The Sammarinese Christian Democratic Party (Italian: Partito Democratico Cristiano Sammarinese, PDCS) is a centre-right, Christian-democratic political party in San Marino.
PDCS is an observer member of the European People's Party (EPP). Its Italian counterpart was the late Christian Democracy, while today the party, whose internal left-wing faction left in 2006 to form the Centre Democrats and which was joined by the social democrats of Arengo and Freedom, is the equivalent of Forza Italia or its successor The People of Freedom. It is led by Giovanni Lonfernini, a former Captain-Regent.
In the 2006 general election PDCS won the 32.9% of the vote and 21 out of 60 seats in the Grand and General Council. The party stood in opposition to the 2006-2008 governing political coalition of Party of Socialists and Democrats, Popular Alliance and United Left.
For the 2008 general election the party was part of the Pact for San Marino coalition and gave hospitality in its list to some candidates of the Euro-Populars for San Marino and Arengo and Freedom, The electoral coalition won 35 seats out of 60 in the Grand and General Council in the Sammarinese parliamentary election, 2008 gaining 54.22% of the national vote and a governmental majority of 5 and has become the new government of San Marino and as a result the Sammarinese Christian Democratic Party which itself gained 22 seats (a few of which went to Euro-Populars for San Marino and Arengo and Freedom) out of the 35 the coalition gained and 31.90% of the national vote, as part of the coalition, is now part of the official new government with Ernesto Benedettini becoming one of the two Joint Captains Regent of San Marino.
Famous quotes containing the words christian, democratic and/or party:
“Washington’s birthday is as close to a secular Christmas as any Christian country dare come this side of blasphemy.”
—Alistair Cooke (b. 1908)
“The respect for human rights is one of the most significant advantages of a free and democratic nation in the peaceful struggle for influence, and we should use this good weapon as effectively as possible.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)
“It is the dissenter, the theorist, the aspirant, who is quitting this ancient domain to embark on seas of adventure, who engages our interest. Omitting then for the present all notice of the stationary class, we shall find that the movement party divides itself into two classes, the actors, and the students.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)