It might be early for an electoral gain such as that of the Greek parties Syriza and KKE; yet, the Italian communists have raised their heads.
Thousands of members of the different Communist parties of Italy marched in Rome on Saturday, May 12. For the occasion, the different Communists formations existing in Italy worked together, launching a common day of action against the Monti executive and its anti-union, pro-austerity policy.
Among them were the PRC (Party of the Communist Refoundation, founded in 1991 soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall) and the formation of the Comunisti Italiani (Italian Communists, founded in 1998 after the PRC abandoned the left-wing majority in Parliament). The two have often been running in common slates in several electoral rounds. Smaller parties such as the PCL (Communist Workers’ Party) also took part in the action day.
Representatives from the no-Tav movement were also present to the march, alongside representatives from Greek Syriza and French PCF. A special number of the former Communist newspaper Liberazione (closed early in January) was printed and sold for the day. In the conclusive speech, the secretary of the PRC, Paolo Ferrero, has launched a plea to the other radical left-wing forces, such as the IDV (Italia dei Valori, founded by former public prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro) and SEL (the post-communist, radical and pro-ecology formation emerged from PRC in 2008). However, no official response has come.
Meanwhile, the Communist parties are still not represented in the national Parliament and their electoral results in the May 6-7 local vote have been extremely diversified, from a meager 0.76 % in Taranto (in the Apulia region) to better results in left-leaning regions such as Tuscany and Umbria.
More sources here.
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