THE MOTION APPROVED BY THE XXXV CONGRESS IN BUDAPEST
ABSTRACT:
The Congress of the Radical Party, having heard the report of the First Secretary and the Treasurer, approves, while stressing the extraordinary value of their efforts which have permitted the Radical Party to gain a position of increased political force with recognised democratic and civil value--in spite of the crisis which it has had to confront and is still having to confront, which has placed the very existence of the Party in jeopardy, and which cannot be attributed, subjectively, either to the Party or its leadership.
The Congress thanks President Bruno Zevi for his generous and conscientious work, and charges him to propose before the next meeting of the Federal Council of the Party, together with Marco Pannella and Gianfranco Spadaccia, a "manifestato of Radicals", to begin with the "Appeal to Budapest" which he developed and presented at the Congress as a basis for the sessions.
Recognises the Congress in Budapest represents extraordinary progress on the road towards a transnational and trans-party Radical Party, and an exemplary contribution towards the struggle for democracy, for the State of rights, for the United States of Europe (the Mediterranean and Africa), for the right to life and the life of rights, for a positive institutional and political solution to the great social and environmental problems confronting the world today.
Thanks the Hungarian government which, in institutional conditions still of a dictatorial nature, nevertheless assumed political responsibility in making a great gesture of tolerance and democracy, by authorising the holding of the Radical Congress in Budapest, assuring it full freedom of speech, contributing to public acceptance of the event by its open and official offer to the Party and its Congress of full civil value, the friendship and co-operation of the Hungarian people and those struggling for the State of rights, the United States of Europe, there and everywhere.
Expresses its gratitude, its sincere friendship and willingness to co-operate with the independent and opposition forces in Hungary, which directly descend from its heroes and martyrs, of democrats who during the past forty years have honoured the Magyar people and all those in the world who believe in justice and freedom.
Expresses a heartfelt welcome to the 114 Hungarian comrades who - by joining the Radical Party - have demonstrated and provided a generous and necessary contribution to the life of the Party itself, and its integration into the history of their country.
The Congress greets with particular emphasis and gratitude the 56 Polish and 79 Yugoslav comrades and the 4 comrades from Burkina Faso who have participated in the Congress, and takes the
opportunity to express its gratitude on this occasion to the 733 Italian comrades, for the essential and fruitful contribution they have made to the Party and the success of the Congress.
The Congress of the Radical Party states that the very serious situation as regards membership and economic and financial resources--upon which the Party's existence, as well as its activities, depend--illustrates how far the "real democracies" of the systems of the Western regimes - in particular the party -systems of Italy and the other countries in Western Europe - are from (and even at times opposite to) democratic principles. In fact, it is true that the low level of membership of the Radical Party cannot be attributed exclusively, or even largely, to the Radicals or their errors (either real or presumed). The solid and well-founded recognition which the Party and its causes continue to enjoy, the declared recognition of the necessity of its existence, are an additional proof of this. The number of new Party members, those who have joined in the past few days, demonstrate that when the information essential for knowledgeable decisions is assured, the Radical Party--the transnational and trans-party R
adical Party - fills a need not only of the dissidents of our society and our times, but of the governing classes as well.
The Radical Party Congress also points out the very serious consequences resulting from the persisting idea that the Party of its own will wishes to close down. The Radical party has for some time, and increasingly, tried to point out to what extent, in its condition verging on bankruptcy and on the level of human resources and means, boycotts, mystification, and the un-democratic use of State and private power have reduced the Party. The reports of the Secretary and the Treasurer made it quite clear that, if something extraordinary does not occur, the Party's patrimony and the Party itself could, in the weeks to come, be annihilated.
Against this incumbent possibility , the Congress calls upon all the forces of democracy and tolerance, of all countries and particularly the most free and most responsible leading classes or their representatives, to assure a great wave
of sufficient membership and support to prevent it.
The Radical Congress has taken the decision therefore to respond to this situation by raising the banner of its traditions and principles, refusing to entrust its survival and that of its causes to special organs. All the Party's energies, all its financial means, must be made available in order to achieve those objectives it champions - to yet realised - and which are contained in the resolutions of previous Congresses and in the reports of the Secretary and the Treasurer.
No energy or means must be denied this struggle, in the hypothetical interests of proceeding with a consensual and democratic liquidation of the Party. The closure of the Radical Party and the end of its activities could never be anything else than the result of the abuse of power by those exercising it, and
by no means exclusively the free decision of the Party.
Consequently, the Congress delegates all statutory powers to the First Secretary and the Treasurer, jointly with the President of the Party and the President of the Federal Council, for all decisions relative to the existence and the patrimony of the Radical Party, should any such abuse succeed in prevailing over our resistance. In such case, with this norm, the Statute of the Party is changed.
The Congress, however, expresses its faith, hope and determination that the 36th Congress of the Radical Party be held regularly during the first week in 1990, in a place to be decided upon by the end of the summer by the Federal Council.
*********************************
This Motion, first signed by Marco Pannella, received 455 votes out of 546. Thus, having received over 3/4 of the votes became binding for the Party.
The other Motions obtained the following votes:
Tescari : 71
Roche : 16
Abstaining : 22
STATUTORY CHANGE
The first part of the first clause of Article 4.2.1 of the Radical Party Statute substitutes the following:
"The Federal Council is composed of a) 35 members elected by the Congress; b) by the following, by right, on the condition that they were members of the Radical Party for 1989: ex-secretaries and ex-treasurers, members and ex-members of parliaments, ex-members of the secretariat and the executive council."
NORMS OF STATUTE ENFORCEMENT
"The election of 35 members of the Federal Council is by secret ballot on list and preferential vote.
Each list may contain up to 35 candidates, maximum. Each voter may express up to 5 preferences chosen from the voting list.
The lists division is proportionate. Candidates are elected for each list by preferential majority.
Each list, in order to be put to the vote, must be presented by at least 10% of the congress members (calculated as of 8:00 P.M. on April 25)."