Italy’s General Elections: Four Key Issues
Next Sunday (4 March) Italian citizens will elect a new Parliament, after a complete five-year cycle. Much has changed since the last vote on 24-25 February 2013.
It will be argued here that this election is probably the first one in a very long time to address the fundamental reference framework of Italy’s trajectory as a political community, after at least 25 years of political-economic autopilot within the concentric rings of the Euro-Atlantic alliance, the European Union, and the Eurozone. Now the time has come when the position and role of the country within these structures as well as their very nature and purpose, while rarely challenged in toto, is however being more thoroughly questioned. This should not come as a surprise given the severity of the economic crisis of the country in the 2011-2014 period, which is continuing nevertheless in many ways despite the current mild recovery, coupled with a widespread sense that Italy as a political entity finds itself in an appalling spiral of decline.
Unfortunately there are only few instances of clear debate arising from the rather uninteresting noise of electoral squabbling, but some fundamental topics have emerged over the course of the recent past, shaping the orientation of all major political parties. Continue reading “Italy’s General Elections: Four Key Issues”
Reactions to the Italian Election across Europe
The Italian election on the weekend 24-25 February was hugely anticipated and the results, though perhaps not surprising, have not brought the decisive clarity that many had hoped for. Briefly we summarise a few observations from the way the election was covered across Europe.
Authors: Roberto Orsi, Vassilis Paipais, Henry Radice, Max Hänska
Greek Press: The Greek press is covering the event with alarmist titles about the danger of political chaos in Italy and its implications for European stability using titles such as ‘thriller elections‘ (To Vima) and ‘Italy shakes unstable Europe‘ (Kathimerini). Center-left newspapers tend to note the anxiety and terror caused in Brussels and Berlin and interpret the rise of populist leaders like Grillo and Berlusconi as nemesis to the German-imposed austerity. Center-right newspapers tend to be more reserved in the their anti-German sentiments and refer to the negative reaction of the markets and the dangers from the rise of populist politicians.
German Press: The election is the news of the week in Germany receiving much alarmist coverage. The press seems to be deeply concerned with the outcome outlining political chaos, warning of the woes of further credit rating downgrades, noting market decline and the FAZ titling that it is “to despair for.” It appears that the German press views the election outcome as a cause for major concern.
Continue reading “Reactions to the Italian Election across Europe”