In November 2010 Antonio Guadagnini, a former member of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and Liga Veneto Autonomo, announced that he had joined the party and that he would stand as candidate for President of the Province of Treviso in the 2011 provincial election.
[9][10][11][12] Those behind Pizzati represented the libertarian and modernizing wing of the party, while those led by Riondato were more traditional Venetists, Christian and social democrats.
On 15 November 2011, after Guadagnini sacked him as party leader in the province of Padua, Stefano Venturato formed an autonomous provincial group.
The break-up was confirmed by the decision of the other group, led by Guadagnini and Chiavegato, to summon a new congress in Vicenza for 22 January, to which Pizzati's followers refused to participate.
The convention was also attended by representatives from North-East Union, Venetian People's Unity, European Federalist Free Entrepreneurs, Raixe Venete and other Venetist organizations.
[67][68][69] From the Pizzati's camp, which had organized a big rally on 19 January near Treviso, the reaction was that the Vicenza congress was illegal and that what was born there was "an ethnic and intolerant tiny party".
[70][71] On 29 March 2012 the tribunal of Venice decided on a lawsuit filed by Chiavegato and Guadagnini: both congresses held after the one in Vicenza were declared not valid.
[72] Guadagnini thus affirmed his victory and offered an olive branch to the other group, saying that in the upcoming local elections he would support the electoral lists filed by the Pizzati's faction in its strongholds (mainly the province of Treviso).
Candidates from the official party ran in Verona (0.3%), Cerea (4.6%), San Martino Buon Albergo (4.7%), Sandrigo (5.7%), Sarego (3.7%), Thiene (3.9%), and Piombino Dese (4.3%), while those from the unofficial wing in Loreggia (7.2%), Susegana (10.4%), Silea (3.5%), Conegliano (2.0%), Casale sul Sile (2.2%), Santa Maria di Sala (4.7%), and Mirano (1.6%).
[75][76] On 30 September the national congress of the party re-elected secretary Guadagnini, who beat Francesco Falezza, and replaced Chiavegato, who chose to step down, with Giustino Cherubin.
[81] Lovat, a Christian socialist who was expelled from LV–LN in July 2011 and was later the leader of the Community Democratic League (LDC),[82] represented the strengthening of the communitarian grip over the party.
[93][94] The initiative was launched on 4 September 2013 in Vedelago, at the presence of Carlo Lottieri of Lombard Committee for Resolution 44, MEP Mara Bizzotto of Liga Veneta–Lega Nord and Jordi Fornas i Prat of Catalan Solidarity for Independence.
Soon after being installed, Guadagnini, who was appointed Secretary of the Regional Council of Veneto, formed a pro-independence "inter-group", which was joined from the start by Stefano Valdegamberi, re-elected councillor in Zaia's personal list, and Massimiliano Barison of Forza Italia.
[106][107] In March 2016 Guadagnini severed his ties with INV and changed his affiliation in the Council to We Are Veneto (VS),[108][109][110] which was contextually established as a broader Venetist and separatist party, including the former leader of Independentist Youth Giacomo Mirto.
[113] The delegation was led by Della Valle and included also representatives of Liga Veneta–Lega Nord (notably Massimo Bitonci and Roberto Ciambetti), Independentist Youth, Venetian Independence and Raixe Venete.
[112][114][115] In November and December VS strengthened its ties with the EPI through two conventions in Treviso and Vicenza,[116] which were attended by Scottish, Catalan and Flemish representatives.
[118] In order to jointly campaign for an ICEC European petition on self-determination, in April VS formed a political pact with South Tyrolean Freedom and Liga Veneta Repubblica.
[121][122][123] In October 2013 VS launched Veneto State of Europe (VSE), a think tank aimed at spreading the separatist idea among the civil society.