European Liberal Democrats

For the former European Parliament group, see European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party Group.

Political party in Italy

European Liberal Democrats

Liberali Democratici Europei

Abbreviation| LDE
Secretary| Piero Cecchinato
President| Andrea Marcucci
Founders| Giuseppe Benedetto
Alessandro De Nicola
Oscar Giannino
Sandro Gozi
Founded| 14 January 2023; 2 years ago (2023-01-14)
Headquarters|

* Via della Conciliazione, 10
* 00193 Rome

Ideology| Liberalism
Political position| Centre
National affiliation| United States of Europe (2024)
PLD (2025–)
European affiliation| Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Colors|  Blue and  Yellow
Chamber of Deputies|

0 / 400 (0%)

Senate|

0 / 205 (0%)

European Parliament|

0 / 76 (0%)

Website
libdemeuropei.it

* Politics of Italy
* Political parties
* Elections

The European Liberal Democrats (Italian: Liberali Democratici Europei, LDE), often referred to as the European LibDems (stylised in Italian as: libdem europei)[1][2][3] is a liberal political party in Italy.

## History

[edit]

Initial logo

On 14 January 2023, a liberal constituent assembly was held at the San Fedele Auditorium in Milan with the aim of bringing together all the Italian liberal parties for the next European elections. The event was organized by its founders Giuseppe Benedetto, President of the Fondazione Luigi Einaudi, Sandro Gozi, MEP for Renew Europe, Alessandro De Nicola, President of the Adam Smith Society, and Oscar Giannino, former leader of Act to Stop the Decline.[4][5] More than 40 speakers participated in the convention, including Carlo Calenda, Matteo Renzi, Benedetto Della Vedova, Marco Cappato, Luigi Marattin, and many others. At the end of the convention, the statute of the European Liberal Democrats Constituent was approved, to which the Liberal Democratic Alliance for Italy (ALI) and other minor parties and associations have joined, which explicitly provides for the creation of a single Italian liberal party, with the promotion of a democratic and competitive congress, that it will be the home of classical liberalism as well, and that it will have as its reference point the pursuit of the United States of Europe.[6][7][8][9]

On 30 January, the regional councillor of Lombardy, Gianmarco Senna, who had exited the Lega on 24 November 2022, joined the party.[10] During the 2023 Lombard regional election few candidates for the Regional Council, including Senna, ran in the lists of Letizia Moratti, then LDE endorsed Alessandro Maran's candidacy for the 2023 Friuli-Venezia Giulia regional election, and for the 2023 Italian local elections LDE supported Paolo Cianfoni's candidacy at Terni.[11][12][13]

After the breakup of the alliance between Action and Italia Viva, LDE confirmed they would keep working to establish a unitary liberal list for the upcoming European Parliament election.[14]

On 22 April Andrea Marcucci, the former leader of the Democratic Party (PD) in the Senate, left the PD due to disagreement with the political line traced by new secretary Elly Schlein and subsequently his entry in LDE, stating that his goal is to achieve a federation among liberal parties.[15][16]

LDE joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party as a full member[17] on 21 October 2023.[18]

In March 2024, in the run-up of the 2024 European Parliament election, the party was a founding member of a broad, liberal and pro-Europeanist list named "United States of Europe", along with More Europe, Italia Viva, the Italian Radicals and the Italian Socialist Party, in order to overcome the 4% electoral threshold.[19][20][21][22] In late April the list was joined also by L'Italia c'è.[23]

Following the failure at the European election, LDE founded in March 2025 the Liberal Democratic Party, together with NOS, led by Alessandro Tommasi, Liberal Horizons, led by Luigi Marattin, and the Liberal Forum, led by Piero Ruggi.[24]

## Composition

[edit]

Parties  | Main ideology  | Leader(s)

|
|

| Liberal Democratic Alliance for Italy (ALI)  | Liberism | Flavio Pasotti

Furthermore, LDE comprises several small parties, movements, associations, and committees, such as Liberal Alternative, Liberal Building Site, Clubs Together for the South, Liberal Democratic Constituent Assembly, Italy-Atlantic Studies Centre, The House of the Liberals, LibDem, Liberal Moderates for Italy, European Liberal Democrats (registered by the Fondazione Luigi Einaudi in 2022[25]), Milanese Free Europeans, New Horizon Italy, XX September, Yourope, and Liberal Liberists.[1]

## Election results

[edit]

### European Parliament

[edit]

Election  | Leader  | Votes  | %  | Seats  | +/–  | EP Group

|
|
|
|
|
|

2024 | Andrea Marcucci | Into USE |

0 / 76

| New  | –

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Home". Liberali Democratici Europei (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
2. ^ "Liberali Democratici Europei". ALDE Party. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
3. ^ "libdem europei (@libdem europei)". Twitter. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
4. ^ Giannino, Oscar (2023-01-13). "Una Costituente libdem per uscire dal pantano del continuismo" [A Lib Dem Constituent to break out of the quagmire of continuism]. Il Foglio (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
5. ^ Fioravanti, Andrea (2022-12-15). "Liberali, democratici, europei - La costituente LibDem di Milano è l'occasione per riunire i riformatori italiani in un unico partito" [Liberals, Democrats, Europeans - The Lib Dem constituent in Milan is an opportunity to unite Italian reformers into a single party]. Linkiesta (in Italian). Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
6. ^ "Parte a Milano la costituente liberale per riunire tutti i riformisti". Linkiesta.it (in Italian). 14 January 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
7. ^ "L'incoraggiante incontro dei liberali a Milano che porterà alla fondazione di un partito unitario". Linkiesta.it (in Italian). 16 January 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
8. ^ "Una Costituente libdem per uscire dal pantano del continuismo". www.ilfoglio.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
9. ^ "Statuto". Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
10. ^ Ferraris, Alissiia (30 January 2023). "Adesione Senna costituente liberali democratici europei". Liberali Democratici Europei (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
11. ^ "Verso una Lombardia liberaldemocratica - Evento online con Letizia Moratti". Liberali Democratici Europei (in Italian). 31 January 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
12. ^ ""Una Regione da Oscar", i Liberali Democratici Europei incontrano Maran". TriestePrima (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
13. ^ "Terni, elenco candidati Lista Alleanza degli Innovatori". umbriajournal.com (in Italian). 15 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
14. ^ Caterisano, Pasquale (18 April 2023). "LIBERAL DEMOCRATICI EUROPEI: continueremo a lavorare per questo progetto". Liberali Democratici Europei (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
15. ^ "Marcucci lascia il Pd e guarda al Terzo polo: "Aderirò a Libdem Europei, lavoro per la federezione"". Fanpage (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
16. ^ Torchiaro, Aldo (2023-04-15). "Marcucci lascia il Pd ed entra nei Liberali e Democratici europei". Il Riformista (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-04-29.
17. ^ Negri, Matteo (2024-04-19). "I partiti europei esistono, ma si notano poco" [European parties exist, but are hardly noticed]. Pagella Politica (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
18. ^ https://www.aldeparty.eu/alde_party_council_welcomes_new_members_in_bucharest
19. ^ Torchiaro, Aldo (2024-04-11). "Lista Stati Uniti d'Europa al 6,3%, Calenda poco sopra il 3%: i sondaggi, la mini-scissione e il rebus Cuffaro" [United States of Europe list at 6.3%, Calenda just above 3%: polls, mini-split and Cuffaro rebus]. Il Riformista (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
20. ^ Pascale, Federica (2024-03-28). "EU elections: Italian centre-left rallies behind 'United States of Europe' bid". Euractiv. Euractiv.it. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
21. ^ "Elezioni europee, Italia Viva e + Europa uniti al centro, nascerà la lista "Stati Uniti d'Europa"". RaiNews. 27 March 2024.
22. ^ "Italia viva e +Europa, c'è il simbolo: Stati Uniti d'Europa". Il Corriere della Sera. 27 March 2024.
23. ^ https://www.rainews.it/tgr/lazio/articoli/2024/04/europee-dell8-e-9-giugno-stati-uniti-deuropa-presenta-i-capilista-d6e7af43-c364-4fa0-960e-1949d9652e8b.html
24. ^ "Nasce l'8 marzo a Roma il partito liberaldemocratico". www.ilfoglio.it (in Italian). Retrieved 13 April 2025.
25. ^ Maestri, Gabriele. "Liberali Democratici Europei, un aspirante marchio o un futuro partito?". I Simboli della Discordia (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Political parties in Italy

Chamber of Deputies|

* Brothers of Italy (117)
* Democratic Party (71) (incl. DemoS and CD)
* Lega (66)
* Five Star Movement (50)
* Forza Italia (48) (incl. NPSI)
* Action (10)
* Italia Viva (7)
* Greens and Left Alliance
* Green Europe [5]
* Italian Left [4]
* Progressive Party [1]
* Us Moderates (5)
* South Tyrolean People's Party (3)
* More Europe (2) (incl. RI)
* Animalist Movement (1)
* Associative Movement of Italians Abroad (1)
* Coraggio Italia (1)
* Liberal Democratic Party (1)
* South calls North (1)
* Union of the Centre (1)
* Valdostan Union (1)

Senate of the Republic|

* Brothers of Italy (66)
* Democratic Party (37)
* Lega (29) (incl. Fassa)
* Five Star Movement (26)
* Forza Italia (20)
* Italia Viva (7)
* Action (2)
* Greens and Left Alliance
* Italian Left [2]
* Green Europe [1]
* Us Moderates
* Union of the Centre [1]
* South Tyrolean People's Party (2)
* Associative Movement of Italians Abroad (1)
* Campobase (1)
* Coraggio Italia (1)

European Parliament|

* Brothers of Italy (24)
* Democratic Party (21)
* Five Star Movement (8)
* Forza Italia (8)
* Lega (8)
* Greens and Left Alliance (6)
* South Tyrolean People's Party (1)

Other parties in Regional councils|

* Aosta Valley
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* For Autonomy
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* Piedmont
* Moderates
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* Union for Trentino
* South Tyrol
* Team K
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* Die Freiheitlichen
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* JWA List
* South Tyrolean Freedom
* La Civica
* Vita
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* Us of the Centre
* Apulia
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* Historical Italian political parties
* 19th-century Italian political groups
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