On 3 July 2007 Storace announced his resignation from National Alliance (AN) in a letter posted on his website, claiming that AN had become too centrist and moderate and in protest against the lack of internal democracy in the party, and on 27 July he announced the formation of a new party.
On 10 November the party was founded in a constituent congress in Rome. On that occasion the Sicilian Alliance of Nello Musumeci merged into The Right, and Daniela Santanchè, a leading female member of AN, left the party to join The Right,[6] broadening its appeal, as she was close to the Italian Liberal Party (PLI) and never joined the Italian Social Movement (MSI). In January 2008 Unitalia, a minor party in South Tyrol, and Taverna List, a minor party in the province of Trentino, merged into The Right.
As the party was organised as a federal structure, Unitalia and Taverna List became the provincial sections of the party in the Provinces of South Tyrol and Trento, respectively, as Sicilian Alliance had become the regional section of the party in Sicily.[7]
On 18 January 2008 Giancarlo Pagliarini joined the party. Pagliarini is a libertarian and keen fiscal federalist who was a leading member of Lega Nord from 1991 to 2007 and was close to the independentist wing of the party.[8] He headed the coalition list in Lombardy for the Senate.
Despite several well-known candidates, the party gained only 2.4% and thus failed to surpass the 4% threshold for entering the Chamber of Deputies. Also Storace, who topped the list in his home-region Lazio, failed re-election, as the coalition stopped at 3.2%, five points below the 8% regional threshold.[9]
Out of Parliament
On 20 July 2008, during a party convention, Storace resigned from party leadership, opening way for a national congress and a leadership election.[10] This election would also decide the party's electoral strategy, choosing either to continue an independent path or to join The People of Freedom (PdL) of Silvio Berlusconi. Storace favoured the first option, while Santanchè favoured an alliance with Berlusconi.[11] Storace would continue to be party secretary at least until the November congress and after if party members decided so.[12]
On 22 August 2008 Santanchè presented her candidacy for the party leadership, competing against Storace, who would stand again as candidate.[13] However, on 28 September, Santanché resigned as spokesperson and from the party, opening the possibility for a more consensual congress.[14] On 9 November Storace was re-elected secretary during a party congress. On that occasion he remarked that he did not exclude a future alliance with PdL.[15]
The party defined itself the party of the "social, national and popular right" and promoting patriotism, Catholic values and national cohesion. Among other things, The Right was strongly supportive of direct democracy and of presidentialism. Its economic policy was a mixture of statism, such the strong support for the welfare state and the introduction of the so-called "social loan" (mutuo sociale) for young people to enable them to purchase a house, and of libertarian proposals, such as the introduction of the flat tax and fiscal federalism.
Party leader Francesco Storace maintained that his party had nothing to do with the far right and instead he says to take inspiration from Indro Montanelli, a conservative-liberal journalist and editor of Il Giornale who declared "I am a right-winger, but this is not the right-wing I dreamt of". Although the party distanced itself from The People of Freedom, it also rejected any alliance with the parties of the far right, such as New Force and Tricolour Flame, with which it had formed a joint list for the 2008 general election.[26]
The first opinion poll after the announcement of Storace put The Right at 3.2%.[27] According to this survey, The Right may steal votes both from National Alliance and from Social Action, Alessandra Mussolini's party. Other polls have placed the party around 5%.[28]
After the fall of Romano Prodi government, The Right was placed at 3.3%.[29]
However, in the 2008 general election, the party was damaged by its choice to run alone and won only 2.4% of the vote. In that occasion the party was particularly strong in Central Italy: 3.6% in Umbria, 3.4% in Lazio and the Marche.[30]
