The Southern Democratic Party (Partito Democratico Meridionale, PDM) was a centrist Italian political party based in Calabria.
The Southern Democratic Party was founded in 2006, as a split from the regional organisation of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy. The PDM's leader was Agazio Loiero, President of Calabria Region since 2005. Southern Democrats were strong supporters of constructing the Democratic Party in order to unite the Italian centre-left, despite PDM's members being mostly moderate-conservatives.
In the 2006 general election, thanks to a political pact with the Consumers' List, PDM scored 5.3% and elected a Senator, Pietro Fuda (former President of Province of Reggio Calabria for Forza Italia).
On 19 March 2007, Eva Catizone, formerly of the Italian Socialist Party and former mayor of Cosenza for the Democrats of the Left, was elected leader of the party.
In the subsequent municipal elections, PDM scored 13.7% in Catanzaro, 6.5% in Crotone and 4.2% in Cosenza.
It became part of the Democratic Party at its founding congress on 14 October 2007.
Famous quotes containing the words southern, democratic and/or party:
“There are many ways of discarding [books]. You can give them to friends,—or enemies,—or to associations or to poor Southern libraries. But the surest way is to lend them. Then they never come back to bother you.”
—Carolyn Wells (1862?–1942)
“Follow me if I advance
Kill me if I retreat
Avenge me if I die.”
—Mary Matalin, U.S. Republican political advisor, author, and James Carville b. 1946, U.S. Democratic political advisor, author. All’s Fair: Love, War, and Running for President, epigraph (from a Vietnamese battle cry)
“DORIS: Here’s the two of spades.
DUSTY: The two of spades!
THAT’S THE COFFIN!!
DORIS: THAT’S THE COFFIN?
Oh good heavens what’ll I do?
Just before a party too!”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)