In early 2000 Parisi asked the Democrats of the Left, then led by Walter Veltroni, to dissolve into a new "Democratic Party". The proposal was not received, thus in October 2000 The Democrats agreed with the PPI, Italian Renewal and the Union of Democrats for Europe to form a joint list for the 2001 general election, under the leadership of Rutelli, who was also The Olive Tree's "candidate for Prime Minister". The list, which gained a considerable success (14.5%), was transformed into a party in March 2002 under the name of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy. This party, led by Rutelli, would be eventually merged into the Democratic Party in October 2007.