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v t e

This article contains a list of political parties in Italy since Italian unification in 1861.

Throughout history, numerous political parties have been operating in Italy, and since World War II no party has ever gained enough support to govern alone: parties thus form political alliances and coalition governments.

In the 2018 general election three groupings obtained most of the votes and most of the seats in the two houses of the Italian Parliament: a centre-right coalition, composed of the League, Forza Italia, the Brothers of Italy and minor allies; the anti-establishment Five Star Movement; a centre-left coalition, composed of the Democratic Party and minor allies.

Coalition of parties for regional elections can be slightly different from those for general elections, due to different regional conditions (for instance, in some regions the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party are in coalition, but not in other ones) and the presence of several regional parties, some of which active only at regional level.

History

Between 1945 and 1994, Italian politics was dominated by two major parties: Christian Democracy, the main party of government, and the Italian Communist Party, the main opposition party. The other opposition party was the post-fascist Italian Social Movement. During its almost fifty years in government, Christian Democracy chose its coalition partners among four parties: the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Democratic Socialist Party, the Italian Republican Party and the Italian Liberal Party.

For 46 consecutive years, the Christian Democrats led the government except for five years. Between 1983 and 1991, they led a coalition government with the Socialists, the Republicans, the Democratic Socialists and the Liberals. That was the time when several northern regional parties demanding autonomy organised themselves at the regional level. In 1991 they federated themselves into the Northern League, which became the country's fourth largest party in the 1992 general election.

In 1992–94, the political system was shaken by a series of corruption scandals known collectively as Tangentopoli. These events led to the disappearance of the five parties of government. Consequently, the Communists, who had evolved to become Democratic Party of the Left in 1991, and the post-fascists, who launched National Alliance in 1994, gained strength. Following the 1994 general election, media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi became Prime Minister at the head of a coalition composed mainly of three parties: his brand-new party Forza Italia (joined by several members of defunct mainstream parties), National Alliance and the Northern League.

Between 1996 and 2008, Italian political parties were organised into two big coalitions, the centre-right Pole for Freedoms (which was renamed House of Freedoms after the re-entry of the Northern League in 2000) and The Olive Tree (part of the new, broader coalition The Union in 2005) on the centre-left. The latter governed from 1996 to 2001 and again between 2006 and 2008, while the House of Freedoms was in government between 2001 and 2006. In 2008 The Union ceased to exist as the newly-founded Democratic Party decided to break the alliance with its left-wing partners, notably including the Communist Refoundation Party. On the centre-right, Forza Italia and National Alliance merged to form The People of Freedom, which continued the alliance with the Northern League and won the 2008 general election.

In the 2013 general election the party system was fragmented in four groupings: the centre-left composed of the Democratic Party and Left Ecology Freedom; the traditional centre-right alliance between The People of Freedom and the Northern League; Beppe Grillo's Five Star Movement; and a new centrist coalition around Mario Monti's Civic Choice. In November 2013 The People of Freedom was dissolved and merged into the new Forza Italia, provoking the split of the New Centre-Right. In December 2016 Left Ecology Freedom was dissolved in order to take part to the formation of Italian Left. In February 2017 splinters from the Democratic Party and Italian Left launched the Article One, while in March the New Centre-Right was transformed into Popular Alternative.

In the 2018 general election the major groupings were reduced to three: the centre-right composed of the League (which was the coalition's largest party for the first time), Forza Italia, Brothers of Italy and minor allies; the Five Star Movement (which was the most voted party); the centre-left composed of the Democratic Party and minor allies. Free and Equal, a new left-wing joint list whose main members were Article One and Italian Left, came a distant fourth.

Active parties

Major national parties

Active parties having garnered at least 4% in the latest general/European election or being represented by at least 30 MPs or 5 MEPs:

1. Including Lega Nord
2. Including Cambiamo!

Minor national parties

1. Including the Italian Radicals

Regional parties

Aosta Valley

• Valdostan Union
• Lega Nord Valle d'Aosta
• Mouv'
• For the Autonomy
• Valdostan Alliance
• Edelweiss
• Civic Network
• For Our Valley
• Renaissance Aosta Valley

Piedmont

• Lega Nord Piemont
• Greens Greens

Lombardy

• Lega Lombarda
• Rhaetian Populars

Trentino

• Lega Nord Trentino
• Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Party
• Trentino Civic List
• Union for Trentino
• Trentino Project
• Popular Autonomists
• Agire per il Trentino
• Autonomia Dinamica
• Fassa Association
• Ladin Autonomist Union
• Loyal to Trentino

South Tyrol

• South Tyrolean People's Party
• Team Köllensperger
• Lega Nord Alto Adige – Südtirol
• Greens of South Tyrol
• Die Freiheitlichen
• South Tyrolean Freedom
• Democratic Party of South Tyrol
• Citizens' Union for South Tyrol
• Alto Adige in the Heart
• Unitalia

Veneto

• Liga Veneta
• Liga Veneta Repubblica
• Independence We Veneto
• Venetian Independence

Friuli-Venezia Giulia

• Lega Nord Friuli-Venezia Giulia
• FVG Project
• Responsible Autonomy
• Pact for Autonomy
• Citizens
• Slovene Union
• Friulian Front
• Friuli Movement

Emilia-Romagna

• Lega Nord Emilia
• Lega Nord Romagna

Liguria

• Lega Nord Liguria

Tuscany

• Lega Nord Toscana

Marche

• Lega Nord Marche

Umbria

• Lega Nord Umbria

Campania

• Italy is Popular
• Democrazia Federalista
• We Campanians
• We the South

Apulia

• Southern Action League

Basilicata

• Reality Italy
• United Populars

Calabria

• Io Resto in Calabria
• Democratici Progressisti

Sicily

• Diventerà Bellissima
• Future Sicily
• Movement for New Autonomy
• Popular Construction
• Now Sicily
• We Sicilians

Sardinia

• Sardinian Action Party
• Sardinian Reformers
• Sardegna 20Venti
• Party of Sardinians
• Unidos
• Project Republic of Sardinia
• Sardegna Civica
• Fortza Paris
• Sardinian Democratic Union
• Red Moors
• Christian Popular Union
• Independence Republic of Sardinia
• Sardinia Nation

Parties of Italians abroad

• Associative Movement Italians Abroad
• South American Union Italian Emigrants

Defunct parties

Defunct national parties

• Action Party (1848–1867)
• Dissident Left (1877–1887)
• Italian Workers' Party (1882–1892)
• Italian Revolutionary Socialist Party (1881–1893)
• Historical Far Left (1867–1904)
• Historical Left (1849–1913)
• Historical Right (1849–1913)
• Conservative Catholics (1861–1919)
• Italian Catholic Electoral Union (1906–1919)
• Democratic Party (1913–1919)
• Constitutional Democratic Party (1913–1919)
• Italian Radical Party (1904–1922)
• Liberal Union (1913–1922)
• Italian Nationalist Association (1910–1923)
• Combatants' Party (1919–1923)
• Economic Party (1919–1924)
• Unitary Socialist Party (1922–1925)
• Italian Reformist Socialist Party (1912–1926)
• Democratic Liberal Party (1921–1926)
• Italian Social Democratic Party (1922–1926)
• Italian People's Party (1919–1926)
• National Fascist Party (1921–1943)
• Republican Fascist Party (1943–1945)
• Republican Democratic Concentration (1946)
• Action Party (1929–1947)
• Labour Democratic Party (1943–1948)
• Italian Unionist Movement (1944–1948)
• Social Christian Party (1943–1948)
• Common Man's Front (1946–1949)
• Unitary Socialist Party (1949–1951)
• National Democratic Alliance (1953–1954)
• Independent Socialist Union (1953–1957)
• Popular Unity (1953–1957)
• Monarchist National Party (1946–1959)
• People's Monarchist Party (1954–1959)
• Unified Socialist Party (1966–1969)
• Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity (1959–1972)
• Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity (1964–1972)
• National Democracy (1977–1979)
• Proletarian Unity Party (1972–1984)
• Pensioners' National Party (1979–1990s)
• Radical Party (1955–1989)
• Federation of Green Lists (1986–1990)
• Rainbow Greens (1989–1990)
• Proletarian Democracy (1978–1991)
• Italian Communist Party (1921–1991)
• Italian Liberal Party (1922–1994)
• Christian Democracy (1943–1994)
• Italian Socialist Party (1892–1994)
• Italian Social Movement (1946–1995)
• Federalists and Liberal Democrats (1994–1996)
• Federalist Italian League (1995–1996)
• Democratic Alliance (1993–1997)
• Democratic Party of the Left (1991–1998)
• Italian Democratic Socialist Party (1947–1998)
• Union of the Centre (1993–1998)
• Social Christians (1993–1998)
• Republican Left (1994–1998)
• Italian Socialists (1994–1998)
• Labour Federation (1994–1998)
• Movement of Unitarian Communists (1995–1998)
• Christian Democrats for the Republic (1998)
• The Network (1991–1999)
• Democratic Union (1996–1999)
• Democratic Union for the Republic (1998–1999)
• Socialist Party (1996–2001)
• Christian Democrats for Freedom (1998–2001)
• Union for the Republic (1999–2001)
• Italian People's Party (1994–2002)
• Italian Renewal (1996–2002)
• The Democrats (1999–2002)
• Christian Democratic Centre (1994–2002)
• United Christian Democrats (1995–2002)
• European Democracy (2001–2002)
• Segni Pact (1993–2003)
• Pact of Liberal Democrats (2003–2006)
• The Liberals Sgarbi (1999–2000s)
• Autonomists for Europe (2000–2000s)
• Democrats of the Left (1998–2007)
• Italian Democratic Socialists (1998–2007)
• Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy (2002–2007)
• Forza Italia (1994–2009)
• National Alliance (1995–2009)
• Christian Democracy for the Autonomies (2005–2009)
• Liberal Populars (2008–2009)
• Democratic Left (2007–2010)
• Movement for the Left (2009–2010)
• United Socialists (2009–2011)
• Force of the South (2010–2011)
• Rights and Freedom (2012)
• Union of Democrats for Europe (1999–2013)
• Christian Democratic Party (2000–2013)
• The People of Freedom (2009–2013)
• Great South (2011–2013)
• Party of Italian Communists (1998–2014)
• Act to Stop the Decline (2012–2014)
• Future and Freedom (2011–2015)
• Italy Work in Progress (2014–2015)
• Alliance for Italy (2009–2016)
• Left Ecology Freedom (2010–2016)
• The Right (2007–2017)
• New Centre-Right (2013–2017)
• Conservatives and Reformists (2015–2017)
• Act! (2015–2017)
• Movement for the Autonomies (2005–2010s)
• Us with Salvini (2014–2018)
• Liberal Popular Alliance (2015–2018)
• Civic Choice (2013–2019)
• Free Alternative (2015–2019)
• Direction Italy (2017–2019)
• National Movement for Sovereignty (2017–2019)
• Federation of the Greens (1990–2021)

Defunct regional parties

Aosta Valley

• Valdostan Rally (1960s–1970s)
• Popular Democrats (1972–1984)
• Progressive Valdostan Union (1973–1984)
• Independent Autonomists (1991–1993)
• Progressive Democratic Autonomists (1984–1998)
• Autonomist People's Alliance (1992–1998)
• For Aosta Valley (1993–1998)
• Autonomists (1997–2001)
• Alé Vallée (2003–2007)
• Rainbow Aosta Valley (2003–2010)
• Vallée d'Aoste Vive (2005–2010)
• Valdostan Renewal (2006–2010)
• Alternative Greens (1990–2010)
• Autonomist Federation (1998–2014)
• Valdostan Autonomist Popular Edelweiss (2017–2018)
• Autonomy Liberty Participation Ecology (2010–2019)
• Progressive Valdostan Union (2013–2019)
• Civic Commitment (2018–2019)

Piedmont

• Peasants' Party of Italy (1920–1963)
• Piedmontese Union (1981–1992)
• Progett'Azione (2012–2014)

Lombardy

• Lega Nuova (1991–1992)
• Alleanza Lombarda Autonomia (1989–1996)
• Lega Alpina Lumbarda (1992–1996)
• Lega per l'Autonomia – Alleanza Lombarda (2006–2008)
• Lega Padana Lombardia (2001–2011)

Liguria

• Liguria Nuova (1998–2005)

Trentino

• Alleanza Indipendentisti
• Craftsman-Farmer Alliance (1964–1968)
• New Left (1978–1983)
• Trentino Tyrolean People's Party (1948–1982)
• Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Union (1982–1988)
• Integral Autonomy (1982–1988)
• Lega Autonomia Trentino (1993–1996)
• Integral Autonomy (1996–2000)
• Trentino Autonomists (2000–2007)
• Trentino Tomorrow (1998–2003)
• Daisy Civic List (1998–2008)
• Democrats for Trentino (2008)
• United Valleys (2006–2008)
• Administer Trentino (2008–2018)

South Tyrol

• Deutscher Verband (1919–1926)
• Tyrolean Homeland Party (1964–1968)
• Social Progressive Party of South Tyrol (1966–1978)
• Social Democratic Party of South Tyrol (1972–1983)
• New Left (1978–1983)
• Party of Independents (1972–1987)
• South Tyrolean Homeland Federation (1974–1989)
• Freedom Party of South Tyrol (1987–1989)
• Democratic Union of Alto Adige (1993–2008)
• Ladins Dolomites (1993–2010s)

Veneto

• Union of the Venetian People (1987–1995)
• Lega Autonomia Veneta (1989–2000)
• Toward North (2010–2012)
• Popular Future (2012–2015)
• Tosi List for Veneto (2015–2017)
• North-East Project (2004–2015)
• Venetian Centre-Right (2017–2020)
• Veneto for Autonomy (2017–2020)

Friuli-Venezia Giulia

• List for Trieste (1978–2006)
• Lega Autonomia Friuli (1993–1990s)
• Progetto Autonomia Friuli-Venezia Giulia (1990s)
• Julian Front (1990s–1999)
• Unione Friuli (1997–2000s)
• Reformist Popular Centre (1998–2003)
• Freedom and Autonomy (2003)

Tuscany

• More Tuscany (2012–2015)

Marche

• Marche 2020 (2014–2015)

Lazio

• Cuoritaliani (2016–2018)

Molise

• Progressive People's Party of Christian Inspiration (1993–2000s)
• Costruire Democrazia (2009–2010s)

Campania

• Democratic Populars (2008–2010)
• Forza Campania (2014)
• Democratic Republicans (2004–2010)

Apulia

• Apulia First of All (2005–2015)
• Moderates and Populars (2010–2010s)
• I the South (2009–2016)
• Schittulli Political Movement (2009–2010s)

Basilicata

• I Democratici (1995–1990s)
• I Love Lucania (2010–2013)

Calabria

• Mancini List (1999–2005)
• Southern Democratic Party (2006–2007)
• The DemoKRats (2014–2020)
• Autonomy and Rights (2010–2014)

Sicily

• Movement for the Independence of Sicily (1943–1951)
• Unione Siciliana Liberale Indipendentista Autonomista
• Concentrazione Autonomista ed Indipendentista Siciliana
• Social Christian Sicilian Union (1958–1963)
• Liberal Socialists (1998–2003)
• Sicilian Spring (2001–2000s)
• New Sicily (2001–2008)
• Sicilian Alliance (2005–2008)
• Autonomist Democrats (2008–2009)
• The Populars of Italy Tomorrow (2010–2012)
• Sicilian People's Movement (2011–2010s)
• Reformist Democrats for Sicily (2013–2014)
• Article Four (2013–2014)
• Pact of Democrats for Reforms (2014–2015)
• The Megaphone – Crocetta List (2012–2017)
• Democratic Sicily (2014–2017)
• Centrists for Sicily (2016–2017)
• Party of Sicilians (2012–2017)

Sardinia

• Sardinian Socialist Action Party (1948–1949)
• Independentist Sardinian Party (1984–1994)
• New Movement (1997–2002)
• Sardinian People's Party (2000–2004)
• Democratic Federation (1994–2007)
• Sardinia Project (2003–2007)
• Sardinia Tomorrow (2012–2014)

Defunct parties of Italians abroad

• For Italy in the World with Tremaglia (2006)
• Italian Associations in South America (2005–2008)

Coalitions

Active coalitions

Active coalitions having garnered at least 10% in a general/European election:

• Centre-right coalition
• Centre-left coalition

Defunct coalitions

Defunct coalitions having garnered at least 10% in a general/European election:

• Popular Democratic Front (1947–1948)
• Centro Democratico (1953)
• Pact for Italy (1994–1995)
• Pole of Freedoms (1994–1995)
• Pole of Good Government (1994–1995)
• Alliance of Progressives (1994–1995)
• Pole for Freedoms (1996–2000)
• The Olive Tree (1995–2007)
• House of Freedoms (2000–2008)
• The Union (2004–2008)
• Italy. Common Good (2012–2013)
• With Monti for Italy (2012–2013)

Parliamentary groups

Parliamentary groups not directly connected to a political party or coalition of political parties.

Active parliamentary groups

• For the Autonomies

Defunct parliamentary groups

• Gruppo Autonomista (1946–1948)
• National Union (1947–1948)
• Gruppo Federalista Europeo Ecologista (1987–1992)
• Independent Left (1968–1992)
• Sinistra Democratica (1994–1996)
• People and Territory (2011–2013)
• National Cohesion (2011–2013)
• For the Third Pole (2011–2013)
• For Italy (2013–2015)
• Popular Area (2014–2017)
• Civics and Innovators (2016–2018)
• Great Autonomies and Freedom (2013–2018)
• Federation of Freedom (2017–2018)
• Europeanists (2021)

See also

• List of political parties by region
• Table of political parties in Europe by pancontinental organisation

v t e Historical political parties in Italy
Communist	Proletarian Unity Party (1972–1984) Italian Communist Party (1921–1991) Proletarian Democracy (1978–1991) Party of Italian Communists (1998–2014)
Democratic socialist	Italian Revolutionary Socialist Party (1881–1893) Italian Workers' Party (1882–1892) Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity (1964–1972) Democratic Party of the Left (1991–1998) Democratic Left (2007–2010) Left Ecology Freedom (2010-2016)
Green	Rainbow Greens (1989–1990) Federation of Green Lists (1986–1990) Federation of the Greens (1990–2021)
Social-democratic and liberal-socialist	Italian Reformist Socialist Party (1912–1926) Unitary Socialist Party (1922–1930) Action Party (1929–1947) Labour Democratic Party (1943–1948) Union of Socialists (1948–1949) Unitary Socialist Party (1949–1951) Unified Socialist Party (1966–1969) Italian Socialist Party (1892–1994) Italian Democratic Socialist Party (1947–1998) Labour Federation (1994–1998) Democrats of the Left (1998–2007) Italian Democratic Socialists (1998–2007) Article One (2017–2023)
Radical and social-liberal	Action Party (1853–1867) Italian Radical Party (1904–1922) Democratic Party (1913–1919) Social Democracy (1922–1926) Republican Democratic Concentration (1946) Radical Party (1955–1989) Democratic Alliance (1993–1997) The Network (1991–1999)
Centrist and centrist liberal	Constitutional Democratic Party (1913–1919) Italian Democratic Liberal Party (1919–1926) Democratic Union for the Republic (1998–1999) Union for the Republic Italian Renewal (1996–2002) The Democrats (1999–2002) Segni Pact (1993–2003) Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy (2002–2007) Civic Choice (2013–2019) Liberal Popular Alliance (2015–2018)
Regionalist and federalist	Movement for the Independence of Sicily (1943–1951) Italian Unionist Movement (1944–1948) Federalists and Liberal Democrats (1994–1996) Federalist Italian League (1995–1996) Great South (2011–2013)
Christian-democratic	Italian Catholic Electoral Union (1906–1919) Conservative Catholics (1913–1919) Italian People's Party (1919–1926) Christian Democracy (1943–1994) Italian People's Party (1994–2002) Christian Democrats for the Republic (1998) Christian Democratic Centre (1994–2002) United Christian Democrats (1995–2002) European Democracy (2001–2002) Christian Democracy for Autonomies (2005–2009) Union of Democrats for Europe (1999–2013)
Conservative-liberal	Liberal Union (1913–1922) Italian Liberal Party (1922–1994) National Democratic Alliance (1953–1954) Union of the Centre
Liberal-conservative	Economic Party (1919–1924) Forza Italia (1994–2009) The People of Freedom (2009–2013) Future and Freedom (2010–2014) New Centre-Right (2013–2017) Conservatives and Reformists (2015–2017) Direction Italy (2017–2019) Cambiamo! (2019–2022)
National-conservative	Common Man's Front (1946–1949) Monarchist National Party (1946–1959) People's Monarchist Party (1954–1959) Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity (1959–1972) National Democracy (1977–1979) National Alliance (1995–2009)
Nationalist	Italian Nationalist Association (1910–1923) Combatants' Party (1919–1923) National Fascist Party (1921–1943) Republican Fascist Party (1943–1945) Italian Social Movement (1946–1995)
List of political parties in Italy 19th-century Italian political groups Early 20th-century Italian political parties 1950s–1990s Italian political parties Current Italian political parties

• Lists of political parties by country
• Lists of political parties in Italy
• Italy politics-related lists
• Lists of political parties in Europe