Most of the early party members were liberals and Christian democrats coming from the PD, including Linda Lanzillotta, Gianni Vernetti and Donato Mosella or disgruntled centrists from Italy of Values, like Pino Pisicchio.

Francesco Rutelli, who, as leader of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, was instrumental in the foundation of the Democratic Party (PD), became soon uncomfortable with it because he saw as too stretched on the left.

These included, among others, Lorenzo Dellai (President of the Province of Trento and leader of the Union for Trentino), Massimo Cacciari, (Mayor of Venice), Linda Lanzillotta (former Minister of Regional Affairs), Bruno Tabacci and Elvio Ubaldi.

[8] For some days Rutelli lingered on whether he was leaving the PD or not because the strategic goal of his initiative was a stable alliance between the UdC and the Democrats, with Tabacci instrumental in that.

Tabacci, who said he was going to assemble his fellow members of the White Rose, explained that the new party would be "distant and alternative to the populism of Berlusconi and of the League" but open to centre-right voters.

This situation came into criticism by the Northern branches of the party, especially Union for Trentino (UpT) and Alliance for Veneto (ApV), launched by Massimo Calearo as a competitor of Liga Veneta–Lega Nord.

[28] On 15 December 2010 ApI was a founding member of the New Pole for Italy (NPI) along with the Union of the Centre (UdC), Future and Freedom (FLI) and some minor parties.

[37] The result was however grim for the NPI as a whole and Pier Ferdinando Casini, leader of UdC, the coalition's largest party, hinted that the alliance was out-of-date.

[45] In September 2012 Rutelli started to re-position the party within the centre-left coalition, aiming at making the ApI its liberal and centrist component.

[49] On 28 December 2012, in the run-up to the 2013 Italian general election, Tabacci announced an agreement with Rights and Freedom, a splinter group from IdV, and the formation of Democratic Centre (CD) as centrist wing of the Italy.

[55] Lorenzo Dellai, former member and coordinator of ApI, became a leading supporter and the practical leader of Mario Monti's Civic Choice (SC).

[56][57] After the 2013 election, Rutelli started to re-organize the party, along with the sole vice president left, Enrico Boselli, and the only MP, Franco Bruno.