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The Daisy

Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy
Democrazia è Libertà – La Margherita
Leader Francesco Rutelli
Founded 12 October 2000 (alliance)
24 March 2002 (party)
Dissolved 14 October 2007
Merger of Italian People's Party
The Democrats
Italian Renewal
Merged into Democratic Party
Headquarters Via S. Andrea delle Fratte 16
00187 Rome
Newspaper Europa
Membership  (2007) 430,000
Ideology Centrism
Christian left
Social liberalism
Christian democracy
Social democracy
Political position Centre-left
National affiliation The Olive Tree (2002–07)
The Union (2005–07)
European affiliation European Democratic Party (2004–07)
International affiliation Alliance of Democrats
(2005–07)
European Parliament group Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
(2004–07)
Colors      Green      Azure

Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy (Italian: Democrazia è Libertà – La Margherita, DL), commonly known simply as The Daisy (La Margherita), was a centristpolitical party in Italy. The party was formed from the merger of three parties: the Italian People's Party, The Democrats and Italian Renewal. The party president and leader was Francesco Rutelli, former mayor of Rome and prime ministerial candidate during the 2001 general election for The Olive Tree coalition, within which The Daisy electoral list won 14.5% of the national vote.

The Daisy became a single party in February 2002. It was set up by former left-leaning Christian Democrats, centrists,social-liberals (former Liberals and former Republicans), as well as other left-wing politicians from the former Italian Socialist Party and Federation of the Greens.

On 14 October 2007 DL merged with the Democrats of the Left to form the Democratic Party (PD).

The idea of uniting the centrist components of The Olive Tree coalitions, which were divided in many parties, was discussed at least since 1996. In the 1996 general election there were actually two centrist lists within the Italian centre-left: the Populars for Prodi, including the Italian People's Party (PPI), Democratic Union (UD), the Italian Republican Party (PRI) and the South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP), and that of Italian Renewal (RI), including the Italian Socialists (SI), which later merged into the Italian Democratic Socialists (SDI) in 1998, and the Segni Pact (PS). In 1998 splinters from the centre-right coalition formed the Democratic Union for the Republic (UDR), later transformed into Union of Democrats for Europe (UDEUR), in order to support the D'Alema I Cabinet. In 1999 splinters of PPI, UD and other groups formed The Democrats (Dem).


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