Union of Democrats for Europe
Unione Democratici per l'Europa |
|
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Leader | Clemente Mastella |
Founded | 23 May 1999 |
Dissolved | November 2013 |
Preceded by | Democratic Union for the Republic |
Merged into | Forza Italia |
Headquarters | Largo Arenula, 34 00186 Rome |
Newspaper | Il Campanile |
Membership | unknown |
Ideology | Christian democracy |
European affiliation | European People's Party |
International affiliation | Centrist Democrat International |
European Parliament group | European People's Party |
Website | |
http://www.popolariudeur.it | |
The Union of Democrats for Europe (Italian: Unione Democratici per l'Europa, UDEUR), whose latest official name has been UDEUR Populars (Popolari UDEUR), was a centrist and Christian-democratic political party in Italy. Led by Clemente Mastella, the party has been at times very strong in Southern Italy, but almost irrelevant in Northern Italy. After a decline in terms of popularity in 2007–2008, the party resists only in Campania, Mastella's heartland, and few other regions.
The UDEUR emerged in May 1999 at the breakup of the Democratic Union for the Republic (UDR). This party had been founded in June 1998, under the leadership of Francesco Cossiga, by the merger of Rocco Buttiglione's United Christian Democrats, Mastella's Christian Democrats for the Republic (a splinter group from the Christian Democratic Centre), the Segni Pact and splinters from Forza Italia, National Alliance and Lega Nord.
At its debut at the 1999 European Parliament election, the party received 1.6% of the vote, having its strongholds in the South (5.1% in Campania, 4.4% in Apulia and 7.1% in Sicily).