Was it a protest vote? Or a vote for change? These are the two important questions being asked after the victory of the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement in key mayoral races in Italy this week. The party won against Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in the capital Rome and in Turin. It seems it was a protest vote as well as a vote for change, because one automatically leads to the other and both are in essence one. The Five-Star Movement capitalises on popular anger over widespread corruption in Italy. It won in 19 of the 20 towns or cities where it had advanced to the run-offs. In Rome, the party’s Virginia Raggi, a 37-year-old lawyer, became the first woman mayor. Her victory is a blow to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which won in Milan and Bologna.
The Five-Star march cannot be viewed in isolation because it’s part of the anger sweeping Europe, where voters, unhappy with leaders and their policies, are supporting parties which have so far been languishing at the borders of the political field. The gains made by the Five-Star indicate a loss of trust in Prime Minister Renzi.
The victory in Rome and Turin, the key two cities, will boost the morale of Five-Star which is aiming to establish itself as the main opposition party ahead of the parliamentary elections due in 2018. It’s a personal setback for Renzi who has staked his political future on a referendum to be held in October in which he wants Italians to support sweeping constitutional reforms to put a full stop to the country’s tradition of “revolving-door” governments and bring stability after years of party bickerings and legislative bottlenecks.
Five-Star, founded in 2009 by comedian Beppe Grillo, has long campaigned against corruption and stands for greater transparency in public life. Interestingly, the party wants Italy to drop the euro, which will be widely noticed at a time of rising anger against the European Union in its member countries. Britain is currently going through an excruciating political battle over the Brexit referendum which will be held tomorrow.
Renzi will have to work hard to win the confidence of his people. The constitutional reforms he wants through the referendum is meant to ensure that only one of Italy’s two houses of parliament would have real clout. At the next general election, the party that tops the poll would get an outright majority of its seats. Renzi assumes that he will be that party’s leader and thus will be able to get a full five-year term in office. But the electorate needs to be convinced that the reforms will be in their interests, not Renzi’s. The voters now have more options.
Was it a protest vote? Or a vote for change? These are the two important questions being asked after the victory of the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement in key mayoral races in Italy this week. The party won against Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in the capital Rome and in Turin. It seems it was a protest vote as well as a vote for change, because one automatically leads to the other and both are in essence one. The Five-Star Movement capitalises on popular anger over widespread corruption in Italy. It won in 19 of the 20 towns or cities where it had advanced to the run-offs. In Rome, the party’s Virginia Raggi, a 37-year-old lawyer, became the first woman mayor. Her victory is a blow to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which won in Milan and Bologna.
The Five-Star march cannot be viewed in isolation because it’s part of the anger sweeping Europe, where voters, unhappy with leaders and their policies, are supporting parties which have so far been languishing at the borders of the political field. The gains made by the Five-Star indicate a loss of trust in Prime Minister Renzi.
The victory in Rome and Turin, the key two cities, will boost the morale of Five-Star which is aiming to establish itself as the main opposition party ahead of the parliamentary elections due in 2018. It’s a personal setback for Renzi who has staked his political future on a referendum to be held in October in which he wants Italians to support sweeping constitutional reforms to put a full stop to the country’s tradition of “revolving-door” governments and bring stability after years of party bickerings and legislative bottlenecks.
Five-Star, founded in 2009 by comedian Beppe Grillo, has long campaigned against corruption and stands for greater transparency in public life. Interestingly, the party wants Italy to drop the euro, which will be widely noticed at a time of rising anger against the European Union in its member countries. Britain is currently going through an excruciating political battle over the Brexit referendum which will be held tomorrow.
Renzi will have to work hard to win the confidence of his people. The constitutional reforms he wants through the referendum is meant to ensure that only one of Italy’s two houses of parliament would have real clout. At the next general election, the party that tops the poll would get an outright majority of its seats. Renzi assumes that he will be that party’s leader and thus will be able to get a full five-year term in office. But the electorate needs to be convinced that the reforms will be in their interests, not Renzi’s. The voters now have more options.
