The Populars of Italy Tomorrow

{{short description|Italian political party}}

{{Infobox political party

| colorcode = {{party color|The Populars of Italy Tomorrow}}

| name = The Populars of Italy Tomorrow

| native_name = I Popolari di Italia Domani

| logo = POPOLARI DI ITALIA DOMANI.jpg

| logo_size = 150px

| leader = Francesco Saverio Romano

| foundation = 28 September 2010

| dissolution = 4 January 2012

| split = Union of the Centre

| merged = Cantiere Popolare

| headquarters = Corso Vittorio Emanuele 229
00186 Rome

| membership_year=

| membership = unknown

| ideology = Christian democracy

| position = Centre to centre-right

| international = None

| seats1_title = Chamber of Deputies

| seats1 =

| seats2_title = Senate

| seats2 =

| website = http://www.ipopolariditaliadomani.it/

| country = Italy

}}

The Populars of Italy Tomorrow (I Popolari di Italia Domani, PID) was a Christian-democratic political party in Italy whose power base was in Sicily. It is currently affiliated with Forza Italia.

PID was launched on 28 September 2010 by five splinter deputies (four from Sicily and one from Campania) of the Union of the Centre (UdC) led by Francesco Saverio Romano, the UdC leader in Sicily. They dissented with the party's support to Raffaele Lombardo's fourth regional government and chose to vote in favour of Silvio Berlusconi in a vote of confidence on 29 September in the Chamber of Deputies.{{cite news|author=Nadia Pietrafitta |url=http://www.iltempo.it/2010/09/29/1205165-siciliani_lasciano.shtml|title=I siciliani lasciano l'Udc|work=Iltempo|date=29 September 2010|accessdate=22 December 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://palermo.repubblica.it/dettaglio-news/20:05/3845712|title=Sicilia: Popolari per l'Italia, dubbi di legittimita' su Lombardo quater|work=Palermo Repubblica|accessdate=22 December 2013}}

It was a damaging split for the UdC in Sicily, the party's historical stronghold, as 7 regional deputies out of 10 chose to follow Romano, additionally joined by a splinter from the Movement for the Autonomies, Lombardo's party.{{cite news |url=http://palermo.repubblica.it/cronaca/2010/09/28/news/ars_i_cuffariani_lasciano_l_udc_nasce_un_nuovo_gruppo_si_chiama_pid-7510912/|title=Ars, i cuffariani lasciano l'Udc nasce un nuovo gruppo, si chiama Pid|date=28 September 2010|work=La Repubblica |language=Italian|accessdate=14 December 2013|location=Palermo}}{{cite web|url=http://www.qds.it/index.php?id=5367 |title=Index|publisher=QDS|accessdate=22 December 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ipopolariditaliadomani.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59&Itemid=65|title=Deputazione PID|work=Ipopolariditaliadomani|accessdate=22 December 2013}} With 8 deputies, PID are the fifth largest party in the Regional Assembly. Behind the scenes, the party was supported by Salvatore Cuffaro, senator and former President of Sicily, who was forced to leave politics in January 2011 due to a 7-year conviction for mafia-related crimes.[http://www.siciliaoggi.net/2010/09/ars-nascono-i-popolari-per-litalia-di-domani-ex-udc/ News]{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2011/gennaio/23/Favori_mafia_verdetto_definitivo_Cuffaro_co_8_110123034.shtml|title="Favorì la mafia", verdetto definitivo Cuffaro si costituisce a Rebibbia|work=Corriere della Sera|date=23 January 2011 |accessdate=22 December 2013}}

On 20 October 2010, in the Chamber of Deputies, PID formed a joint group with We the South (NS) led by Luciano Sardelli (NS).{{cite web|url=http://www.agenparl.it/articoli/news/news/20101020-camera-nuovo-gruppo-noi-sud-pid|title=Agenzia Parlamentare per l'informazione politica ed economica|publisher=AgenParl|date=20 October 2010|accessdate=22 December 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102193911/http://www.agenparl.it/articoli/news/news/20101020-camera-nuovo-gruppo-noi-sud-pid|archivedate=2 November 2013}} On 20 January 2011 PID was a founding component of Responsible Initiative, a centre-right group in the Chamber, but Calogero Mannino refused to join it.{{cite web|url=http://www.ilmessaggero.it/articolo.php?id=135365&sez=HOME_INITALIA|title=Nascono i Responsabili con 2 prestiti Pdl ma governo non ha maggioranza assoluta |publisher=Il Messaggero |accessdate=22 December 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/notizie/2011-01-20/ecco-responsabili-pronti-difendere-123748.shtml?uuid=AaHn4J1C |title=Ecco i 21 responsabili pronti a difendere Berlusconi. Così cambiano i giochi nelle commissioni decisive|work=Il Sole 24 ORE|date=20 January 2011|accessdate=22 December 2013}}

In March Mannino finally left the party to start his own, which will be called Popular Initiative,{{cite web|url=http://www.gds.it/gds/sezioni/politica/dettaglio/articolo/gdsid/150792/ |title=Mannino, addio al Pid: "Nascerà movimento di ispirazione cattolica"|publisher=GDS|date=14 March 2011|accessdate=22 December 2013}} while Romano was appointed minister of Agriculture in Berlusconi IV Cabinet.{{cite web|url=http://www.governo.it/governo/Ministeri/ministri_gov.html|title=Ministeri del Governo Letta|publisher=Governo Italiano|accessdate=22 December 2013}}

In 2012 the PID formed Cantiere Popolare along with Popular Action, the Christian Movement of Workers and the Extended Christian Pact.{{cite web|url=http://www.cantierepopolare.it/cosa-%C3%A8-il-cantiere-popolare.html|title=Chi Siamo|publisher=Cantiere Popolare|accessdate=22 December 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322093956/http://www.cantierepopolare.it/cosa-%C3%A8-il-cantiere-popolare.html|archivedate=22 March 2014}} The new party ran in the Sicilian regional election of 2012, winning 5.9% of the votes and 4 regional deputies.{{cite web|url=http://www.repubblica.it/static/speciale/2012/elezioni/regionali/sicilia.html#risultati |title=Sicilia|work=Repubblica|accessdate=22 December 2013}}

In 2013 PID–Cantiere Popolare became an associate party of Forza Italia.[http://agrigentoweb.it/2013/10/31/l-pid-cantiere-popolare-si-fonde-con-forza-italia-il-senatore-ruvolo-tra-i-firmatari-del-documento_143315 Il Pid-Cantiere Popolare si fonde con Forza Italia. Il senatore Ruvolo tra i firmatari del documento][http://www.gds.it/gds/sezioni/politica/dettaglio/articolo/gdsid/298638/ Forza Italia, i dirigenti del Pid aderiscono al partito di Berlusconi]