Sepcial Report: Italy's general election

    ROME, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The following is the backgrounder of the Italian center-left coalition led by former European Commission chief and ex-premier Romano Prodi:

    General Information

    Based on the coalition formerly known as the Olive Tree, with additional allies, the eight parties include the Democratic Left (DS), the Daisy, and the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) ¨C the three largest groups -- plus the smaller Federation of the Greens, the Italian Communists' Party (PDCI), Italy of Values, Rose in the Fist, and the Popular-UDEUR party.

    Former prime minister Prodi, who beat Berlusconi in the 1996 elections, to be brought down by a coalition ally two and a half years later, confirmed his leadership of the center left with a landslide victory in US-style primary elections in October 2005. Prodi does not, however, have his own party.

    Democratic Left (DS)

    It is the largest party in the center-left coalition. It was formed out of the old Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1991. The DS has been led by Piero Fassino since 2001. In the 2001 general elections, the DS won 16.6 percent of the vote, compared with 21.1 percent in the 1996 elections.

    Daisy

    The Daisy is a centrist party led by former Rome mayor Francesco Rutelli, who was defeated by Berlusconi in the 2001 general elections. The Daisy made its debut in the 2001 elections in the form of an internal alliance of four centrist parties in the center-left coalition. Three of the parties later decided to merge, holding a founding congress in March 2002 and confirming Rutelli as leader.

    In 2001, the Daisy garnered 14.5 percent of the vote, making itthe second biggest party in the center-left coalition. In the European Parliament elections in June 2004, the Daisy ran on the same slate as the DS and two other tiny parties, scoring 31.1 percent of vote.

    Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)

    The PRC was founded in 1991. Led by former union chief Fausto Bertinotti, the openly anti-capitalist party supported the 1996-98 Romano Prodi government but then pulled out in a row over the budget, causing Prodi's administration to collapse.

    The PRC ran alone in the 2001 general elections but has now returned to the center-left fold.

    The PRC won 5 percent in the 2001 vote, compared with 8.6 percent in the 1996 elections. Its support rose to 6.1 percent in the European Parliament elections in June 2004.

    Federation of the Greens

    This is a small party previously called the Greens and led by former agriculture minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio who changed the movement's name last year. For the Senate, the party ran on a joint ticket with the Italian Communists' Party (PDCI) and the recently formed Consumers' List.

    The Greens joined forces with a small Socialist party for the 2001 elections, gaining 2.2 percent of the vote. In the 2004 European Parliament elections, the Greens took 2.5 percent.

    Italian Communists' Party (PDCI)

    The PDCI was born in October 1998, when a group of extreme leftists refused to join fellow neo-Communists, the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC), in withdrawing support from the Prodi government. It has been led by former justice minister Oliviero Diliberto since April 2000.

    It gained 1.7 percent in the 2001 general elections,. It won 2.4 percent in the 2004 European Parliament vote.

    Italy of Values

    A small, centrist party, Italy of Values was created in 2000 by the former celebrated anti-graft prosecutor, Antonio Di Pietro. One of its main goals is to combat political corruption. The party ran alone in the 2001 general elections, scoring 3.9 percent.

    Rose in the Fist

    The Rose in the Fist is an alliance of two small libertarian and anticlerical parties, the Italian Democratic Socialists (SDI),led by Enrico Boselli, and the Radical party led by Daniele Capezzone. The two linked up in November 2005.

    Popular-UDEUR

    The Popular-UDEUR is a small, Christian Democrat splinter group founded in 1999 and led by Clemente Mastella. In the 2001 general elections, the UDEUR was part of the Daisy alliance, which gained an overall 14.5 percent. Changing its name to Popular-UDEUR in late 2003, the party won 1.3 percent in the 2004 European Parliament vote. Enditem