After political scandals of early Nineties, the Christian Democratic Party is born again, with many ambitions and a polemic spirit towards popular party.

Interview to Mr.Flaminio Piccoli

He says: “Do you see what's happening? The majority 'complete switch' is deeply divided. It was virtual in the past, and today ever more. The opposition is weak, and not always it is homogeneous at all “.

Who speaks is Flaminio Piccoli, twice secretary and president of the 'great CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY”, nowadays president of the 'new' one he wanted obstinately. The deputy Carlo Senaldi, Lombard, is the National politic secretary. “At the beginning - Piccoli explains - we got pitying smiles, they told us we were ex-servicemen, looking back nostalgically. Then, when our lines got stronger, they tried to ignore us, then we start to get the first electoral results (the 9% at Isernia and the success at Pescara, for example) and then they start worrying. So they prevented us, by the appeals concerning the symbol to present at the regional elections in Friuli, where surveys gave us very good positions. They attempted to repeat the same operation elsewhere, but both the Administrative Regional Court and the Council of State stated we were right.

Q. Don't you run the risk to build a new “bush” of Centre, or rather a “little bush”?

A. Not at all. We do not intend to aggregate again the Christian democratic area, we deem it's absurd that parties, united European level for constructing a supranational society and alternative to socialists, get divided later in Italy. Hence the will of dialogue, of meeting, of agreements with all the political forces adhering to the European Popular Party. It's not a case we had the encouragement of the PPE president Martens, of Helmut Kohl, of the CSU's leader Stoiber.

Q. But you are the only speaking about Christian Democratic Party. The other parties risen from the Christian Democratic Party diaspora say that it is an ended experience.

A. I respect all opinions, but the Christian Democratic Party has been rebuilt. But you think it's possible that it is talked about again, and rightly, to re-create a socialist party and nobody is scandalized at, while it is deemed it is not possible to remake the Christian Democratic Party? And why ? History has stated we are right, not D'Alema or Fini as instead somebody wants to give to understand. We deem that the Christian Democratic must find again all the space belonging to them and not to ask crumbs to others. We cannot accept anymore to be marginalized. The mistakes of few (a mistake common to all, I say all the other parties) has been paid for harshly by many. Now it's the moment to say stop. Let's lift up our heads again with the pride of having given Italy peace, welfare, and security in the west.

Q. Yes, but meanwhile you have chosen to belong to the Centre Federation, where there are Liberals, Socialists, Social Democratic and Republicans. How is all that coherent with your engagement to aggregate again in Italy the PPE adherent parties, that is the European Christian democratic party?

A. Our planting is linear and coherent. We are trying to build again the Christian Democratic Party, but at the same time we re-launch, as De Gasperi taught us, the democratic collaborations, that is between laymen and Catholics. We are alternative to the Left and we criticize the parliamentary majority going against the interests of work, destroying little and middle firms, mindless of solidarity and permeated at all of monetarism.

Q. So do you agree with Bertinotti?

A. We are for the effective collaboration among the economic categories, among social classes, valorizing the private enterprises and getting under control by the fiscal system the huge extension of goods, with the aim to transform the welfare state into a constitutional state and to consolidate the reliance of institutions, while valorizing individuals. So our projects lies on the market social economy, over the basic principle of the participation of all forces and the complementary between the private contribution and the public one.

Q. The current electoral law and ever more if the ayes will win at the referendum for the proportional part abolition, leaves few space to an autonomous centre.

A. Even here it must clear out from a real mystification: it is not true that the bipolarism is ruling and without alternatives. The Ulivo won the elections, even being in net minority, 33% more or less, Rifondazione Comunista desisting, it has reached the 41%, getting the majority of the seats in Parliament. So well a centre with the 40-42% of votes will win elections (Right and Left could surely not ally), warranting the stability the bipolarism has not warranted in the past with the Polo and today with the Ulivo. So the system could well be three-sided, even if the ayes win at the referendum, a referendum not solving the real politic problems. Indeed a 2-3% party can always influence corporation agreements and make win one or another front. Beyond the electoral mechanism it remains the underlying question: to block the creeping regime, to block the Left getting all.

Interview to Mr. Carlo Senaldi

They quote themselves as extra-parliamentarians of centre. They are the Christian Democratic. Mr. Carlo Senaldi, National Politic Secretary says: “We have got home, at Piazza del Gesù. We have resumed the historical symbol, the 1947 cruciform shield “. Recently at Rome, it has been hold a national Organization Conference of the reconstituted Christian Democratic Party. “Il Giornale” wrote: “The indomitable political passion of the old Flaminio Piccoli. The vehemence of the so many “Mr. Nobody “ getting from all over Italy only to cry their proud “. Will and optimism, at the first sight. Another party? No, the Party materializing itself in the hall of a Roman Private broadcasting is something more. It is the essence of a party the cruciform shield Christian Democratic Party meeting again, getting back and that wants to matter and to number itself. Carlo Senaldi comments on: “The conference has been a success in order to the quality of interventions and for the enthusiasms of the participants “.Beware of imitations is the war-cry of a meeting that also started -off the membership and arranged the candidature for the Europeans elections of the political secretary Carlo Senaldi (North West), of the vice-president Giorgio Fanfani (Centre) and the Lawyer Antonio Dastoli (South), the latter responsible for the Justice sector.

At the European elections, the party will not present its list of candidates, but they will at the local ones - and its three candidates will be placed with those of Forza Italia-PPA. Why?

Carlo Senaldi answers: “We've taken this decision just in the spirit of the European Popular Party and searching aggregation in its name. We could present our list undertaking to recollect 150 thousand signatures, the other parties must not carry out. Even having not carried out the electoral campaign and having not had the time to make anybody acknowledge by the media the return of the Christian Democratic Party on the political scene, surveys gave us comforting data, such to make three Euro-MP be elected. Notwithstanding, presenting Forza Italia linked to the PPE, it seemed right to us, more coherent to accept this alliance. But in the administrative elections we will be present in many provinces with our symbol, obviously linking us to the Centre Federation and proposing ourselves as alternative to the Left. About this point there are not doubts. The Polo knows well which can be our relationship. Recently, at Pescara, the mayor of the Polo won the first ballot, also thanks to the presence of our list convincing many abstentionists to go to the polls, making the mayor conquer the majority bonus and preventing Left lists converging over the Ulivo candidate that during the second ballot.

Q. Even Mino Martinazzoli said on television and in some interviews that the real alternative in Italy is between the socialists and the democratic liberals. What's your comment?

A. The Popular are at government not only with the Social Democratic but also with communists. It is indispensable to leave clichés and words. It is required facts and coherent behaviours.

Q. Also Giulio Andreotti has asserted that in the European election campaign it is indispensable to make electors clear that the choice is between the socialists and the Christian Democratic of the PPE. It does not seem that some parties of the Centre-Left want to accept this suggestion.

A. That's right. Mainly the “popular “ of Marini have great troubles also for the pitiless competence between Prodi and Di Pietro.

Q. Also in the recent Organization Conference of your party you have re-launched the proposal of German electoral model. Why do you insists on such model?

A. Because, on my opinion, is the better one. It places at the middle between the proportional and the majority systems, gives the greater representativeness, it is plenty of precious institutes.The federal model means modernity, local needs understanding, and fiscal equity. Indeed nowadays it is not thinkable it is possible to modernize institutions and social and economic dynamics in a country without providing a decentralization, having not been concretised.

Q. The last question: which are the differences there are between the two Christian Democratic Parties?

Only the birth date, the inspiration is the same, the reference to social Christianity too within the modernity in the layout of the context we are moving in. Substantially : novelties in the continuity, respect and tradition.

 

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