House of Freedoms

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House of Freedoms
La Casa delle Libertà
Italian National Coalition
Leader	Silvio Berlusconi
Political ideology	center-right coalition
Website
See also	Politics of Italy

Casa delle Libertà, or House of the Liberties in English, is an Italian center-right party alliance led by national media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi. It is composed of:

• Forza Italia
• National Alliance
• Northern League
• Union of Christian and Centre Democrats
• Movement for Autonomy
• Christian Democracy for the Autonomies
• Socialist Party New PSI
• Italian Republican Party
• Liberal Reformers

The alliance won the 1994 elections under the name "Polo delle Liberta'", but the resulting government was short-lived, as the Northern League withdrew their support and went to opposition. Particularly edgy had been the relationship within the populist pro-independence Northern League movement and the post-fascist, pro-central government right wing Alleanza Nazionale. As such, the first Berlusconi government lasted a mere 9 months.

After a 5-year left-wing government, Berlusconi managed to keep at bay some of the most uncompromising Northern League's policies and won the elections again (2001), this time with a view to create a stable government. It sought to undermine the proportionality rules of the Italian Additional Member System of elections by running many of its constituency candidates under a decoy list called Abolizione Scorporo, a title which explicitly stated its opposition to the counting rules; its tactic largely worked because it had more support than the left-wing Olive Tree (Uniti nell'Ulivo) alliance.

In 2003 Cdl was routed in local elections by the Olive Tree alliance, and the League threatened to pull out of the House of Freedoms. In 2005, once again, Cdl was severely routed in regional elections, losing 6 (of 8) Italian regions. This led to a crisis of the government, particularly after the UDC pulled its four ministers out. A few weeks later, a new government was formed on April 23 2005 with the same six parties (FI, AN, LN, UDC, NPSI, PRI) and a minor Cabinet reshuffle.

[edit] Inclusion of neo-fascist movements

In February 2006, two months ahead of the general elections of 2006, UDC secretary Lorenzo Cesa and others protested against the inclusion of neo-fascists such as Adriano Tilgher, Roberto Fiore, Alessandra Mussolini, Gaetano Saya and Pino Rauti in the alliance, branding them "impresentabili" (unsuitable).

It appeared for some time that these neo-fascist leading figures were going to receive a few almost-guaranteed seats in the Parliament on Forza Italia's ticket. [1], as claimed by political opposers, while Chairman Silvio Berlusconi definitely ruled out this possibility.[2]

Berlusconi confirmed negotiating with Alessandra Mussolini (Benito Mussolini's granddaughter), but claimed he would request her not to include people like Tilgher and Fiore. [3]. Mussolini had previously contended she would not accept any veto. Berlusconi had been photographed with Gaetano Saya's wife, who is also secretary of an extremist neo-fascist party that claims to have such an agreement with the House of Freedoms. [4]

Eventually, Mussolini declared that neither she nor other neo-fascists would be candidates, but her alliance of neo-fascist movements, Alternativa Sociale, would support the House of Freedoms. [5]

[edit] Results in the 2006 Senate election

	House of Freedoms (Casa delle Libertà)
Party		Votes		%			Seats		Areas contested
Election Symbol:	Party name:	Italy:	Abroad:	Italy:	Abroad:	Areas contested:	Italy:	Abroad:	Italy:	Abroad:
	Forza Italia	8,201,688	185,438	23.56	21.07	?	78	1
	National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale)	4,234,693		12.17		?	41
	Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e dei Democratici di Centro)	2,311,448	57,200	6.64	6.50	?	21	0
	Northern League - Movement for Autonomy (Lega Nord - Movimento per l'Autonomia)	1,531,939	18,455	4.40	2.10	?	13	0
	Tricolour Flame (Fiamma Tricolore)	219,707	8,433	0.63	0.96	?	0	0
	Social Alternative (Alternativa Sociale)	215,668		0.62		?	0
	Christian Democracy-New PSI (DC-Nuovo PSI)	190,724		0.55		?	0
	United Pensioners (Pensionati Uniti)	61,824		0.18		?	0
	Italian Republican Party (Partito Repubblicano Italiano)	45,133		0.13		?	0
	Environmental List-Ecological Democrats (Ambienta-Lista - Ecologisti Democratici)	37,656		0.11		?	0
	New Sicily (Nuova Sicilia)	33,437		0.10		?	0
	No Euro Movement (No Euro)	30,515		0.09		?	0
	Pact for Sicily (Patto per la Sicilia)	20,833		0.06		?	0
	Italian Liberal Party (Partito Liberale Italiano)	15,762		0.05		?	0
	Forza Italia-National Alliance (Forza Italia-Alleanza Nazionale)	11,505		0.03		?	0
	Christian Extended Pact (Patto Cristiano Esteso)	9,730		0.03		?	0
	Liberal Reformers (Riformatori Liberali)	7,668		0.02		?	0
	S.O.S. Italy (S.O.S. Italia)	4,963		0.01		?	0
	For Italy in the World (Per Italia nel Mondo)		63.474		7.11	7.11		0
	House of Freedoms (Casa delle Libertà)	175,137		0.50		?	2
Total:		17,359,754	333,000	49.87	37.84	?	155	1