PREFACE TO THE RADICAL PARTY'S STATUTE

The Radical Party

proclaims law and legality, the law and legality of the Radical Party, also in a political sense,

proclaims, through their respect, the institutions' insurmountable source of legitimacy,

proclaims the duty to disobedience, to non-cooperation, to conscientious objection, to the supreme forms of non-violent struggle for the defence, with one's life, of life, of legality, of the law.

Commits itself and all those who wish to hope in life and in peace, in justice and in freedom, to the strict respect, to the active defence of two fundamental laws, such as: the Declaration of Human Rights (advocating the modification of such heading into "Rights of the Person") and the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as the Constitutions of the States that respect the principles contained in the two charters; to the rejection of obedience and acknowledgement of legitimacy for anyone who violates them, omits to apply them, or reduces them to mere regulative statements, that is, non-laws.

Declares that it gives to the imperative "do not kill" the value of a historically absolute law, allowing for no exceptions, not even that of legitimate defence.

THE RADICAL PARTY'S STATUTE

1. THE PARTY

1.1. The structures and the bodies

1.1.1. The Radical Party is a political body, consisting of the members of the party, the Radical associations and the associations or groups that join it on a federal basis.

The Radical Party's bodies are the Congress, the Federal Council, the first Secretary and the federal secretariat, the Treasurer, the board of auditors.

1.2. Party finance

1.2.1. The federal Party derives its funds from individual subscription fees, contributions on the part of associations or groups that do not adhere on a federal basis, in conformity with article 3.2., other individual contributions - including those of persons who have no associative connections with the party - in relation to specific activities and initiatives, the proceeds of specific activities and initiatives previously and publicly proposed by the first secretary and the treasurer. The federal party's balance is public, and is drawn up on the basis of accounts drafted according to the rules of an accurate accountancy. The criteria for the formulation of the balances and of the accounts are established by the treasurer and passed by the federal council. The party does not provide for paid offices.

2. THE MEMBERS AND THE RADICAL ASSOCIATIONS

2.1. The members

2.1.1. Any person may join the Radical Party.

The party's membership conditions are the acceptance of the present statute, the payment of the individual subscription fees to the federal party in the proportions established by the federal congress, the commitment to join or to create Radical associations according to individual political, cultural, union or other interests. Memberships may be received directly by the federal party's secretariat or by the Radical associations.

2.2. The radical associations

2.2.1. Each Radical association consists of a minimum number of members established by the federal party's congress, who associate to pursue political, cultural, union or other goals, autonomously established and financed, regardless of the territorial range. The goals of the radical associations do not include the presentation of autonomous lists for political and administrative elections. The associations are ruled by their own democratic regulations, in the respect of the present statute. In the fulfilment of their activities and initiatives, the associations are requested, for all matters that are of their competence, and in the respect of the indications provided by the federal executive bodies, to enforce the binding deliberations of the present statute.

The regulations of the associations provide for the appointment of a person responsible for the management of the funds, who will keep the accounts according to the unified criteria established by the federal party's bodies.

3. NON-RADICAL ASSOCIATIONS AND GROUPS JOINING THE PARTY

3.1. Non-radical associations and groups pursuing their own political, cultural, union or other goals may join the Radical Party as such. The adhesion of such associations and groups does not imply that their members or supporters become members of the Radical Party. The period of such adhesion may be limited and pre-established.

3.2. The adhesion is carried out at a federal level, on the basis of agreements between the directive bodies of non-radical associations and groups and the bodies of the federal Party. The agreements specify the amount and the conditions of payment of the financial contribution to the federal party on the part of the adhering association or group. With the approval of the agreement, the adhering association or group acquires the right, for the entire period of the adhesion, to appoint the permanent members of the federal council and the delegates to the congress among its members or adherents, in the number established by the above mentioned agreements.

4. THE RADICAL PARTY'S BODIES

4.1. The Congress

4.1.1. It is the deliberative body of the party, of which it establishes the orientations and the political line, establishing its specific goals and specifying the fields of activity. The ordinary congress meets every year, during the first week of November, and is compulsorily convened by the first secretary within September 30; the extraordinary congress may be summoned by the first secretary, by the federal council with the absolute majority of its members, by a third of the members, providing they have been members for at least six months.

The congress consists of the members of the Radical Party and the delegates of the non-Radical associations or groups joining the party on a federal basis.

4.1.2. Deliberations adopted with a 3/4 majority are binding for the Radical associations; the deliberations adopted with a simple majority also become binding if the federal council has already decided on the same deliberations with a 2/3 majority.

4.1.3. The Congress:

a) elects the first secretary of the federal party; the latter proposes a secretariat consisting of five to eleven members, which is ratified by the congress;

b) elects no less than thirty members of the federal council;

c) elects the treasurer and the board of auditors;

d) approves the final balance presented by the treasurer and passed by the board of auditors;

e) ratifies the adhesions to the federal party on the part of non-radical associations and groups, proposed by the first secretary and deliberated by the federal council;

4.2. The federal council

4.2.1. Is composed of members elected by the congress, of a delegate of each radical association and of the delegates of the non-radical associations or groups joining the party on a federal basis. The first secretary, the federal secretariat and the treasurer attend the meeting without the right to vote. The federal council elects a president within the federal council itself, and meets every two months on an ordinary basis, and on an extraordinary basis upon the request of the first secretary or of 1/5 of its members.

The federal council:

a) gives its opinion on the initiatives for the implementation of the congress' deliberations;

gives its opinion on the deliberations of the congress that have received a simple majority; such opinion becomes binding if it is adopted with a 2/3 majority;

gives its opinion on proposals rejected by the congress; if such opinion is pronounced unanimously, the federal bodies will necessarily implement them;

gives its opinion on initiatives not dealt with by the congress; if the opinion is expressed with a 2/3 majority, the executive bodies will necessarily implement them;

may make proposals and ask for information to the party executive on all the above matters;

gives its opinion on initiatives relative to financial policy which have been submitted to it by the treasurer;

b) deliberates with a simple majority, upon the proposal of the first secretary, on the adhesion of non-radical associations and groups;

c) approves the congress' regulation and agenda; presents a report to the congress;

d) guarantees the circulation of information inside the party.

4.3. The first secretary and the federal secretariat.

4.3.1. The first secretary is elected by the congress and is responsible for the implementation of the federal party's policy, according to the directives established by the congress and the opinions expressed by the federal council. The first secretary is assisted by the federal secretaries: together they form the federal secretariat.

The first secretary is the legal representative of the Radical Party, excepting cases established by article 4.4. Especially in the exercise of this legal deputation, he may suggest all the juridical actions he deems necessary for the safeguard of the party's rights and interests, and assumes the trial deputation.

The first secretary may ask for the opinion of the federal council concerning the implementation of the congressional deliberations and of the opinions of the council itself; he submits the deliberations passed by the congress with a majority inferior to 3/4 to the federal council; he also submits the proposals rejected by the congress, and which he considers worthy of consideration, and initiatives on which the congress has not yet expressed an opinion, to the federal council.

The secretariat recognizes the radical associations on the basis of art. 2.2.1. It promotes the agreements for the adhesion of non-radical associations and groups which the first secretary proposes to the federal council.

4.4. The treasurer

4.4.1. The treasurer is elected by the congress. He administers the federal party's funds and is responsible for their management. He is the party's legal representative for all economic and financial activities. He presents the annual report and balance to the congress. He proposes initiatives relative to the economic and financial field to the federal secretariat, and may ask the federal council for an opinion on any economic and financial initiative.

4.5. The Board of auditors

4.5.1. Consists of three members appointed by the congress; it has the power to audit and inspect the accounts; it passes the final balance and presents a financial report to the congress on the concluded management.

Norms of statutory application

(transitory)

The 35th Congress....delegates all statutory powers to the first Secretary, to the Treasurer, and jointly to the President of the Party and to the President of the federal council, for all decisions concerning the life and the assets of the Radical Party if violence should prevail over our resistance. And, in this sense, changes the Party's Statute with this final transitory norm.

Subscription fee

(Norm changed by the 35th congress)

(2.1.1.) The minimum fee to join the Radical Party corresponds to 1% of the per-capita gross national product of the country of residence. In countries in which the enrolment may be prosecuted by the public authorities, the subscription is voluntary.

(Norm adopted by the 34th congress)

(2.2.1.) The Radical associations consist of no less than 60 members for the ones based in Italy, and 40 members for the ones based in other countries.

Federal Council

The members.

The Radical Party's 35th congress deliberates that for year 1989 the Federal Council consists of a) 35 members elected by the congress; b) by the following honorary members, providing they are members of the Radical Party for year 1989: former secretaries and treasurers, members of Parliament, former members of the secretariat and of the executive board.

Voting conditions.

The election of the 35 members of the Federal Council is by secret ballot on a list vote and a preferential vote.

Each list can contain no more than 35 candidates. Each voter can cast no more than 5 preferential votes within the voted list.

The division is proportional among the lists. For each list, the candidates who poll the most votes are elected.

In order to be voted, each list must be accompanied by the signatures of at least 10% of the enrolled members of congress (estimated at 8:00 p.m. of the day prior to the vote).

Official languages:

The 34th Congress of the Radical Party deliberates:

to adopt as its official languages Italian, English, French and the mother tongues of at least 1,000 members.