in Italy]]
[[Category:2007 disestablishments in Italy]]
[[Category:Defunct social democratic parties in Italy]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in Italy]]
[[Category:Former member parties of the Socialist International]]
[[Category:Party of European Socialists member parties]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 2007]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1998]]