Unique Italy


Unique Italy was a centre-right political party in Italy.
Its leader was Corrado Passera, a former manager, banker, supporter of the centre-left Olive Tree coalition and minister of Economic Development in Monti Cabinet.

History

The party was launched during two conventions in February and June 2014, respectively. Passera aimed at forming a "liberal, popular and reform" alternative to Matteo Renzi's Democratic Party and re-unifying the centre-right, which was divided at the time between several contentious parties and leaders.
At its founding congress in January 2015, the party unveiled its leadership. Led by Passera, president, and Lelio Alfonso, national coordinator, the party's national board notably included Diego Bottacin, Fabio Evangelisti, Silvana Mura, Renzo Tondo and Santo Versace.
Pino Bicchielli and Marco Calgaro joined IU by September. Among the others who joined later, it is worth mentioning Maria Ida Germontani.
Since November 2015 IU was represented by Guglielmo Vaccaro, elected with the PD and formerly a close affiliate of Enrico Letta, in the Chamber of Deputies and by Gaetano Quagliariello, elected with the PdL, passed through the New Centre-Right and now leader of Identity and Action, which allowed membership to other parties through the so-called "double membership", in the Senate. Vaccaro also hinted that IU and IdeA would soon merge into a single party.
Passera was supposed to run for mayor in the 2016 municipal election in Milan, but eventually decided to endorse Stefano Parisi, the joint centre-right candidate supported by the LN, FI, the NCD and the UdC. Consequently, the IU candidates were included in the larger "Parisi List for a Unique Milano".
In September 2016 the party, which had failed to take roots in the country, was dissolved.

Leadership