Christian Democratic Federation
The Christian Democratic Federation (Federazione Democristiana, FDC) is a federation of Christian democratic political parties in Italy.
Originally, an accord was signed between four parties on 30 November 2006:
- Christian Democracy (2002) (leader: Giuseppe Pizza);
- Christian Democracy (2004) (leader: Angelo Sandri);
- Christian Democratic Refoundation (leader: Publio Fiori);
- Christian Democratic Party (leader: Gianni Prandini).
Two other parties later showed interest in the federation:
- UDEUR–Populars (leader: Clemente Mastella);
- Middle Italy (leader: Marco Follini).
However, at the constituent meeting of the federation in Rome on 17 March 2007, only three parties participated in creating the federation:
- UDEUR–Populars (UDEUR);
- Christian Democracy (DC);
- Christian Democratic Refoundation (RDC).
The Christian Democratic Party and the Party of Christian Democracy, which considered FDC too much on the left for them, despite the conservative credentials of Publio Fiori, who had been a leading member of National Alliance, formed the alternative Federation of Christian Democrats and of the Centre.
For the 2008 general election Christian Democracy formed an alliance with Silvio Berlusconi's The People of Freedom and subsequently joined Berlusconi IV Cabinet, while UDEUR and RDC did not participate to the election. Soon afterwards, in October, the two parties launched Democratic Initiative, with the goal of uniting many centrist parties without representation in the Italian Parliament. In this they were soon joined, among others, by the Party of Christian Democracy, the Christian Democratic Party, the Italian Democratic Socialist Party, the Italian Liberal Party and The Italian Socialists.[1][2]