- The Right
Infobox_Italian_political_party
name_english = The Right
leader =
leader1_title = Secretary
leader1_name =Francesco Storace
leader2_title = President
leader2_name =Teodoro Buontempo
leader3_title =
leader3_name =
leader4_title =
leader4_name =
foundation =14 July 2007
dissolution =
headquarters = Via Sebastiano Conca, 6
00197Rome
newspaper = [http://www.ladestranews.it/ LaDestraNews]
membership_year=
membership = "unknown"
ideology =National conservatism ,Conservatism ,Libertarianism
coalition =The Right–Tricolour Flame
international = "none"
european = "none"
europarl =Union for Europe of the Nations
website = http://www.partitoladestra.com
colorcode = blueThe Right ("La Destra") is a national-conservative Italian political party.
History
Foundation
On 3 July 2007 Storace announced his resignation from National Alliance in a letter posted on his website, claiming that it had become too centrist and moderate and in protest against the lack of internal democracy in the party, and on 27 July he presented the new party.
On 10 November the party was officially founded in a constituent congress in
Rome . In that occasionSicilian Alliance ofNello Musumeci merged into The Right andDaniela Santanchè , leading woman member of AN, left the party to join the party [ [http://www.corriere.it/politica/07_novembre_10/santanche_destra_storace_an.shtml http://www.corriere.it/politica/07_novembre_10/santanche_destra_storace_an.shtml] ] , broadening its appeal, as she was close to the Italian Liberal Party and never joined theItalian Social Movement . In January 2008Unitalia , a minor party in theProvince of Bolzano , andTaverna List , a minor party in theProvince of Trento , were merged into The Right.As the party is organized as a federal structure, Unitalia and Taverna List became the provincial sections of the party in the Provinces of Bolzano and Trento, respectively, as Sicilian Alliance had become the regional section of the party in
Sicily . [ [http://www.consiglio-bz.org/press-fraktionen/frktn_news_i.asp?art=201434 Consiglio della Provincia autonoma di Bolzano | Comunicati stampa dei gruppi consiliari ] ]2008 general election
On 15 February 2008 it was announced that The Right will run the 2008 general election in alliance with
far right Tricolour Flame , outsideThe People of Freedom -led coalition. Daniela Santanchè will be the candidate for Prime Minister and leader of the joint list between the two parties. The joint list is known asThe Right–Tricolour Flame .On 18 January
Giancarlo Pagliarini , a libertarian and keen fiscal federalist who was a leading member of Lega Nord from1991 to2007 (he was even close to the independentist wing of the party), joined the party [http://www.aldorossi.org/la_destra_fed_roma/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=453] to head the coalition list inLombardy for the Senate.Despite several well-known candidates, the party gained only 2.4% and thus failed to surpass the 4% threshold for entering the Chamber of Deputies. Also Storace, who topped the list in his home-region
Lazio , failed re-election, as the coalition stopped at 3.2%, five points below the 8% regional threshold. [ [http://politiche.interno.it/ Ministero dell'Interno - Elezioni Politiche ] ]Aftermath
On 20 July, during a party convention, Storace resigned from party leadership, opening way for a national congress and a leadership race. [ [http://www.ilmessaggero.it/articolo_app.php?id=8451&sez=HOME_INITALIA&npl=&desc_sez= La Destra: Storace rimette il mandato - Il Messaggero ] ] Candidates for party secretary must declare themselves by 31 August. The congress will also decide the party's electoral strategy, basically choosing either to continue an independent path or to join
The People of Freedom ofSilvio Berlusconi . Storace favours the first option, while Santanchè an alliance with Berlusconi. [ [http://iltempo.ilsole24ore.com/politica/2008/07/20/904731-storace_santanche_bivio_tornare_continuare_soli.shtml Il Tempo - Politica - Storace e Santanché al bivio: tornare con il Cav o continuare da soli ] ] President Buontempo precised that Storace will continue to be party secretary at least until the November congress and after if party members will decide so. [ [http://www.diritto-oggi.it/archives/00034035.html Diritto La Destra: Buontempo, Non E’ Vero Che Storace Si E’ Dimesso ] ] On 22 August Santanchè officially presented her candidacy for the party leadership, while Storace's camp will provide an alternative candidacy, maybe Storace himself. [http://notizie.alice.it/notizie/politica/2008/08_agosto/22/destra_santanche_destra_fuori_dal_ghetto_costruire_pdl,15819094.html] However on 28 September Santanchè resigned as spokesperson and from the party, opening the way for a more consensual congress. [http://www.corriere.it/politica/08_settembre_27/daniela_santanche_dimissioni_portavoce_destra_ffa1ea40-8ca9-11dd-a5ba-00144f02aabc.shtml]Ideology
The party defines itself the party of the "social, national and popular right" and promotes patriotism, Catholic values and national cohesion. Among other things, The Right is strongly supportive of
direct democracy and of presidentialism. Its economic policy is a mixture ofstatism , such the strong support for thewelfare state and the introduction of the so-called "social loan" ("mutuo sociale") for young people in order to enable them to purchase a house, and of libertarian proposals, such as the introduction of theflat tax andfiscal federalism .Members
The party in 2007–2008 had 7 MPs: 4 deputies (
Teodoro Buontempo ,Antonio Pezzella ,Roberto Salerno andDaniela Santanchè ) and 3 senators (Stefano Losurdo ,Stefano Morselli and Francesco Storace himself). Leading members of the new party includeNello Musumeci , MEP,Paolo Danieli andMichele Florino , both former Senators,Alberto Arrighi , former editor of "Area" (the journal ofSocial Right , a faction of AN),Paolo Agostinacchio , former mayor ofFoggia , andNuccio Carrara (former under-secretary for Reforms in Berlusconi's governments).Popular support
The first opinion poll after the announcement of Storace put The Right at 3.2% [http://www.sondaggipoliticoelettorali.it/asp/visualizza_sondaggio.asp?idsondaggio=2436] . According to this survey, The Right may steal votes both from National Alliance and from Social Action,
Alessandra Mussolini 's party. Other polls have placed the party around 5% [http://www.storace.it/Storace/page.asp?I=0&Vis
] .After the fall ofRomano Prodi government, The Right was placed at 3,3% [ [http://www.clandestinoweb.com/tavole/intenzioni-di-voto-21-22-gennaio-2008-la-tavola-2.html Intenzioni di voto - 21/22 gennaio 2008 - la tavola - Clandestinoweb: sondaggi politici, elettorali. Il sondaggio politico elettorale che fa opinione ] ] .Leadership
*Secretary:
Francesco Storace (2007–...)
**Spokesperson:Daniela Santanchè (2007–2008)
**Administrative Secretary:Giulio La Starza (2007–2008),Livio Proietti (2008–...)
**Organizational Secretary:Stefano Morselli (2007–...)
*President:Teodoro Buontempo (2007–...)References
External links
* [http://www.partitoladestra.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.la-destra.it/ManifestoFondante.pdf Party manifesto]
* [http://www.ladestranews.it/ LaDestraNews – News from The Right]
* [http://www.storace.it Official website of Francesco Storace]
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