UDEUR Populars

Infobox_Italian_political_party
name_english = UDEUR Populars

leader =
leader1_title = Secretary
leader1_name = Clemente Mastella
leader2_title = President
leader2_name = "vacant"
leader3_title =
leader3_name =
leader4_title =
leader4_name =
foundation = 23 May 1999
dissolution =
headquarters = Largo Arenula, 34 00186 Rome
newspaper = [http://www.ilcampanileonline.com/ Il Campanile]
membership_year=
membership = "unknown"
ideology = Centrism, Christian democracy
coalition = stand-alone
international = Centrist Democrat International
european = European People's Party
europarl = European People's Party–European Democrats
website = http://www.popolariudeur.it
colorcode = orange

The UDEUR Populars ("Popolari UDEUR", UDEUR) is a small centrist and christian-democratic Italian political party.

Led by Clemente Mastella, the party is strong in Southern Italy, especially in Campania (where Mastella comes from), but is almost irrevelant in Northern Italy.

The UDEUR part of the name refers to "Union of Democrats for Europe" ("Unione Democratici per l'Europa"), which was the party's name until November 2003. From then to November 2004, it was known as "Popular Alliance–UDEUR" ("Alleanza Popolare–UDEUR").

History

Foundation and early years

UDEUR emerged in May 1999 after the break up of the Democratic Union for the Republic. This party was founded in June 1998, under the leadership of Francesco Cossiga, by the merger of the United Christian Democrats of Rocco Buttiglione, the Christian Democrats for the Republic (a splinter group from the Christian Democratic Centre) of Mastella, the Patto Segni of Mario Segni and splinters from Forza Italia, National Alliance and Lega Nord.

In the 1999 European Parliament election the newly born party, at its debout, received the 1.6% of the vote (5.1% in Campania, 4.4% in Apulia and 7.1% in Sicily).

In 2001 UDEUR joined Democracy is Freedom – Daisy, along with the Italian People's Party, The Democrats and Italian Renewal. The alliance scored 14.6% in the 2001 general election. When the new alliance became a single party, and Mastella decided not to join.

Electoral success and participation in government

In the 2004 European Parliamentary Election, it achieved 1.3% of the national vote, sufficient to elect an MEP, who sits in the EPP-ED Group. In the 2005 regional elections the party had its best result ever, having scored 10.3% in Campania, 11.1% in Basilicata and 8.7% in Calabria.

Mastella decided to keep the party in the centre-left coalition although it was in conflict with the secularist policies of the new political alliance Rose in the Fist and despite the presence of hard left parties such as the Communist Refoundation Party. In fact the party remains in the political sphere of the centre even though its policies are not very compatible with the centre-left coalition.

In the 2006 general election, UDEUR was part of The Union. It obtained 1.4% of the votes, electing 14 deputies (4 in The Olive Tree's list) and 3 senators. The Union won the election, and Mastella was appointed Minister of Justice in Romano Prodi's II government.

The road toward the 2008 general election

On 16 January 2008 Clemente Mastella resigned as Minister of Justice and on 21 January decided to withdraw his party's support to the government of Romano Prodi, which fell after a vote of confidence in the Senate on 24 January, clearing the way toward a snap election.

In the following weeks the party suffered several splits leading to several regional parties, notably the Democratic Populars [ [http://lnx.casertasette.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13841 Caserta Sette - informazione - news - attualità - cronaca - sport - turismo - musica e arte - reggia di caserta - giornalisti - giornalismop - attualità - omicidi - rapine - storia di caserta - per caserta - in caserta - con caserta ] ] (comprising three regional deputies) in Campania, the United Populars [ [http://www.ilpomeridiano.it/a/politica-1/sono-nati-i--22popolari-uniti-22-416.html sono nati i popolari uniti politica Matera [il pomeridiano informatore telematico ] ] (led by regional minister Antonio Potenza) in Basilicata and the Sardinian Autonomist Populars [ [http://notizie.alice.it/notizie/politica/2008/03_marzo/01/sardegna_udeur_sardo_abbandona_mastella_nasce_il_pas,14186035.html | | ALICE Notizie ] ] [ [http://www.corriere.it/politica/08_marzo_01/berlusconi_bari_105b6370-e77d-11dc-9342-0003ba99c667.shtml «Con Mastella chiuso ogni contatto»E l'ex ministro: «Udeur sola in tutt'Italia» Corriere della Sera ] ] (led by Deputy Secretary Antonio Satta), while in Umbria most of the local leaders of the party (including a MP) joined Christian Democracy. Senator Stefano Cusumano, who decided to support Prodi's government on 24 January, switched to the Democratic Party. Also the only MEP of the party Armando Veneto, party President Federica Rossi Gasparrini and the second Deputy Secretary Marco Di Stefano quit.

At the beginning of March even Tommaso Barbato, who was a stauch supporter of Mastella as party leader in the Senate (he even attacked Cusumano on the Senate floor for having betrayed the party) left the party, citing the absence of a coherent political line [ [http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/politica/200803articoli/30733girata.asp Mastella, la grande fuga - LASTAMPA.it ] ] , in order to join the Movement for Autonomy. Mauro Fabris, party leader in the Chamber of Deputies, left some days later and is now close to the Venetian People's Movement.

In the 2008 general election UDEUR, which was refused to join both the People of Freedom of Silvio Berlusconi and the Union of the Centre of Pier Ferdinando Casini, was almost disbanded and had no chance of returning back in Parliament, where it had 14 deputies and 3 senators until January 2008. Even Mastella decided not to run for re-election [ [http://www.repubblica.it/2008/03/sezioni/politica/verso-elezioni-9/resa-mastella/resa-mastella.html La resa di Mastella "Non mi presento" - Politica - Repubblica.it ] ] and the party did not present a list at all. The future of UDEUR, divided in several regional groups, is thus unclear, although, as of September 2008, it seems very likely that it will join forces with the Union of the Centre. [http://www.popolariudeur.it/moduli/news/news.php?codice=830]

Leadership

*Secretary: Clemente Mastella (1999–...)
**Deputy Secretary: Stefano Cusumano (1999–2005), Antonio Satta (2005–2008), Marco Di Stefano (2007–2008)
**Coordinator: Mauro Fabris (1999–2006)
*President: Irene Pivetti (1999–2002), Ida Dentamaro (2002–2004), Mino Martinazzoli (2004–2005), Lorenzo Acquarone (2005–2006), Federica Rossi Gasparrini (2007–2008)
*Administrative Secretary: Tancredi Cimmino (1999–2006), Mauro Fabris (2006), Pier Paolo Sganga (2006–2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.popolariudeur.it Official website]