withdrawal of some Fuori! members, such as Mario Mieli. By the 15th congress, which took place in 1976, Fuori! had announced a list of candidates to run for positions within the party, thus marking the first time in which Italy had openly homosexual citizens run as candidates within a party elections, and by 1979, Angelo Pezzana became a member of the Italian parliament. Pezzana was in office for less than a month before retirement, but continued to write on his experiences on the advancement of Italian homosexual rights, as facilitated by the Radical Party. Considered an early example of a political party placing importance on environmentalist issues, from 1972 onwards the PR also formed environmental organisations, including the Friends of the Earth's Italian chapter, the League Against Vivisection and League Against Hunting. Popular support The PR never gained massive support in elections, due to its loose organisation and eclectic profile. Additionally, the party did not file candidates for all the elections and sometimes even supported abstention from voting. The Radicals' strongest showing was in the 1979 general election, when it obtained 3.5% of the vote and 18 deputies. The PR did better in the North (especially in Piedmont) and in large cities (Rome, Milan, Turin and Naples) than in the South and in rural areas. Electoral results Italian Parliament European Parliament Leadership Secretary: Mario Pannunzio (1956–1959), Leopoldo Piccardi (1959–1962), Bruno Villabruna (1962–1963), Marco Pannella (1963–1967), Gianfranco Spadaccia (1967–1968), Mauro Mellini (1968–1969), Angiolo Bandinelli (1969–1970), Roberto Cicciomessere (1970–1971), Angiolo Bandinelli (1971–1973), Giulio Ercolessi (1973–1974), Gianfranco Spadaccia (1974–1976), Adelaide Aglietta (1976–1978), Jean Fabre (1978–1979), Giuseppe Rippa (1979–1980), Francesco Rutelli (1980–1981), Marco Pannella (1981–1983), Roberto Cicciomessere (1983–1984), Giovanni Negri (1984–1988), Sergio Stanzani (1988–1989) President: Elio Vittorini (1962–1964), Gianfranco Spadaccia (1964–1967), Marco Pannella (1967–1975), Adele Faccio (1975–1976), Marco Pannella (1976–1981), Enzo Tortora (1981–1986), Marco Pannella (1986–1989) Party Leader in the Chamber of Deputies: Marco Pannella (1976–1978), Emma Bonino (1978), Mauro Mellini (1979), Marco Pannella (1979), Adelaide Aglietta (1979–1982), Emma Bonino (1982–1983), Marco Pannella (1983–1984), Roberto Cicciomessere (1984), Francesco Rutelli (1984–1988), Giuseppe Calderisi (1988–1992), Marco Pannella (1992–1994) Notes References Sources General chronology of the Radical Party, 1955–1989. Massimo L. Salvadori, Enciclopedia storica, Zanichelli, Bologna 2000. Massimo Teodori; Piero Ignazi; Angelo Panebianco, I nuovi Radicali 1955–1977, Mondadori, Milan 1977. Lorenza Ponzone, Il Partito Radicale nella storia politica italiana: 1962–1989, Schena, Fasano 1993. David Busato, Il Partito Radicale in Italia da Mario Pannunzio a Marco Pannella, 1996.