# Fourth Phase
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'''Fourth Phase''' (''Quarta Fase'', QF) is a faction within the [Democratic Party](/source/Democratic_Party_(Italy)) (PD), a [political party in Italy](/source/list_of_political_parties_in_Italy).
The name of the faction was chosen to identify the new stage of left-wing Catholics in Italian politics, the first three being within the [Italian People's Party (1919–1926)](/source/Italian_People's_Party_(1919%E2%80%931926)), the Christian Democracy (1943–1994) and the [Italian People's Party](/source/Italian_People's_Party_(1994%E2%80%932002)) respectively, and the fourth the current one, with the Democratic Party, a party in which Catholics are a minority. This phase, according to the faction's website, started with the foundation of [Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy](/source/Democracy_is_Freedom_%E2%80%93_The_Daisy) (DL), that put together Populars with people coming from different political traditions.[{{Cite web |url=http://www.quartafase.it/pagina.asp?sez=testo&id=1 |title=Quarta Fase |access-date=2009-07-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807202458/http://www.quartafase.it/pagina.asp?sez=testo&id=1 |archive-date=2008-08-07 |url-status=dead }}]
The heirs of the left wing of the late [Christian Democracy](/source/Christian_Democracy_(Italy)) and later the Italian People's Party (1994–2002), a [Christian-democratic](/source/Christian_democracy) party of the [Christian left](/source/Christian_left), organized themselves within DL as [The Populars](/source/The_Populars). Between 2002 and 2007 the Populars, led by [Franco Marini](/source/Franco_Marini) and [Ciriaco De Mita](/source/Ciriaco_De_Mita), within DL.[{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2006/novembre/21/Margherita_congresso_divisa_Marini_non_co_9_061121116.shtml |title=Margherita a congresso divisa E Marini: non firmo mozioni |publisher=Archiviostorico.corriere.it |date= |accessdate=2014-07-17}}][{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2007/aprile/06/Congresso_intesa_Marini_Rutelli_Ora_co_9_070406072.shtml |title=Congresso, intesa Marini-Rutelli "Ora la Margherita è plurale" |publisher=Archiviostorico.corriere.it |date= |accessdate=2014-07-17}}] In the [2007 Democratic Party primary election](/source/2007_Democratic_Party_(Italy)_leadership_election) around 600 Populars were elected to the party Constituent Assembly.[{{cite web |url=http://archivio.lastampa.it/LaStampaArchivio/main/History/tmpl_viewObj.jsp?objid=8027793 |title=Archivio |publisher=Archivio.lastampa.it |date= |accessdate=2014-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217040630/http://archivio.lastampa.it/LaStampaArchivio/main/History/tmpl_viewObj.jsp?objid=8027793 |archive-date=2012-02-17 |url-status=dead }}]
As the Populars failed to find a common ground in the new party, they split in different groups. The bulk of the faction (Marini, [Dario Franceschini](/source/Dario_Franceschini), [Giuseppe Fioroni](/source/Giuseppe_Fioroni), [Antonello Soro](/source/Antonello_Soro) and [Pierluigi Castagnetti](/source/Pierluigi_Castagnetti)) supported [Walter Veltroni](/source/Walter_Veltroni) as leader of the party. [Rosy Bindi](/source/Rosy_Bindi) and [Enrico Letta](/source/Enrico_Letta) ran against Veltroni and set up their factions, [Democrats Really](/source/Democrats_Really) and [360 Association](/source/360_Association) respectively. Another leading member, [Ciriaco De Mita](/source/Ciriaco_De_Mita), abandoned the PD over disagreements with Veltroni in early 2008.[{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2008/febbraio/21/Candidature_Mita_leader_lascia_Pd_co_9_080221015.shtml |title=Candidature, no a De Mita E l' ex leader dc lascia il Pd |publisher=Archiviostorico.corriere.it |date= |accessdate=2014-07-17}}] The failure of The Populars to be a united faction led Fioroni, Franceschini and Soro, backed by Marini, to set '''Fourth Phase'''.
As of January 2009 the organization of the new faction was completed: [Antonello Giacomelli](/source/Antonello_Giacomelli) was elected president of the faction, which counts almost 90 Democrat MPs.[http://www.asca.it/news-PD__GIACOMELLI_NUOVO_PRESIDENTE_ASSOCIAZIONE_'QUARTA_FASE'-802626-ORA-.html {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}] However also Franceschini and Fioroni, who is the real leader of the group and the heir of Marini, had their differences, the first being a keen supporter of Walter Veltroni and the second more interested in unifying former Christian Democrats and Catholics in general within the party, including the [Teodem](/source/Teodem)s, the [Olivists](/source/Olivists), the followers of Bindi, the ''[Lettiani](/source/Lettiani)'' and the [Social Christians](/source/Social_Christians).
After the resignation of Veltroni as party secretary and its replacement with Franceschini, Fourth Phase chose to support Franceschini in the [2009 Democratic Party leadership election](/source/2009_Democratic_Party_(Italy)_leadership_election).[{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2009/giugno/30/Con_Franceschini_per_partito_autonomo_co_8_090630024.shtml |title="Con Franceschini per un partito autonomo No a chi rimpiange il collateralismo Cgil" |publisher=Archiviostorico.corriere.it |date= |accessdate=2014-07-17}}][{{cite web |url=http://www.quartafase.it/pagina.asp?sez=news&id=53 |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2009-07-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722050553/http://www.quartafase.it/pagina.asp?sez=news&id=53 |archivedate=2011-07-22 }}] Franceschini lost to [Pier Luigi Bersani](/source/Pier_Luigi_Bersani) but the Populars of Fourth Phase, who constituted about the 60% of the members elected to the party's national assembly by the Franceschini list, were not eager to oppose Bersani, while Franceschini was more combative.[{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2009/ottobre/27/Guerriglia_nel_Spunta_carta_Prodi_co_8_091027028.shtml |title="Guerriglia" nel Pd. Spunta la carta Prodi |publisher=Archiviostorico.corriere.it |date= |accessdate=2014-07-17}}] They however joined [AreaDem](/source/AreaDem), the united minority faction led by Franceschini.
Things turned upside down in mid 2010 when Franceschini started to re-approach with Bersani and Fioroni became very critical of the party's political line instead. When Veltroni organized a "movement" outside Democratic Area, it was joined by Fioroni and 35 Populars around him.[{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2010/settembre/17/Veltroni_Bersani_sul_ring_senza_co_8_100917018.shtml |title=Veltroni e Bersani sul ring "Pd senza bussola". "Sbagli tutto" |publisher=Archiviostorico.corriere.it |date= |accessdate=2014-07-17}}][{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2010/settembre/18/conta_sul_testo_Veltroni_Firmano_co_9_100918024.shtml |title=Il Pd si conta sul testo Veltroni Firmano in 75, minoranza divisa |publisher=Archiviostorico.corriere.it |date= |accessdate=2014-07-17}}][{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2010/settembre/18/Fioroni_non_accetto_linciaggi_non_co_9_100918025.shtml |title=Fioroni: non accetto linciaggi e non mi arrendo al Pd del 26% |publisher=Archiviostorico.corriere.it |date= |accessdate=2014-07-17}}] This caused a split between this group and the Populars loyal to Franceschini.[{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2010/settembre/17/Scatta_assedio_agli_popolari_arma_co_8_100917020.shtml |title=Scatta l' assedio agli ex popolari L' arma delle liste per trattenerli |publisher=Archiviostorico.corriere.it |date= |accessdate=2014-07-17}}]