Party of Italian Communists
The
Party of Italian Communists (
Italian: Partito dei Comunisti Italiani, also translated into English as 'Italian Communists' Party') is a
political party in
Italy. It was founded in
1998 as a split from the
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) by
Armando Cossutta, the original leader of the PRC. The current party leader is
Oliviero Diliberto.
The main reason for the split was the unwillingness of a part of the Communist Refoundation Party to participate in the operation that toppled the government of
Romano Prodi.
Fausto Bertinotti had kept the party in alliance with the
Olive Tree coalition for two years, but was leaving because of disagreement over social policy. Leaving would have left the government without a majority in the lower house of the parliament. The issue was hotly debated in the party, and in the end a few votes, coming from the
trotskyist faction, finally decided. Reportedly, the leader of the trotskyist faction said he had "dreamed [his whole] life about making a government fall".
Members of the Party of Italian Communists in the
European Parliament still sit in the
European United Left - Nordic Green Left group with their erstwhile PRC comrades.
In the 9-10 April 2006
general elections, the party was member of the winning
The Union (
L'Unione) and won 16 out of 630
deputies. The alliance of Greens, Communists and Consumers won 11 out of 215
senators.
