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| Free and Equal (Italy) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Free and Equal |
| Native name | Liberi e Uguali |
| Abbreviation | LeU |
| Leader | Pietro Grasso |
| Foundation | 3 December 2017 |
| Dissolution | 2019 (electoral alliance) |
| Position | Left-wing |
| Country | Italy |
Free and Equal (Italy) was an Italian left-wing electoral list and later parliamentary grouping formed in 2017 to contest the 2018 general election, uniting factions from the center-left and the extra-parliamentary left. It brought together figures from established parties and social movements to challenge the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement, positioning itself amid debates involving the European Union, NATO, and austerity policies. The list featured former ministers, trade unionists, activists, and intellectuals prominent in Italian and European public life.
The formation emerged against the backdrop of internal disputes within the Democratic Party (Italy), the aftermath of the 2016 Italian constitutional referendum, and the rise of the Five Star Movement. Initial talks involved leaders associated with Article One (Italy), Italian Left, and splinters from the Democratic Party (Italy), alongside independents linked to CGIL, Rifondazione Comunista, and civil-society groups from the 2015 European migration crisis debates. Founders publicly announced the list during rallies in Rome, Naples, and Florence, with endorsements from personalities active in European Parliament politics and Italian municipal administrations such as those in Turin and Bologna. The coalition campaigned through Italy during the lead-up to the 2018 Italian general election, ultimately forming a parliamentary group that interacted with committees in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic (Italy).
The platform combined strands of democratic socialism linked to the tradition of Antonio Gramsci and social-democratic policies associated with figures from the post-war Italian Socialist Party (1892) lineage. It advocated welfare-state measures resonant with proposals debated in the European Parliament and among Nordic model proponents, while opposing austerity measures tied to resolutions by the European Central Bank and policies promoted during the European sovereign debt crisis. The list emphasized labor rights championed by unions like UIL and CISL, progressive taxation discussed in debates at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and public-investment programs similar to initiatives in France and Germany. It expressed skepticism toward neoliberal reforms linked to past administrations such as those led by Matteo Renzi and discussed environmental policies in the context of agreements like the Paris Agreement.
Leadership was formalized under a nonpartisan front figure, with prominent roles held by personalities who had served in institutions such as the European Parliament, the Constitutional Court of Italy, and municipal councils in Milan and Genoa. The list included parliamentary candidates with affiliations to Article One (Italy), Italian Left, and unaffiliated intellectuals with ties to academic institutions like the University of Bologna and the Sapienza University of Rome. Organizational structures mirrored models used by European alliances such as those forming around Podemos in Spain and La France Insoumise in France, combining centralized electoral lists with local cells in regions including Lombardy, Campania, and Sicily. Staffed campaign teams coordinated with NGOs and advocacy groups active in issues debated at bodies such as the United Nations and regional offices of the European Commission.
The list contested the 2018 Italian general election and subsequent local contests, competing against the Democratic Party (Italy), Forza Italia, Lega Nord, and the Five Star Movement. Election results placed the list below the main center-left force but allowed it to secure representation in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic (Italy), influencing key votes on budget bills and immigration measures that were the subject of debates in the Italian Parliament and scrutiny by the Council of Europe. The grouping's performance was compared in political analyses to leftist coalitions in Greece following the 2015 Greek legislative election and to progressive lists in the Netherlands and Portugal.
Free and Equal positioned itself in opposition to austerity and embraced alliances with trade unions and social movements active in protests reminiscent of those in Gezi Park and the Occupy movement. It pursued cooperative ties with parliamentary groups sympathetic to policies advocated by the Progressive Alliance and sought dialogue with European left formations in the Party of the European Left. Domestically, the list negotiated with parties stemming from the Italian Left tradition and engaged in talks with municipal coalitions in Turin and Bologna that had worked with Green and civic lists. On foreign policy, the list debated alignment with NATO positions debated during interventions in Libya and responded to migration flows across the Mediterranean Sea affecting ports such as Lampedusa and Palermo.
The coalition faced criticism from former allies within the Democratic Party (Italy) and from populist parties like the Five Star Movement and Lega Nord, who argued that the list split the progressive vote similar to criticisms leveled at fragmented left blocs in France during the 2017 French legislative election. Opponents highlighted tensions between trade-unionist factions linked to CGIL and reformist figures associated with policies pursued under administrations of Paolo Gentiloni and Matteo Renzi. Internal disputes mirrored factional struggles historically observed in parties such as the Italian Communist Party and sparked debates in publications tied to intellectual circles around the Italian Institute for International Political Studies and journals connected to Bocconi University commentators. Allegations over campaign resources and strategic decisions prompted inquiry-like scrutiny in media outlets covering Italian politics and analyses by think tanks including those with ties to the Istituto Affari Internazionali.