Italian Left Sinistra Italiana | |
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Abbreviation | SI |
Secretary | Nicola Fratoianni |
President | Nichi Vendola |
Founded | 19 February 2017 |
Merger of | Left Ecology Freedom and minor groups |
Headquarters | via Arenula 29, Rome |
Youth wing | Union of Young People of the Left |
Membership (2017) | 19,346[1] |
Ideology | Democratic socialism[2] Eco-socialism[2] |
Political position | Left-wing |
National affiliation | Greens and Left Alliance (since 2022) The Left (2019) Free and Equal (2018–2019) |
European affiliation | Now the People Party of the European Left (observer) |
European Parliament group | The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL[a] |
Colours | Red |
Chamber of Deputies | 4 / 400 |
Senate | 3 / 200 |
European Parliament[b] | 2 / 76 |
Regional Councils | 6 / 896 |
Website | |
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Italian Left (Italian: Sinistra Italiana, SI) is a left-wing political party in Italy. SI was launched in November 2015 as a parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies (full name: Italian Left – Left Ecology Freedom), including Left Ecology Freedom (SEL), dissidents from the Democratic Party like Future to the Left, and splinters from the Five Star Movement.[3] At its launch, SI included 32 deputies,[4] who were soon followed by 8 senators (who formed a sub-group within the Mixed Group of the Senate in February 2016), and 2 MEPs. SI was officially formed as a full-fledged party in February 2017, after SEL had chosen to merge into it in December 2016.
The party is led by Nicola Fratoianni. Notable founding members included Nichi Vendola (former leader of SEL), Loredana De Petris, Stefano Fassina, and Sergio Cofferati. In the aftermath of its founding congress, 18 deputies left the party, leaving it with 13 deputies, 8 senators and 2 MEPs: 17 deputies, led by former group leader Arturo Scotto, joined the brand-new Article One, while Laura Boldrini (President of the Chamber of Deputies) joined the Chamber's Mixed Group. In late 2017, the party was a founding member of Free and Equal, a left-wing joint list for the 2018 general election, and more recently in 2022 founded the Greens and Left Alliance (AVS) with Green Europe.