The Communist Party (''Partito Comunista'', PC) is an anti-revisionist Marxist–Leninist communist party in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, founded in 2009. It defines itself as "the revolutionary political vanguard organization of the working class in Italy". It was a founding member of the

Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties The Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties (INITIATIVE) was a Marxist–Leninist European political alliances, European political alliance. Founded by the Communist Party of Greece in 2013, the initiative had 30 member parties from all ov ...

(INITIATIVE) and remained as such from 2013 until the association's dissolution.

History

The party was founded on 3 July 2009 by

Marco Rizzo Marco Rizzo (born 12 October 1959 in Turin) is an Italian politician, who served as leader of the Communist Party (PC) from 2009 to 2023, and as leader of Sovereign and Popular Italy in 2022. Biography A graduate in political science in 1985, ...

as Communists – Popular Left (''Comunisti – Sinistra Popolare''). On 21 January 2012 the party changed its name to Communists Popular Left – Communist Party (''Comunisti Sinistra Popolare – Partito Comunista''). On 17 January 2014 the party finally took the current name. The PC presented its lists of candidates in some municipalities for the

2016 Italian local elections The 2016 Italian local elections were held on 5 June, with a run-off, where necessary if a candidate for Mayor obtained less than 50 percent of votes in the first round, held on 19 June. In Trentino-Alto Adige the elections were held on 8 May ( ...

. At the

2016 Italian constitutional referendum A constitutional referendum was held in Italy on 4 December 2016. Voters were asked whether they approved a Constitutional laws of Italy, constitutional law that amends the Constitution of Italy, Italian Constitution to reform the composition a ...

, the PC took the side of "No", considering the constitutional reform as an attempt functionally driven by the interests of investors since it was clearly aimed at easing the anti-popular measures operated by governments. On 21 January 2017, it was held in Rome the II National Congress in which Rizzo was confirmed as general secretary. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the

Treaty of Rome The Treaty of Rome, or EEC Treaty (officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community), brought about the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC), the best known of the European Communities (EC). The treaty was signe ...

on 25 March 2017, the PC organized in Rome a demonstration during the summit of European heads of the states, reaffirming its opposition to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(EU). On 11 November 2017 the party organized a demonstration in Rome on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

. On 26 May 2019 it participated in the

European elections Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's. Until 2019, 751 ...

, where it won 0.88% of the vote. Exactly one month after the

Conte II Cabinet The second Conte government was the 66th government of the Italian Republic and the second government led by Giuseppe Conte. The government was sworn in on 5 September 2019 to 13 February 2021. The government was supported by the anti-establis ...

took office, the party organized a protest in Rome involving hundreds of people. On 12 March 2020 the Front of Communist Youth, which had been affiliated with the Communist Party since its founding, split and ceased affiliation. In November 2021 senator

Emanuele Dessì Emanuele Dessì (born 30 March 1964) is an Italian politician who has served in the Senate of the Republic (Italy), Senate of the Republic between 2018 and 2022. Political career Originally a member of the Five Star Movement, he left the party ...

, elected with the

Five Star Movement The Five Star Movement ( , M5S) is a political party in Italy, led by Giuseppe Conte. It was launched on 4 October 2009 by Beppe Grillo, a political activist and comedian, and Gianroberto Casaleggio, a web strategist. The party is primarily d ...

, joined the party, giving it representation in the

Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament () is the national parliament of the Italy, Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1848–1861), the Parliament of the Kingd ...

. In the run-up of the

2022 general election The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 loca ...

the party was a founding member of Sovereign and Popular Italy (ISP). In January 2023 Rizzo was replaced by Alberto Lombardo as the party's general secretary. In July 2024 Rizzo resigned from honorary president too.

Ideology

Presidio in ricordo dei Morti di Reggio Emilia 26

The PC is grounded on

Marxism–Leninism Marxism–Leninism () is a communist ideology that became the largest faction of the History of communism, communist movement in the world in the years following the October Revolution. It was the predominant ideology of most communist gov ...

. It assumes a political line openly revolutionary, supporting the need for the overthrow of the capitalist system and the transformation of Italy into a socialist country, rejecting both

reformist Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. Within the socialist movement, ref ...

and revisionist theories. The PC stands for the unity of communists in Italy under a solid Marxist–Leninist vision and its watchwords. The PC refuses the merely electoral political practices that have characterized many communist parties and it considers the participation at the elections just as a mean to spread its ideas and strengthen its entrenchment on local contexts and not at all as the final goal of its political activity. With regards to the history of the communist movement in Italy, the PC recognizes as leading figures

Antonio Gramsci Antonio Francesco Gramsci ( , ; ; 22 January 1891 – 27 April 1937) was an Italian Marxist philosophy, Marxist philosopher, Linguistics, linguist, journalist, writer, and politician. He wrote on philosophy, Political philosophy, political the ...

and

Pietro Secchia Pietro Secchia (19 December 1903 – 7 July 1973) was an Italian politician, anti-fascist partisan leader and a prominent leader of the Italian Communist Party. Biography Early life Secchia was born into a working-class family. His father w ...

while it takes a highly critical stand on

Palmiro Togliatti Palmiro Michele Nicola Togliatti (; 26 March 1893 – 21 August 1964) was an Italian politician and statesman, leader of Italy's Italian Communist Party, Communist party for nearly forty years, from 1927 until his death. Born into a middle-clas ...

and

Enrico Berlinguer Enrico Berlinguer (; 25 May 1922 – 11 June 1984) was an Italian politician and statesman. Considered the most popular leader of the Italian Communist Party (PCI), he led the PCI as the national secretary from 1972 until his death during a te ...

. Unlike other Italian communist organizations, the PC welcomes the historical figure of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

, though rejecting the definition of "

stalinism Stalinism (, ) is the Totalitarianism, totalitarian means of governing and Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from History of the Soviet Union (1927–1953), 1927 to 1953 by dictator Jose ...

". It considers such a definition politically meaningless since during Stalin's leadership there is no trace of elements of discontinuity or attempts of overcoming the Marxist–Leninist theory. Indeed, the PC reckons the instrumental use of the term Stalinism as a functional

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

definition developed following the

20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union () was held during the period 14–25 February 1956. It is known especially for First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev's " Secret Speech", which denounced the personality cult and dictator ...

. In celebrating the memory of the liberation war, the PC holds that the ideas inspiring the

Italian resistance movement The Italian Resistance ( ), or simply ''La'' , consisted of all the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social Republic during the Second World War in Italy ...

have been widely betrayed by the bourgeois Italian Republic established just after the war although many partisans fought for social renewal and a socialist Italy. The PC underlines that the role of those communist fighters in the partisan armed struggle has been progressively diminished and concealed in contemporary historiography. The PC affirms that the EU is basically unreformable and therefore sustains the needs for an immediate and unilateral exit from the EU and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, distancing likewise with " sovereignistic" positions. The PC claims the historical opposition of the

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party (, PCI) was a communist and democratic socialist political party in Italy. It was established in Livorno as the Communist Party of Italy (, PCd'I) on 21 January 1921, when it seceded from the Italian Socialist Part ...

(PCI) to the EU, the only Italian party openly against the Treaty of Rome of 1957, sustaining that opposition to the EU will be perceived again as a communist watchword and it is misappropriated by the far-right (the

Italian Social Movement The Italian Social Movement (, MSI) was a neo-fascist political party in Italy. A far-right party, it presented itself until the 1990s as the defender of Italian fascism's legacy, and later moved towards national conservatism. In 1972, the Itali ...

voted in favor to the Treaty of Rome). Party leader Marco Rizzo has criticized communist leader

due to, among many things, his support to the European Economic Community.

International relations

The Communist Party is member of the Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties, organization of European Marxist–Leninist parties, of which it is a founding member. It used to be the only Italian political force having solid and reciprocal relationships with the

Communist Party of Greece The Communist Party of Greece (, ΚΚΕ; ''Kommounistikó Kómma Elládas'', KKE) is a Marxist–Leninist political party in Greece. It was founded in 1918 as the Socialist Workers' Party of Greece (SEKE) and adopted its current name in Novem ...

(KKE) and the

Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain () is a Marxist–Leninist communist party in Spain. PCPE was founded out of the unification of several Marxist-Leninist factions. The youth organization is called the Communist Youth of the Peoples of Sp ...

(PCPE), though after PCPE's split and the formation of the

Communist Party of the Workers of Spain The Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (, abbreviated PCTE) is a Marxist–Leninist communist party in Spain. The PCTE was founded on March 3, 2019 as the result of a split in the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE). The youth org ...

(PCTE), there has been no sign of contact between them. Since 2022, the party has also cut ties from the KKE after a series of ideological differences were presented in an exchange of letters from both parties regarding the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

and each party's definition of imperialism. The PC maintains and develops relations with ruling parties in socialist countries, including the

Communist Party of Cuba The Communist Party of Cuba (, PCC) is the sole ruling party of Cuba. It was founded on 3 October 1965 as the successor to the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, which was in turn made up of the 26th of July Movement and Popu ...

and the

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), also called the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), is the sole ruling party of North Korea. Founded in 1949 from a merger between the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is ...

. It also has relations of solidarity with

Bolivarian Bolivarianism is a mix of panhispanic, socialist and nationalist-patriotic ideals named after Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century Venezuelan general and liberator from the Spanish monarchy then in abeyance, who led the struggle for independence t ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, condemning the imperialists' campaign and the subversive efforts against the country, although remaining critical on

socialism of the 21st century Socialism of the 21st century (; ; ) is an interpretation of socialist principles first advocated by German sociologist and political analyst Heinz Dieterich and taken up by a number of Latin American leaders. Dieterich argued in 1996 that ...

since the PC affirms the needs for the final destruction of the bourgeois state-machine and its apparatus in order to actually establish socialism.

Popular support

Support for the Communist Party is stronger in central Italy in particular in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

and

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

(part of the " Red Belt"). The party ran in all the constituencies of Italy for the first time in the

2019 European Parliament election The 2019 European Parliament election was held in the European Union (EU) between 23 and 26 May 2019. It was the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) we ...

. It made its best results in Tuscany (1.68%), in particular in the

province of Livorno The province of Livorno () or, traditionally, province of Leghorn, is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It includes several islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, including Elba and Capraia. Its capital is the city of Liv ...

(2.82%) and in the

province of Siena The province of Siena (, ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena. It has 259,826 inhabitants. Geography The province is divided into seven historical areas: * Alta Val d'Elsa * Chian ...

(1.89%), while it was weaker in

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

(0.21%),

Trentino Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...

(0.49%), and

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

(0.46%).

Electoral results

Italian Parliament

European Parliament

Regional Councils

Symbols

File:Comunisti – Sinistra Popolare.svg, 2009–2012 File:Comunisti Sinistra Popolare – Partito Comunista.svg, 2012–2013 File:Logo of the Communist Party (Italy).svg, 2013–present

Electoral symbols

File:Logo of the Communist Party (Italy, electoral symbol).svg, 2018 general election File:Logo Partito Comunista (europee 2019).png,

2019 European election The 2019 European Parliament election was held in the European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states tha ...

Leadership

*General Secretary:

(2009–2023), Alberto Lombardo (2023–present) *President: Canzio Visentin (2020–present) *Honorary President:

(2023–2024)

References

External links

Official website
{{Italian political parties 2009 establishments in Italy Communist parties in Italy Anti-revisionist organizations Stalinist parties Far-left politics in Italy Political parties established in 2009 Eurosceptic parties in Italy Opposition to NATO International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties