Us of the Centre

Christian-democratic political party in Italy

Politics of Italy
Political parties
Elections

Us of the Centre (Italian: Noi di Centro, NDC), is a minor Christian-democratic political party in Italy based in Campania, where it is known also as Us Campanians (Noi Campani). Led by Clemente Mastella, Minister of Labour in Berlusconi I Cabinet (1994–1995), minister of Justice in Prodi II Cabinet (2006–2008), and mayor of Benevento (since 2016), the party is the successor of the Union of Democrats for Europe (UDEUR).

History

In the summer of 2020, Mastella re-organised his followers under the banner of Us Campanians,^[1]^[2] which obtained 4.4% of the vote and 2 regional councillors, in support of the incumbent president Vincenzo De Luca of the Democratic Party (PD) in the 2020 Campania regional election. In the 2021 Italian local elections, Mastella was re-elected mayor of Benevento.^[3]

In November 2021, Mastella launched Us of the Centre in order to compete in countrywide elections.^[4] In December 2021, during a party assembly in Rome, Mastella was elected secretary and Giorgio Merlo, a journalist and former long-time deputy of the Italian People's Party (PPI), Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, and the PD from Piedmont, president.^[5] Subsequently, Mastella's wife Sandra Lonardo, elected senator for Forza Italia (FI) in the 2018 Italian general election, left that party and joined Cambiamo!'s sub-group in the Senate's Mixed Group, whose name was changed in order to include "Us of the Centre (Us Campanians)". The sub-group's main name would soon become "Italy in the Centre".^[6]

In June 2022, during a party convention in Naples, Mastella proposed an alliance with Matteo Renzi's Italia Viva (IV) and Giovanni Toti's Italy in the Centre (IaC), in a sort of re-edition of the Daisy, which put the UDEUR together with the PPI, The Democrats, and Italian Renewal in the run-up of the 2001 Italian general election.^[7]^[8] Mastella then announced he would run by himself, along with Europeanists, to avoid to collect signatures.^[9]

Electoral results

Italian Parliament

Election year	Votes	%	Seats	+/−	Leaders
Chamber of Deputies
2022	46,109^[a]	0.16	0 / 400	–	Clemente Mastella

Election year	Votes	%	Seats	+/−	Leaders
Senate of the Republic
2022	42,860^[a]	0.16	0 / 200	–	Clemente Mastella

^ ^a ^b In a joint list with Europeanists and Christian Democracy.

Leadership

Secretary: Clemente Mastella (2021–present)
President: Giorgio Merlo (2021—present)

References

^ "Elezioni regionali, Mastella presenta la lista "Noi campani", a sostegno di de Luca". 28 August 2020.
^ "Mastella Noi Campani Con de Luca".
^ "Elezioni comunali Benevento 2021 - Risultati - la Repubblica".
^ "Mastella lancia il partito nazionale "Noi centro"". 28 November 2021.
^ "Giorgio Merlo eletto Presidente Nazionale di "Noi di Centro" | Vita Diocesana Pinerolese". 24 December 2021.
^ "Senato.it - Senato della Repubblica senato.it - Variazioni dei Gruppi parlamentari".
^ "Mastella lancia Noi di Centro: "Al Sud siamo già forti". E apre a Matteo Renzi". 6 April 2022.
^ "Mastella a convention 'Noi di Centro': "Coalizioni dormono in stessi letti ma sogni diversi" - Italia". 4 June 2022.
^ "Clemente Mastella: "Io corro da solo. Gli altri sono abatini che non si sporcano le mani" (di F. Olivo)". HuffPost Italia (in Italian). 3 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.