The Social Christians (Italian: Cristiano Sociali) are a Christian social-democratic faction within the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy. Before that, they were a party (1993–1998) and a faction of the Democrats of the Left (1998–2007).

Social Christians
Cristiano Sociali
SecretaryMimmo Lucà
PresidentPierre Carniti
Founded1993
Dissolved1998 (as political party)
Split fromChristian Democracy[1]
Italian Socialist Party
Merged intoDemocrats of the Left
IdeologySocial democracy
Christian socialism
Christian left
National affiliationDemocratic Party
International affiliationInternational League of Religious Socialists
ColoursPink
Website
www.cristianosociali.it

The CS are a member of the International League of Religious Socialists (ILRS).

History

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The group was founded as a party by trade-union leader Pierre Carniti and economist Ermanno Gorrieri in 1993, in order to represent Christian leftists and socialists within the nascent Alliance of Progressives.

In the 1994 general election the party was included in the Democratic Party of the Left and obtained eight deputies and six senators, while in the 1996 general election five deputies (including Mimmo Lucà and Methodist pastor Domenico Maselli) and four senators won election.

In 1998 the CS fully joined the Democrats of the Left (DS) and were later a faction within that party.[2]

In 2007 the CS were keen supporters of the merger of the DS into the Democratic Party and in first leadership election most of them supported Walter Veltroni. In the 2009 leadership election the faction chose to support Pier Luigi Bersani,[3] while two former leading members, Giorgio Tonini and Stefano Ceccanti, who had been Veltroni's close allies, supported Dario Franceschini.[4]

After the 2001 and 2006 general elections, the faction continued to have at least four deputies and senators, although lately the faction's strength has been reduced.

Leadership

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References

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  1. ^ Luciano Bardi; Piero Ignazi (1 January 1998). Piero Ignazi; Colette Ysmal (eds.). The Organization of Political Parties in Southern Europe. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-275-95612-7.
  2. ^ Cristiano Sociali - www.CRISTIANOSOCIALI.it Archived 2007-06-22 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Pd, scontro Franceschini-Bersani Frattura sul rinnovamento - Politica - L'Unione Sarda". www.unionesarda.it. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22.
  4. ^ "Archivio Corriere della Sera".
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