Rose in the Fist

Rose in the Fist
Rosa nel Pugno
Leader Emma Bonino, Enrico Boselli
Founded 17 November 2005
Dissolved 18 December 2007
Ideology Social democracy
Third Way
Radicalism
Social liberalism
Anti-Prohibitionism
Political position Centre-left
National affiliation The Union
European affiliation None
International affiliation None
European Parliament group None
Website
http://www.rosanelpugno.it/

The Rose in the Fist (Italian: Rosa nel Pugno, RnP) was a coalition of parties in Italy.

The RnP was composed of the Italian Democratic Socialists (SDI; a social-democratic party led by Enrico Boselli and Roberto Villetti), the Italian Radicals (RI; a liberal-liberatrian party led by Marco Pannella and Emma Bonino) and some independent members gathered in the Association for the Rose in the Fist (including Lanfranco Turci, Salvatore Buglio, and Biagio De Giovanni).

RnP was part of the centre-left coalition The Union, and was one of the main Italian supporters of gay rights, abortion and euthanasia.

History

The federation was constituted in September 2005, during a convention held in Fiuggi, based on the political principles of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (excluding foreign policy, where the Radicals have a pro-American stance), Tony Blair and Loris Fortuna. In November, its official definition was finally announced, and the symbol presented, a red rose recalling the current emblem of the Socialist International, the historical logo of the Radicals during the 1970s and the 1980s, and also that of the Italian Democratic Socialists.

The Radical component of the alliance created some friction with the more Roman Catholic components of The Union, such as Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy and the UDEUR Populars. The Socialist component was made up mostly of veterans of the Italian Socialist Party. There was also the so-called "third component", composed mainly by ex-Democrats of the Left, such as Lanfranco Turci, Salvatore Buglio and Biagio De Giovanni, gathered in the Association for the Rose in the Fist.

In the Prodi II Cabinet the RnP was represented by Radical Emma Bonino, who served as Minister of European Affairs and International Trade.[1]

The alliance was disbanded in December 2007, upon which the SDI merged with the Association for the Rose in the Fist and other minor movements to form the modern-day Italian Socialist Party.

Composition

It was composed of the following political parties:

Party Ideology Leader
Italian Radicals (RI) Social liberalism Emma Bonino
Italian Democratic Socialists (SDI) Social democracy Enrico Boselli

The federation presented its own lists for the 2006 general election, obtaining 2.6% of votes, and winning 18 seats[2] (9 for SDI, 7 for the Radicals, one for Lanfranco Turci and one for Salvatore Buglio) in the Chamber of Deputies and no seats in the Senate.

This was not an encouraging result, indeed a bad one, considering that the Radicals alone scored 2.3% both at the 2001 general election and at the 2004 European Parliament election, while the Socialists had an electoral force of 2-3% in regional and local elections.

In particular, it seems that the Radicals lost votes to Forza Italia in their Northern strongholds (as Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia), while the Socialists did the same in favour of The Olive Tree coalition in their Southern strongholds (as Abruzzo, Campania, Apulia, Basilicata and Calabria). The table below shows how the two parties were not able to secure the favor of their usual voters, so that the Rose in the Fist scored less than Radicals alone in the North and the Socialists alone in the South.

Rad 2004SDI 2005Rad-SDI 2006
Piedmont3.12.42.7
Lombardy2.7w. OliveTree2.6
Veneto2.8w. OliveTree2.3
Friuli VG3.2no election2.7
Abruzzo2.25.22.9
Campania1.25.32.8
Apulia1.74.03.1
Basilicata1.5w. OliveTree3.8
Calabria0.96.84.3

Electoral results

Italian Parliament

Chamber of Deputies
Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Leader
2006 990,694 (#7) 2.6
18 / 630
–
 Emma Bonino
Senate of the Republic
Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Leader
2006 851,604 (#9) 2.5
0 / 315
–
 Emma Bonino

References

  1. ↑ La Civiltà cattolica. La Civiltà Cattolica. 2006. p. 493. UOM:39015066095640.
  2. ↑ James C. Docherty; Peter Lamb (2 October 2006). Historical Dictionary of Socialism. Scarecrow Press. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-8108-6477-1.
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