DCA was founded on 25 October 2004 by a split from the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) led by Gianfranco Rotondi, who wanted closer ties with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and who criticized the political line of the then leader of UDC Marco Follini.
De Michelis, after winning the legal dispute for the symbol and the leadership of the NPSI, led the party into an alliance with Gianfranco Rotondi's Christian Democracy for Autonomies (DCA).
In the 2007 local elections, the party formed a temporary alliance with the Christian Democracy for Autonomies of Gianfranco Rotondi, while in the 2008 general election it was part of the Union of the Centre alliance led by Pier Ferdinando Casini.
The split was led by Rocco Buttiglione (secretary of the Italian People's Party in 1994-95), Roberto Formigoni and Gianfranco Rotondi.
Gianfranco Rotondi | Gianfranco Ferré | Gianfranco Zola | Gianfranco Rosi | Gianfranco Fini | Gianfranco Reverberi | Gianfranco Ferre | Gianfranco Sanguinetti | Gianfranco Pasquino | Gianfranco Miglio | Gianfranco Ghirlanda | Gianfranco Ferrè | Gianfranco Chiarini |