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Party of Italian Communists Partito dei Comunisti Italiani
Italian National Party
Leader	Oliviero Diliberto
Founded	1998
Headquarters	Piazza Augusto Imperatore, 32 00186 Rome, Italy
Coalition	The Union
Political ideology	Communism, Eurocommunism
International affiliation	none
European affiliation	none
European Parliament Group	European United Left–Nordic Green Left
Membership	40,000 (2006, [1])
Official newspaper	La Rinascita della sinistra
Website	www.comunisti-italiani.it
See also	Politics of Italy Political parties in Italy Elections in Italy

The Party of Italian Communists (Partito dei Comunisti Italiani, PdCI) is a political party in Italy.

It was founded in 1998 as a split from the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) by Armando Cossutta, the original leader of the PRC. The current party leader is Oliviero Diliberto.

The main reason for the split was the unwillingness of the majority the Communist Refoundation Party to participate in the operation that toppled the government of Romano Prodi. Fausto Bertinotti had kept the party in alliance with the Olive Tree coalition for two years, but was leaving because of disagreement over social policy. Leaving would have left the government without a majority in the lower house of the parliament. The issue was hotly debated in the party, and in the end a few votes, coming from the Trotskyist faction, finally decided.

Members of the Party of Italian Communists in the European Parliament still sit in the European United Left - Nordic Green Left group with their erstwhile PRC comrades.

In the 9-10 April 2006 general elections, the party was a member of the winning The Union (L'Unione) and won 16 out of 630 deputies. The alliance of Greens, Communists and Consumers won 11 out of 315 senators.

In April 2007, Armando Cossutta, after two years of bickering with Oliviero Diliberto, finally left the party. In the meantime the PdCI, at its IV national congress, re-proposed to the PRC, the Greens and other leftish forces (among them the brand new Democratic Left) to form a United Left, "a Left without adjectives". Along that path the PdCI will probably find again Cossutta, who, although being a staunch communist, is a keen supporter of the establishment of a United Left ranging from the PRC to the SDI.

• Secretary: Armando Cossutta (1998–2000), Oliviero Diliberto (2000–...)
  • Coordinator: Marco Rizzo (2004–...)
• President: Armando Cossutta (2000–2006), Antonino Cuffaro (2007–...)

• Party Leader in the Chamber of Deputies: Oliviero Diliberto (1998), Tullio Grimaldi (1998–2001), Marco Rizzo (2001–2004), Pino Sgobio (2004–...)
• Party Leader in the Senate: Luigi Marino (1998–2006), Manuela Palermi (leader of the PdCI-Green's group, 2006–...)
• Party Leader in the European Parliament: Luigi Vinci (1998–2004), Marco Rizzo (2004–...)

Official website

v • d • e Political parties in Italy (complete version, historical parties)
The Union	Democratic Party – Communist Refoundation Party – Democratic Left Minor: Party of Italian Communists – Federation of the Greens – Italy of Values – Socialist Party – UDEUR Populars – Italian Radicals Micro: Liberal Democrats – Democratic Union – Critical Left – Italian Democratic Socialist Party – Citizens' Political Movement Regional: South Tyrolean People's Party – Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Party – Valdotanian Renewal
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Others	Micro: Italian Associations in South America – Socialist Party – Decide! Regional: Valdotanian Union – Edelweiss Aosta Valley – Autonomist Federation – Union for South Tyrol – The Libertarians – North-East Project – Sardinian Action Party Complete list
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