Cambiamo! (transl. Let's Change!, also stylized as C!)[1] was a centre-right political party in Italy, led by Giovanni Toti.

Cambiamo!
PresidentGiovanni Toti
Founded7 August 2019 (2019-08-07)
Dissolved28 April 2022 (2022-04-28) (de facto)
Split fromForza Italia
Merged intoItaly in the Centre
HeadquartersPiazza Madama 9, Rome
Ideology
Political positionCentre-right
National affiliationCentre-right coalition
Colours  Orange   Blue
Website
cambiamo.eu

History

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Background and beginnings

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Giovanni Toti with supporters

In June 2019, after the European Parliament election, Silvio Berlusconi appointed Giovanni Toti, president of Liguria, and Mara Carfagna, a former minister, national coordinators of Forza Italia (FI), with the goal of reforming and relaunching the party.[2] However, after a few weeks, Toti left the party in opposition to Berlusconi,[3] who had not endorsed Toti's proposal for open primaries,[4][5][6] and launched Cambiamo!.[7][8] The reasons of the split were FI's lack of internal democracy and lack of clarity on the alliance with the League and the Brothers of Italy (FdI) at country-level, which he definitely supported.[9][10][11]

In September four deputies (Stefano Benigni, Manuela Gagliardi, Claudio Pedrazzini and Alessandro Sorte) officially left FI in order to join C![12] Along with a fifth deputy who had earlier left FI (Giorgio Silli), they renamed the "Dream Italy–10 Times Better" sub-group within the Mixed Group as "Cambiamo!–10 Times Better".[13] Additionally, four senators (Massimo Vittorio Berutti, Gaetano Quagliariello, Paolo Romani and Luigi Vitali),[14][15] as well as several regional councillors from Lombardy (including Romani's son) and Lazio[16][17][18] followed suit.

Centrist turn

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In the 2020 Emilia-Romagna regional election C! ran in a joint list with The People of Family, gaining 0.3% of the vote.[19] In the 2020 Ligurian regional election party leader Toti was re-elected president with 56.1% of the vote, while C! (full name: Cambiamo con Toti Presidente) gained 22.6% of the vote.[20] In the 2020 Tuscan regional election the party obtained 1.0% of the vote and no seats.[21]

Despite its beginnings, by the end of 2020 C! became a proponent of a more moderate version of conservatism in comparison with FI. The party thus gave strong support to the formation of a national unity government as a replacement of Giuseppe Conte's centre-left government. In February 2021, amid the formation of Mario Draghi's national unity government, which was supported also by the League and FI, as well as by the main centre-left parties, C! started to attract new members from the more centrist wing of FI. As a result, the party was able to form a larger sub-group within the Chamber's Mixed Group, comprising ten deputies (including eight who were full members of the party).[22][23][24]

In May 2021 C! was a founding member of a new joint party named Coraggio Italia (CI), whose main leaders were Toti and Luigi Brugnaro, mayor of Venice. CI formed a parliamentary group in the Chamber with more than 20 deputies. However, two C! deputies, Benigni and Sorte, left the party.[25]

Italy in the Centre

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In less than a year, CI, which had failed to attract substantial support among voters, according to opinion polls, experienced an internal crisis. On one side Toti wanted to form an alliance with Matteo Renzi's Italia Viva party[26][27] and launched a new political party named Italy in the Centre (IaC),[28][29] on the other side Brugnaro rejected establishment politics[30] and wanted to continue to be part of the centre-right coalition.[31] In February 2022 CI's sub-group within the Mixed Group, previously named "IDeA–Cambiamo!–Europeanists", was re-named "Italy in the Centre".[32] In March, a federation between Coraggio Italia and Italy in the Centre was announced, stating that they would have different organisations and parliamentary groupings.[33] In May, during a meeting of the national leadership, a provisional statute of Italy in the Centre was approved and regional coordinators and a secretariat were appointed,[34] practically supplanting Cambiamo!.

In the 2022 local elections CI and IaC ran separately in most places. CI obtained relevant results only in Veneto, Brugnaro's home-region, most notably 5.2% in Verona and 4.4% in Padua, while IaC won 9.2% in Genoa, 8.5% in La Spezia, 3.7% in Rieti, 5.2% in L'Aquila and 4.3% in Catanzaro, where another list named "Cambiamo!" obtained 5.3% of the vote.

In late June 2022 CI and IaC formally split both in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.[35][36]

As of mid 2022 C! is mostly inactive. Its Facebook page is no longer visible,[37] and its official website has not been updated since the summer of 2021.[38]

Election results

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Regional Councils

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Region Election year Votes % Seats +/–
Liguria 2020 141,552 (1st) 22.60
9 / 31
New
Tuscany 2020 into Civic Tuscany
0 / 37
Emilia-Romagna 2020 6,341[a] 0.29
0 / 50
  1. ^ In a joint list with The People of Family .

Leadership

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References

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  1. ^ Cambiamo!, Cambiamo.eu – Sito Ufficiale
  2. ^ "Forza Italia, Berlusconi: Carfagna e Toti coordinatori nazionali". Repubblica.it. 19 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Toti: alleati con Lega e FdI, qui vogliamo restare - Politica". Agenzia ANSA. 1 August 2019.
  4. ^ Martirano, Dino (7 July 2019). "Le condizioni di Berlusconi a Toti: "No alle primarie aperte"". Corriere.it. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Fi, Toti lascia: "Ognuno va per conto suo, buona fortuna". Carfagna: "Così si uccide il partito"". Repubblica.it. 1 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Ma quali primarie, Forza Italia è nata con Berlusconi e morirà con lui". Linkiesta. 26 July 2019.
  7. ^ Canessa, Fabio (7 August 2019). "Centrodestra, Toti registra ufficialmente il nuovo movimento 'Cambiamo'". Telenord.it. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Toti presenta simbolo di 'Cambiamo' - Ultima Ora". Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). 16 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Fi, Toti dopo l'addio lancia il tour del suo movimento politico e si rivolge a Salvini. Carfagna resta nel partito". Repubblica.it. 2 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Forza Italia implode, Toti lascia: "Ognuno per conto suo, buona fortuna". Carfagna: "Non farò parte del comitato di liquidazione"". Il Fatto Quotidiano. 1 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Giovanni Toti lascia Forza Italia, i motivi dell'addio al partito | Sky TG24 | Sky TG24". Tg24.sky.it. August 2019.
  12. ^ "Gli azzurri Benigni e Sorte lasciano Forza Italia, entrano nel gruppo misto della Camera - Bergamo News". BergamoNews.it. 9 September 2019.
  13. ^ "Camera: nasce Cambiamo!,componente Misto - Politica". Agenzia ANSA. 11 September 2019.
  14. ^ "Toti sfida Berlusconi: "così cambiamo il centrodestra"". Panorama.it. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Centrodestra, Paolo Romani: "Vado con Toti. Mi dispiace ma Forza Italia ha più eletti che elettori"". Repubblica.it. 7 August 2019.
  16. ^ "Fuga da Forza Italia: i deputati e consiglieri che lasciano il Cav e vanno da Toti". Secolo d'Italia. 12 September 2019.
  17. ^ "Forza Italia si svuota: in Lombardia 7 consiglieri pronti a passare con Toti - La Stampa". lastampa.it. 12 September 2019.
  18. ^ "Fuori da Forza Italia: i 3 consiglieri del Lazio passano al Misto". Alessioporcu.it. 9 September 2019.
  19. ^ "Ministry of the Interior – Election in Emilia-Romagna". Elezionistorico.interno.gov.it. 23 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Ministry of the Interior – Results". Elezionistorico.interno.gov.it. 23 September 2020.[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ "Tuscany Region – Electoral Services". Elezioni2020.regione.toscana.it. 23 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Forza Italia, tre deputati lasciano e vanno con Toti". Adnkronos.com. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  23. ^ "Cambiamo: Toti presenta componente Camera, 'ago bussola politica italiana'". Iltempo.it. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Toti lancia componente 'Cambiamo' alla Camera: "Altri forzisti in arrivo? FI partito alleato, noi vogliamo allargare centro del centrodestra"". Ilfattoquotidiano.it. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  25. ^ "Nasce 'Coraggio Italia', nuovo progetto politico di Brugnaro e Toti". Adnkronos (in Italian). 26 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  26. ^ "Politica, Renzi-Toti rompono gli indugi: Arriva "Italia al centro"". 4 February 2022.
  27. ^ "Si chiama 'Italia al centro' la nuova creatura centrista di Renzi e Toti".
  28. ^ "Toti presenta "Italia al centro", modello Csu: "Questo sistema bipolare è ormai superato"". 25 March 2022.
  29. ^ "Toti e il grande centro: Nasce la Federazione fra Coraggio Italia e Italia al centro". 24 March 2022.
  30. ^ "Brugnaro: "Il cuore si è fermato, stavo morendo. Mi sono svegliato il giorno dopo"". 14 May 2022.
  31. ^ "Renzi e Toti, al centro sono rimasti in pochi (Di F. Fantozzi)". 7 February 2022.
  32. ^ "Senato.it - Senato della Repubblica senato.it - Variazioni dei Gruppi parlamentari".
  33. ^ "Toti e il grande centro: nasce la Federazione fra Coraggio Italia e Italia al centro". la Repubblica (in Italian). 24 March 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  34. ^ ""Italia al Centro" di Toti: varato statuto, nascono i gruppi federati". www.primocanale.it (in Italian). Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  35. ^ "E Brugnaro e Toti sanciscono il divorzio. Non c'è pace nel centro, ingolfato e litigioso (Di F. Olivo)". 23 June 2022.
  36. ^ "Coraggio Italia si scioglie: è l'effetto domino della scissione 5S. Per Toti e Brugnaro obiettivo nuovo Centro con di Maio". 23 June 2022.
  37. ^ "Log in or sign up to view". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  38. ^ "Sito Ufficiale di Cambiamo! il Partito Politico di Giovanni Toti". Cambiamo!. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2023.