LOCRAN PROLE TARN • 0 ana dese Quarto hi LCR fuses with Democrazia Proletaria THE ITALIAN SECTION of the Fourth International, the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR), held a special congress at the end of July to make the final decision on the collective entry of its members into Democrazia Proletaria (DP). Discussions had been going on for several months both in the LCR and DP (see IV 163 and 164). Collective entry was approved by the National Leadership of DP, and an agreement was achieved on the organizational conditions for unification.
On July 22-23, 1989, a special congress of the LCR was called to assess whether the conditions envisaged by the February congress had been met and to decide on the dissolution of the organization. LIVIO MAITAN
B Y A UNANIMOUS vote, the delegates to the July congress declared in favor of entry into DP. The LCR was thus dissolved, and its members became members of Democrazia Proletaria. Eight LCR comrades became members of the leadership of this organization. They are Sergio D'amia, Elettra Deiana, Roberto Firenze, Franco Grisolia, Franco Turigliatto, Fabrizio Burattini, Lidia Cirillo and Livio Maitan. The last three have consultative status. Comrade Elettra Deiana has a standing invitation to attend meetings of the Secretariat.
According to the terms of the accord with DP, the LCR comrades will remain collectively members of the Fourth International. They will be organized in a political-cultural organization called the Fourth International. The founding assembly of this association took place immediately after the end of the July conference. Statutes were adopted, and a National Council was elected. It in tur elected a Presiding Bureau.
The tasks of the association were defined as follows by the resolution of the July congress - the organization of debates and participation in the life of the International, publishing a magazine, publishing books, organizing political and cultural initiatives, organizing educational conferences and maintaining archives concerning the Fourth International and the workers' movement. The magazine will be monthly, and will retain the title of the LCR's organ, Bandiera Rossa. Finally, there will be two categories of members of the association — those who have an individual and collective relationship with the Fourth International and those who, while not taking on such a commitment, want to participate in the activity of the association.
The youth organization in solidarity with the LCR, the OGR, also decided on the entry of its members into Democrazia Proletaria. One of its members will have a major task in coordinating the DP's youth work (it has no youth organization).
In July, the DP leadership decided to call a congress for November that would determine the organization's orientation after the crisis caused by the split of the right wing. This split took a definite form on the occasion of the European elections, when a wing of DP refused to support the organization's slate, which had been decided on by a very broad majority, and participated instead in the Rainbow slates.
This split does not seem to have led to the departure of many members. On the other hand, it has had very serious consequences for DP's elected representatives. The organization has lost four of its eight deputies ane os local senator, as well as a 17 large number of local councillors. *