Socialist Party (Italy, 1996)

For the later parties with the identical name, see Socialist Party (Italy, 2007).
Socialist Party
Partito Socialista
SecretaryUgo Intini (1996–1998)
Gianni De Michelis (1998–2001)
CoordinatorFabrizio Cicchitto
Founded24 February 1996
Dissolved20 January 2001
Merger ofReformist Socialist Party
Liberal Socialist Movement
Merged intoNew Italian Socialist Party
HeadquartersVia di Torre Argentina, 47
00186 Rome
Membership (1996)46,000[1]
IdeologySocial democracy
Political positionCentre
National affiliationPole for Freedoms (1999–2001)

The Socialist Party (Italian: Partito Socialista, PS) was a tiny social-democratic political party in Italy.

The party was founded in 1996 by a group of former members of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) who had been close allies of Bettino Craxi, former Prime Minister of Italy and leader of the PSI from 1976 to 1992, and who did not join the Italian Socialists of Enrico Boselli.[2] They included Ugo Intini, Enrico Manca, Gianni De Michelis, Fabrizio Cicchitto, Margherita Boniver, Donato Robilotta and Craxi's son, Bobo.[3][4]

In 2000, the Movement of Social Democratic Rebirth of Luigi Preti also joined the PS, that changed its name to Socialist Party – Social Democracy (Partito Socialista – Socialdemocrazia), even if the two parties never formally merged.

In 2001, the PS merged with the Socialist League and other splinter groups from the SDI to form the New Italian Socialist Party. De Michelis was elected secretary of the new party upon its foundation, which was viewed by many as the direct continuation of the PS, which joined the House of Freedoms coalition.

  1. ^ "I ventiseimila nuovi socialisti domani riuniti a congresso". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2014-01-06.
  2. ^ Sarcina, Giuseppe (20 April 1997). "Intini: in tre anni siamo rinati, girando come dei clandestini e senza una lira". Corriere della Sera. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014.
  3. ^ "Intini e Manca fanno rinascere il Psi". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 6 July 1996. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
  4. ^ "Gli irriducibili del Psi: in alto i garofani". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 7 July 1996. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2014-07-10.