Editing Italy of Values (section)

===From isolation to electoral success (2001–2009)===
In the [[2004 European Parliament election in Italy|2004 European Parliament election]] Di Pietro teamed up with [[Achille Occhetto]], a former leader of the [[Italian Communist Party]] (PCI) and the [[Democratic Party of the Left]] (PDS), under the banner "Civil Society Di Pietro–Occhetto". The electoral list gained 2.1% of the national vote and both men were elected [[Members of the European Parliament|MEPs]]. After the election, Occhetto immediately renounced to his seat and was replaced by [[Giulietto Chiesa]], a communist journalist, who sat with the [[Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats|Party of European Socialists Group]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/parlArchives/mepArch/alphaOrder/view.do?language=EN&id=28973|title=Your MEPs : Giulietto CHIESA|website=www.europarl.europa.eu}}</ref>

In 2005 IdV joined [[The Union (Italy)|The Union]], a new [[Centre-left coalition (Italy)|centre-left coalition]] led by Prodi, who won the [[2005 Italian centre-left primary election|primary election]] with 74.2% of the vote, defeating also Di Pietro (3.3%). In early 2006 [[Leoluca Orlando]], former mayor of [[Palermo]], some splinters from the [[Union of Democrats for Europe]] (UDEUR), including [[Pino Pisicchio]] and [[Egidio Pedrini]], and former DS such as [[Fabio Evangelisti]] and [[Federico Palomba]], joined the party, in an effort of broadening its electoral base.

The Union narrowly won the [[2006 Italian general election|2006 general election]], IdV scored a mere 2.1% and Di Pietro was sworn in as [[Italian Minister of Infrastructures and Transports|Minister of Infrastructures]] in the [[Prodi II Cabinet]].

After the fall of Prodi's government, Di Pietro formed an alliance with the [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]] (PD) for the [[2008 Italian general election|2008 general election]]. The coalition was defeated by Berlusconi's [[Centre-right coalition (Italy)|centre-right]], but IdV obtained 4.4% of the vote, 29 deputies and 14 senators. Following the election, IdV formed its own groups in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, instead of joining the Democrats in a joint group as promised, and started a competition with its main ally.<ref>{{cite web |last=Giovanna |first=Giovanni |date=2008-04-24 |title=Veltroni-Idv, niente gruppo unico braccio di ferro sui capigruppo |url=http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2008/04/24/veltroni-idv-niente-gruppo-unico-braccio-di-ferro.html |website=[[la Repubblica]] |publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Merlo |first=Salvatore |date=2008-10-11 |title=Il polo Di Pietro |url=http://www.ilfoglio.it/soloqui/1169 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014102650/http://www.ilfoglio.it/soloqui/1169 |archive-date=14 October 2008 |website=[[Il Foglio]] |publisher=}}</ref> In October 2008, Veltroni, who distanced from Di Pietro many times, declared that "on some issues he [Di Pietro] is distant from the democratic language of the centre-left";<ref>{{cite web |date=2008-10-19 |title=Veltroni: con Di Pietro alleanza finita |url=http://www.corriere.it/politica/08_ottobre_19/veltroni_fine_alleanza_dipietro_fc8b7390-9dfb-11dd-b589-00144f02aabc.shtml |website=[[Corriere della Sera]] |publisher=}}</ref> however, the PD decided to support [[Carlo Costantini]] (IdV) in the [[2008 Abruzzo regional election|2008 regional election in Abruzzo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asca.it/moddettnews.php?idnews=786879&canale=ORA&articolo=ABRUZZO/ELEZIONI:%20IL%20CENTROSINISTRA%20PUNTA%20TUTTO%20SU%20COSTANTINI%20(IDV) |title=ABRUZZO/ELEZIONI: IL CENTROSINISTRA PUNTA TUTTO SU COSTANTINI (IDV) |date=2008-10-28 |publisher=[[ASCA (news agency)|ASCA]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090512103259/http://www.asca.it/moddettnews.php?idnews=786879&canale=ORA&articolo=ABRUZZO%2FELEZIONI%3A%20IL%20CENTROSINISTRA%20PUNTA%20TUTTO%20SU%20COSTANTINI%20%28IDV%29 |archive-date=12 May 2009 }}</ref> Costantini was defeated, but in the event IdV came close to the PD (15.0%–19.6%).

In the [[2009 European Parliament election in Italy|2009 European Parliament election]] the list got 8.0% of the national vote, quadrupling the votes obtained five years before and gaining 7 seats. In the run-up for the election Di Pietro recruited to run in IdV lists [[Pino Arlacchi]], a former senator for the DS, [[Gianni Vattimo]], a left-wing philosopher,<ref>{{cite web |date=2009-04-01 |title=Da Gianni Rivera all'ex pm De Magistris, le squadre dei partiti per le Europee |url=http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Politica/?id=3.0.3165256132 |website=[[Adnkronos]] |publisher=}}</ref> [[Maurizio Zipponi]], a former trade unionist and deputy of the [[Communist Refoundation Party]] (PRC), and [[Luigi de Magistris (politician)|Luigi de Magistris]], a left-wing<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fainotizia.it/2009/04/29/perch%C3%A8-de-magistris-ha-scelto-di-candidarsi-con-litalia-dei-valori-e-non-con-il-pd?reportage=5041978 |title=De Magistris, vecchio compagno del PCI ai tempi di Berlinguer &#124; Fai notizia – il primo sito di giornalismo partecipativo |language=it |publisher=Fainotizia.it |date=2009-04-29 |access-date=2010-12-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722033106/http://www.fainotizia.it/2009/04/29/perch%C3%A8-de-magistris-ha-scelto-di-candidarsi-con-litalia-dei-valori-e-non-con-il-pd?reportage=5041978 |archive-date=22 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> former [[prosecutor]] of [[Catanzaro]] who inquired Romano Prodi.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rizzo |first=Sergio |date=2009-04-14 |title=La svolta "operaista" di Di Pietro |url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2009/aprile/14/svolta_operaista_Pietro_co_8_090414018.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419213415/http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2009/aprile/14/svolta_operaista_Pietro_co_8_090414018.shtml |archive-date=19 April 2009 |website=[[Corriere della Sera]] |publisher=}}</ref> Arlacchi, De Magistris and Vattimo were all elected to the European Parliament. From the results of the European election, IdV was the fourth largest party in the country.

Following these results, Di Pietro said that IdV "will remove his name from the symbol of the party, in order to build something larger, more useful and that represents something more important". He also said that "we need to become a great progressive party that supports a proposal for a credible government".<ref>{{cite web |last=Telese |first=Luca |date=28 April 2009 |title=Di Pietro: &quot;Farò io il grande partito che sostituirà i Democratici&quot; |url=http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/pietro-far-io-grande-partito-che-sostituir-i-democratici.html |website=[[il Giornale]]}}</ref> The party's executive decided not to remove the name of its founder, considering that name still too important for the party.