Most of its leading figures were also members of Forza Italia (FI): Stefano De Luca, Carlo Scognamiglio, Egidio Sterpa, Ernesto Caccavale, Luigi Caligaris and Guglielmo Castagnetti.

Additionally, some leading former Liberals joined (or re-joined) the party: Carlo Scognamiglio (PLD), Luigi Compagna (UDC) and Luciano Magnalbò (DLI/AN).

For the 2008 general election the PLI tried to form an electoral pact with the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC),[5] but finally chose to run as a stand-alone list.

Arturo Diaconale, supported by Angelo Caniglia, a group of Liberal Reformers (including Marco Taradash, Emilia Rossi, Carlo Monaco and Pietro Milio) and other newcomers, presented his candidacy for secretary in opposition to De Luca, who was supported by the old guard and by Paolo Guzzanti, a dissenting member of Forza Italia and former Socialist.

In November 2011 five disgruntled deputies of the PdL (Roberto Antonione, Giustina Destro, Fabio Gava, Giancarlo Pittelli, who later left, and Luciano Sardelli) joined the party through the Liberals for Italy (LpI).

[16] The proposal was not well received by the party's old guard and, not only De Luca was barely re-elected secretary, but Scognamiglio was replaced as president by Enzo Palumbo.

[17][18] In the 2012 municipal election in Genoa, Musso obtained 15.0% of the vote in the first round, as joint NPI candidate, and 40.3% in the run-off, losing to Marco Doria.

[19] In November 2012, a group of deputies (Isabella Bertolini, Gaetano Pecorella, Giorgio Stracquadanio (who had left earlier), Franco Stradella and Roberto Tortoli) broke away from the PdL and formed Free Italy (IL).

[31][32] In October 2014, during a party congress, the PLI elected a new leadership, notably including Giancarlo Morandi as secretary, De Luca president and Daniele Toto, a former deputy of the PdL and Future and Freedom (FLI), coordinator.

[47][48][49] The LN, rebranded simply as "Lega", obtained 17.4% of the vote and two Liberals were elected from its slates: Basini to the Chamber and Bonfrisco to the Senate, both from Lazio.

In July 2022 the party's council removed president De Luca and co-secretary Fortuna, who supported an electoral pact with Action, in order to pursue an alliance with the centre-right.

[61] In the 2022 general election the PLI supported FI,[62] but former prosecutor Carlo Nordio, a leading member of the party,[63] was a successful candidate for the Brothers of Italy (FdI) in Veneto.