A divided Italy

News Mondays - Loris S. Musumeci 

The results are in. At last, they have officially revealed the malaise that Italy has been crying out at the ballot box. The 5-Star Movement has emerged as the peninsula's leading party, having garnered 32% of the vote. The Democratic Party tragically followed at 19%, dropping nearly ten points compared to 2013. Finally come the three blessed right-wing parties, with 18% for the Lega, 14% for Berlusconi's Forza Italia and 4% for the Fratelli d'Italia.

While everything may seem simple, balanced, and obvious, that is far from the case. Indeed, the Five Star Movement may be Italy’s largest party, but it trails behind the center-right coalition, which has reached 36%. Furthermore, the movement founded by comedian Beppe Grillo is neither right-wing nor left-wing; it is populist and anti-establishment. As a result, the Democratic Party—with a result below the psychologically acceptable threshold of 20%—finds itself as the sole social-democratic party; it is in a clear minority compared to the right—which has become moderately Europhobic—and the Five Star Movement, which openly opposes the European Union in its current form.

A divided Italy

Political experts and journalists are currently analyzing the results and their implications for Italy, starting by assessing who will have the legitimacy to preside over the Council of Ministers. However, the social and geographic factors behind this vote should not be overlooked. The editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper *Le* Corriere della Sera, in agreement for once with most of his colleagues, observes that Italy is deeply divided, though united in its protests.

In the north, Matteo Salvini’s Lega dominates. In the south, it’s the Five Star Movement, led by Luigi Di Maio, who is in his thirties. Both parties are critical of Europe for its policies, which they view as conspiratorial and harmful to nations. The League emphasizes the excesses of immigration and national sovereignty. The Five Star Movement also highlights national sovereignty and immigration, but social policies take precedence. Their platform has resonated with southerners, who suffer from much higher unemployment than in the north, but has failed to gain much traction among northerners, who are strongly liberal in economic matters.

A Bitter People

Furthermore, many 5-Star Movement voters are reportedly unwilling to make any compromises with the League and the rest of the right-wing coalition, citing the League’s past when it disparaged the south, which it treated as a scapegoat for the country’s economic, social, and political crisis. A post by the Five Star Movement, widely circulated and shared on social media, sparked controversy by displaying a defiant «Noi non dimentichiamo » («We do not forget»), recalling the days when the Northern League called for a separation of Italy into north and south.

Finally, amid the multitude of conflicts, setbacks, and rivalries among the parties, it is now up to President Sergio Mattarella to make a wise—and democratic—choice to form the government that Italians are waiting for. He’d better get his handkerchief ready: the task will be complicated, if not impossible. He’ll have to work up a sweat, only to perhaps end up with nothing but growing dissatisfaction among a divided, weary, and embittered people.

Write to the author : loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com