List of political parties in Italy

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

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

In the 2022 general election, four groupings obtained most of the votes and most of the seats in the two houses of the Italian Parliament: the "centre-right coalition" composed of the Brothers of Italy, Lega, Forza Italia and minor allies; the "centre-left coalition" composed of the Democratic Party and minor allies; the populist Five Star Movement; and the liberal Action – Italia Viva (also known as "Third Pole").

Coalitions 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 Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement are in coalition, but not in others; same for the Democratic Party and the Third Pole) and the presence of several regional parties, some of which active only at regional level.

History
The first modern political party in Italy was the Italian Socialist Party, established in 1892. Until then, the main political groupings of the country, the Historical Right and the Historical Left, were not classifiable as parties, but as simple groups of notables, each with their own electoral fiefdom, that joined together according to their own ideas. From time to time, in the context of the Historical Far Left, other parties emerged: the Italian Republican Party, established in 1895, and the Italian Radical Party, established in 1904.

The Italian Socialist Party envisaged itself as a mass party, a form of party that would dominate throughout the 20th century. It was followed a few years later by the Italian People's Party, established in 1919. Both parties achieved electoral success until the advent of fascism, contributing decisively to the loss of strength and authority of the old liberal ruling class, which had not been able to structure itself into a proper party: the Liberal Union, launched in 1913, was not a coherent one and the Italian Liberal Party, formed in 1922, came too late. The beginning of 1921 saw the foundation of the Communist Party of Italy, born from a split of the Italian Socialist Party. Also in 1921, Benito Mussolini gave birth to the National Fascist Party, and the next year, through the March on Rome, he was appointed Prime Minister. In 1926, through the so-called leggi fascistissime (lit. 'very fascist laws'), all parties were dissolved except the National Fascist Party, which thus remained the only legal party in the Kingdom of Italy until the fall of the regime in July 1943. Meanwhile, following the dissolution of the Comintern in May 1943, the Communist Party of Italy was rebranded Italian Communist Party. The following September, six anti-fascist parties – the Christian Democracy, the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Communist Party, the Italian Liberal Party, the Action Party and the Labour Democratic Party — formed the joint National Liberation Committee, which gained official recognition as the representative of the Italian resistance movement (the Committee recognised the monarchy, thus the Italian Republican Party stayed out because of its full loyalty to republican principles). The parties of the Committee then formed, in various combinations, the governments of Italy from the liberation of Rome in 1944 until 1947, when the Socialists and the Communists were ejected.

In 1946, through a referendum, Italy became a republic and a Constituent Assembly wrote the republican Constitution. Between 1948 and 1992, the party system was dominated by two major parties: the Christian Democracy, the structural party of government, and the Italian Communist Party, the main opposition party. Another stable opposition party was the post-fascist Italian Social Movement. For about half a century, following a so-called conventio ad excludendum of the Italian Communist Party, the governments were led by the Christian Democracy, that chose its coalition partners among smaller parties situated either to its left or right: the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Democratic Socialist Party, the Italian Liberal Party and the Italian Republican Party. Between 1981 and 1991, the Christian Democrats formed coalition governments named Pentapartito with all four of them. That was the time when several northern regional parties, whose policy themes were federalism and autonomism, were established. In 1991 they federated themselves into Lega Nord, which became the country's fourth largest party in the 1992 general election.

Between 1992 and 1994, the established party 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 Italian Communist Party, which had evolved to become the Democratic Party of the Left in 1991, with the exit of the Communist Refoundation Party, and the post-fascists, who had launched National Alliance in 1994, gained strength. On the contrary, the Christian Democracy, which changed its name to Italian People's Party in 1994, lost its centrality in the Italian party system. Following the 1994 general election, media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi became Prime Minister at the head of a government composed mainly of his brand-new Forza Italia party, joined by several members of the defunct mainstream parties, National Alliance and Lega Nord.

Between 1996 and 2008, the political parties were organised into two big coalitions, which took turns in government: the centre-right Pole for Freedoms, which was renamed House of Freedoms after the re-entry of Lega Nord in 2000, and The Olive Tree, lately part of a broader coalition named The Union, on the centre-left. As for the centre-left, the Democratic Party of the Left changed its name again in 1998, becoming Democrats of the Left, while in 2002 a new party called Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy was founded by the merger of some centrist parties (including the Italian People's Party). In 2008, following the fall of the centre-left government led by Romano Prodi, the Democratic Party (established in 2007 upon the merger of the Democrats of the Left and The Daisy) decided to break the alliance with the Communist Refoundation Party and other minor left-wing parties. Contextually, on the centre-right of the political spectrum, Forza Italia and National Alliance merged to form The People of Freedom, which continued the alliance with Lega Nord and prevailed in the 2008 general election.

In the 2013 general election, the party system was fragmented in four groupings: the centre-left alliance led by the Democratic Party; the traditional centre-right alliance between the People of Freedom, Lega Nord and the newly-founded Brothers of Italy (a right-wing split of the People of Freedom, formed mainly by former members of National Alliance); Beppe Grillo's Five Star Movement; and a new centrist coalition around the outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti's Civic Choice party. In November 2013, the national council of People of Freedom, at the behest of Berlusconi, suspended all party activities, to relaunch Forza Italia, which would experience multiple splits. In the 2018 general election, the major groupings were reduced to three: the centre-right coalition, composed of Lega (Lega Nord's evolution on a countrywide scale), Forza Italia, Brothers of Italy and minor allies; the Five Star Movement (which was the single most voted party); and the centre-left coalition, composed of the Democratic Party and minor allies. The centre-right coalition won a full majority in the 2022 general election, leading to a government led by Brothers of Italy's leader Giorgia Meloni (the first since 2008 to be formed by a coalition of parties having fought the election together), while the opposition was fragmented in three segments: the Democratic Party-led centre-left coalition; the Five Star Movement; and a centrist alliance between Action and Italia Viva (both splinter groups of the Democratic Party).

Parties represented in the Italian or European Parliament

 * Notes

Parties represented within other parties in the Italian or European Parliament

 * Notes

Countrywide parties
• 10 Times Better (est. 2017)

• 3V Movement (est. 2019)

• Alliance of the Centre (est. 2008)

• Alternativa (est. 2021)

• Anticapitalist Left (est. 2013)

• Atheist Democracy (est. 2009)

• August 24th Movement (est. 2019)

• CARC Party (est. 1992)

• CasaPound (est. 2003)

• Christian Democracy (est. 2002)

• Christian Democracy (est. 2004)

• Christian Democracy (est. 2012)

• Christian Popular Union (est. 2009)

• Communist Alternative Party (est. 2007)

• Communist Party (est. 2009)

• Communist Refoundation Party (est. 1991)

• Democracy and Autonomy (est. 2015)

• Europeanists (est. 2021)

• European Liberal Democrats (est. 2023)

• European Republicans Movement (est. 2001)

• Fascism and Freedom Movement (est. 1991)

• Fatherland and Constitution (est. 2018)

• Gay Party (est. 2020)

• Green Front (est. 2006)

• Green Italia (est. 2013)

• Humanist Party (est. 1984)

• I Change (est. 2013)

• Identity and Action (est. 2015)

• Independence (est. 2023)

• Internationalist Communist Party (est. 1943)

• Italexit (est. 2020)

• Italia in Comune (est. 2018)

• Italian Animalist Party (est. 2006)

• Italian Communist Party (est. 2016)

• Italian Democratic Socialist Party (est. 2004)

• Italian Liberal Party (est. 1997)

• Italian Marxist–Leninist Party (est. 1977)

• Italian Pirate Party (est. 2006)

• Italian Republican Party (est. 1895)

• Italy of Values (est. 1998)

• Liberal Democrats (est. 2007)

• L'Italia c'è (est. 2022)

• Marxist–Leninist Italian Communist Party (est. 1999)

• National Front (est. 1997)

• Network of Communists (est. 1998)

• New Force (est. 1997)

• New Italian Social Movement (est. 2000)

• New CDU – United Christian Democrats (est. 2014)

• New Times – United Populars (est. 2023)

• Pensioners' Party (est. 1989)

• Popular Alternative (est. 2017)

• Popular Base (est. 2023)

• Power to the People (est. 2013)

• Renaissance (est. 2017)

• Royal Italy (est. 1972)

• Social Democratic Rebirth (est. 1996)

• Social Democrats (est. 2022)

• Social Idea Movement (est. 2004)

• Socialist Rebirth (est. 2015)

• The People of Family (est. 2016)

• Tricolour Flame (est. 1995)

• Together (est. 2020)

• United Right (est. 2014)

• Volt Italy (est. 2018)

• Workers' Communist Party (est. 2006)

Regional and local parties
• Autonomy South (est. 2012)

• Citizens (est. 2003)

• Democratic Republicans (est. 2004)

• Fortza Paris (est. 2004)

• Free Sardinia (est. 2012)

• Free Sicilians (est. 2016)

• Friulian Autonomist Movement (est. 2008)

• Friulian Front (est. 2006)

• Friuli Movement (est. 1966)

• Future Sicily (est. 2015)

• Great North (est. 2017)

• Greens Greens (est. 1991)

• Independence Republic of Sardinia (est. 2002)

• Ladin Autonomist Union (est. 1983)

• Lega Lombardo Veneta (est. 2008)

• Lega Sud Ausonia (est. 1996)

• Loyal to Trentino (est. 2003)

• Movement for the Autonomy of Romagna (est. 1990)

• Party of Sardinians (est. 2013)

• Party of the South (est. 2007)

• Party of Venetians (est. 2019)

• People's Centre (est. 1998)

• Project Republic of Sardinia (est. 2011)

• Pro Lombardy Independence (est. 2011)

• Red Moors (est. 2009)

• Responsible Autonomy (2013)

• Rhaetian Populars (1997)

• Sardinia Free Zone Movement (est. 2012)

• Sardigna Natzione Indipendentzia (est. 1994)

• Schittulli Political Movement (est. 2009)

• Sicilia Vera (est. 2007)

• Sicilian Socialist Party (est. 2013)

• Southern Action League (est. 1992)

• The DemoKRats (est. 2009)

• The Other South (est. 2008)

• Tuscan Autonomist Movement (est. 1989)

• Unidos (est. 2013)

• Union of Sardinians (est. 1998)

• Unitalia (est. 1996)

• United Populars (est. 2008)

• Venetian Independence (est. 2012)

• We Sicilians (est. 1994)

• We the South (est. 2010)
 * Notes

Overseas parties

 * South American Union of Italian Emigrants (est. 2006)

Countrywide parties
• Moderate Party (1848–1861)

• Dissident Left (1877–1887)

• Historical Far Left (1867–1904)

• Historical Left (1849–1913)

• Historical Right (1849–1913)

• Italian Catholic Electoral Union (1906–1919)

• Constitutional Democratic Party (1913–1919)

• Conservative Catholics (1913–1919)

• Democratic Party (1913–1919)

• Fasci Italiani di Combattimento (1919–1921)

• 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)

• Italian People's Party (1919–1926)

• Italian Democratic Liberal Party (1921–1926)

• Social Democracy (1922–1926)

• National Fascist Party (1921–1943)

• Italian Unionist Movement (1944–1948)

• Republican Democratic Concentration (1946)

• Action Party (1929–1947)

• Italian Democratic Party (1944–1947)

• Labour Democratic Party (1943–1948)

• Social Christian Party (1943–1948)

• Common Man's Front (1946–1949)

• Movement for the Independence of Sicily (1943–1951)

• Unitary Socialist Party (1949–1951)

• National Democratic Alliance (1953–1954)

• Monarchist National Party (1946–1959)

• People's Monarchist Party (1954–1959)

• Peasants' Party of Italy (1920–1963)

• 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)

• Radical Party (1955–1989)

• Federation of Green Lists (1986–1990)

• Rainbow Greens (1989–1990)

• Italian Communist Party (1921–1991)

• Proletarian Democracy (1978–1991)

• Italian Socialist Party (1892–1994)

• Italian Liberal Party (1922–1994)

• Christian Democracy (1943–1994)

• Liberal Democratic Pole (1994)

• Italian Social Movement (1946–1995)

• Socialist Rebirth (1993–1995)

• Federalists and Liberal Democrats (1994–1996)

• Federalist Italian League (1995–1996)

• Democratic Alliance (1993–1997)

• Italian Democratic Socialist Party (1947–1998)

• Democratic Party of the Left (1991–1998)

• Union of the Centre (1993–1998)

• Social Christians (1993–1998)

• Republican Left (1994–1998)

• Labour Federation (1994–1998)

• Italian Socialists (1994–1998)

• Movement of Unitarian Communists (1995–1998)

• Christian Democrats for the Republic (1998)

• The Network (1991–1999)

• Pannella List (1992–1999)

• Democratic Union (1996–1999)

• Democratic Union for the Republic (1998–1999)

• Christian Democrats for Freedom (1998–2001)

• Union for the Republic (1999–2001)

• Italian People's Party (1994–2002)

• Christian Democratic Centre (1994–2002)

• United Christian Democrats (1995–2002)

• Italian Renewal (1996–2002)

• The Democrats (1999–2002)

• European Democracy (2001–2002)

• Segni Pact (1993–2003)

• Bonino List (1999–2004)

• Autonomists for Europe (2000–c.2005)

• Democrats of the Left (1998–2007)

• Italian Democratic Socialists (1998–2007)

• Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy (2002–2007)

• Middle Italy (2006–2007)

• Federalist Party (1994–2008)

• Forza Italia (1994–2009)

• National Alliance (1995–2009)

• Social Action (2003–2009)

• Christian Democracy for Autonomies (2005–2009)

• Italians in the World (2006–2009)

• Liberal Populars (2008–2009)

• Democratic Left (2007–2010)

• Unite the Left (2008–2010)

• Force of the South (2010–2011)

• Popular Action (2010–2012)

• The Populars of Italy Tomorrow (2010–2012)

• Rights and Freedom (2012)

• Union of Democrats for Europe (1999–2013)

• Critical Left (2007–2013)

• Federation of Christian Populars (2008–2013)

• The People of Freedom (2009–2013)

• Movement of National Responsibility (2010–2013)

• Popular Agreement (2012–2013)

• Great South (2011–2013)

• Party of Italian Communists (1998–2014)

• I Love Italy (2008–2014)

• Future and Freedom (2011–2015)

• Italy Work in Progress (2014–2015)

• Alliance for Italy (2009–2016)

• Left Ecology Freedom (2010–2016)

• Conservatives and Social Reformers (2012–2016)

• The Right (2007–2017)

• New Centre-Right (2013–2017)

• Conservatives and Reformists (2015–2017)

• Liberal Popular Alliance (2015–2018)

• Civic Choice (2013–2019)

• Free Alternative (2015–2019)

• Direction Italy (2017–2019)

• X Movement (2014–2020)

• Energies for Italy (2016–2020)

• Federation of the Greens (1990–2021)

• Act! (2012–2022)

• Cambiamo! (2019–2022)

• Together for the Future (2022)

• Article One (2017–2023)

• Us with Italy (2017–2023)

• èViva (2019–2023)

• Green is Popular (2021–2023)

Regional and local parties

 * Deutscher Verband (1919–1926)
 * List for Trieste (1978–2006)
 * Lega Alpina Lumbarda (1992–1996)
 * Lega per l'Autonomia – Alleanza Lombarda (1996–2008)
 * I the South (2009–2016)
 * Union for Trentino (2008-2022)
 * Us with Salvini (2014–2018)
 * Notes

Overseas parties

 * Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad (2005–c.2006)
 * For Italy in the World (2006)
 * Italian Associations in South America (2005–c.2008)

Defunct parties represented only in Regional Councils
• ;Countrywide parties

• Socialist Party (1996–2001)

• The Liberals Sgarbi (1999–c.2007)

• Bonino-Pannella List (2009–2012)

• Christian Democratic Party (2000–2013)

• Reality Italy (2013–2018)

• ;Aosta Valley

• Valdostan Rally (1963–1977)

• 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

• Piedmontese Union (1981–1992)

• Progett'Azione (2012–2014)

• ;Lombardy

• Lega Nuova (1991–1992)

• Alleanza Lombarda Autonomia (1989–1996)

• ;Trentino-Alto Adige

• Craftsman-Farmer Alliance (1964–1968)

• 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)

• Trentino Tyrolean People's Party (1948–1982)

• Party of Independents (1972–1987)

• Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Union (1982–1988)

• Integral Autonomy (1982–1988)

• South Tyrolean Homeland Federation (1974–1989)

• Freedom Party of South Tyrol (1987–1989)

• Lega Autonomia Trentino (1993–1996)

• Trentino Tomorrow (1998–2003)

• Democratic Union of Alto Adige (1993–2008)

• Daisy Civic List (1998–2008)

• United Valleys (2006–2008)

• Ladins Dolomites (1993–2010s)

• Democratic Party of South Tyrol (1997–2010s)

• Administer Trentino (2008–2018)

• Team Autonomies (2013–2018)

• Trentino Civic List (2013–2019)

• Citizens' Union for South Tyrol (1989–2020)

• Act for Trentino (2016–2020)

• ;Veneto

• Union of the Venetian People (1987–1995)

• Lega Autonomia Veneta (1989–2000)

• North-East Union (1996–2010s)

• Party of Venetians (2010)

• Toward North (2010–2012)

• North-East Project (2004–2015)

• Veneto for the EPP (2005–c.2009)

• Independence We Veneto (2014–2017)

• Tosi List for Veneto (2015–2022)

• ;Friuli-Venezia Giulia

• Lega Autonomia Friuli (1993–1990s)

• Reformist Popular Centre (1998–2003)

• ;Marche

• Marche 2020 (2014–2015)

• ;Lazio

• Cuoritaliani (2015–2018)

• ;Molise

• Progressive People's Party (1993–2000s)

• ;Campania

• Democratic Populars (2008–2010)

• Forza Campania (2014)

• ;Apulia

• Apulia First of All (2005–2015)

• Moderates and Populars (2010–c.2015)

• ;Calabria

• Southern Democratic Party (2006–2007)

• Autonomy and Rights (2010–2014)

• ;Sicily

• 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)

• Sicilian People's Movement (2012)

• 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)

• Now Sicily (2019–2022)

• ;Sardinia

• Sardinian Socialist Action Party (1948–1949)

• New Movement (1997–2002)

• Sardinian People's Party (2000–2004)

• Democratic Federation (1994–2007)

• Sardinia Project (2003–2007)

• The Base (2010–2018)

• Civic Sardinia (2018–2023)
 * Notes

Countrywide parties
• Action Party (1853–1867)

• Italian Workers' Party (1882–1892)

• Italian Revolutionary Socialist Party (1881–1893)

• Futurist Political Party (1918–1920)

• Maximalist Italian Socialist Party (1932–c.1945)

• Party of the Christian Left (1939–1945)

• Republican Fascist Party (1943–1945)

• Democratic Fascist Party (1945–1946)

• Union of Socialists (1947–1949)

• Italian Nettist Party (1953)

• Independent Socialist Union (1953–1957)

• Popular Unity (1953–1957)

• Workers' Political Movement (1971–1972)

• Ordine Nuovo (1956–1973)

• National Vanguard (1960–1976)

• Lotta Continua (1969–1976)

• Italian (Marxist–Leninist) Communist Party (1968–1978)

• Autonomia Operaia (1973–1979)

• Democratic Union for the New Republic (1964–1980)

• Radical Federative Movement (1982–1985)

• Pensioners' National Party (1979–c.1990)

• Communist Party of Italy (Marxist–Leninist) (1963–1991)

• Populars for Reform (1992–1993)

• Liberal Socialist Movement (1994–1996)

• Reformist Socialist Party (1994–1996)

• European Liberal Social Democracy (1994–1996)

• Federal Italy (1996–1998)

• Democratic Italy (1994–2000)

• Socialist League (2000–2001)

• Federalist Greens (1992–c.2006)

• Pact of Liberal Democrats (2003–2006)

• United Democratic Christians (2005–2008)

• Third Pole (2006–2008)

• The Italian Socialists (2006–2009)

• Movement for Italy (2008–2010)

• Movement for the Left (2009–2010)

• Popular Rebirth (2006–2010s)

• United Socialists (2009–2011)

• Extended Christian Pact (1994–2012)

• S.O.S. Italy (1996–c.2012)

• Rebirth of Christian Democracy (2000–2012)

• Amnesty Justice Freedom List (2012–2013)

• Federation of Liberals (1994–c.2014)

• The Rose for Italy (2008–c.2014)

• Act to Stop the Decline (2012–2014)

• Love Party (1991–c.2015)

• Italy First (2013–2015)

• Communist Party of Italy (2014–2016)

• Unique Italy (2014–2016)

• Democratic Union for Consumers (2007–2017)

• National Action (2015–2017)

• Progressive Camp (2017)

• Christian Revolution (2015–2018)

• Progressive Area (2017–2018)

• National Movement for Sovereignty (2017–2019)

• Good Right (2020–2023)

Regional and local parties
• Communist Party of Sardinia (1943–1944)

• Movement for Piedmontese Regional Autonomy (1955–1960s)

• Movement for the Independence of the Free Territory of Trieste (1958–1980s)

• Ossolan Union for Autonomy (1977–1980s)

• Liga Veneta Serenissima (1984–1987)

• Independentist Sardinian Party (1984–1994)

• Union of the Venetian People (1987–1995)

• North-East Movement (1997–c.1999)

• Veneto Autonomous Region Movement (1987–2000)

• Fronte Marco Polo (1999–2001)

• Mancini List (1994–2005)

• Populars' Coordination (2008–?)

• Sardinian Autonomist Populars (2008–2009)

• Venetians Movement (2006–2010)

• Venetian People's Movement (2008–2010s)

• Venetian National Party (2007–2011)

• Community Democratic League (2011–2012)

• Padanian Union (2011–2013)

• A Manca pro s'Indipendèntzia (2004–2015)

• Veneto State (2010–2016)

• Venetian Left (2015–2017)

• We Are Veneto (2016–2019)
 * Notes