Italy held elections on March 4 to elect its central government – its 65th in the 70 years it has been a republic. The results are out but the road ahead for the country seems as uncertain as the past five years, with the voters giving a fractured mandate with no party receiving enough votes to form the government on its own. In an ironical twist, the two parties which have been the biggest gainers and could form the government – Five Star Movement and Lega or the Northern League  -- are relatively new to the mainstream political arena and consider themselves anti-establishment.

Italy has had three governments since 2013 and was being led by a caretaker government since December 2016, when Matteo Renzi resigned as prime minister. Renzi stepped down in 2016 after the failure of his reform agenda that would have reshaped the Italian legislature.

Six parties contested the general elections in Italy. The Five Star Movement became Italy’s largest single party winner with around 32 per cent of the vote. The centre-right coalition which includes the Northern League and former Premier Silvio Berlusconi‘s Forza Italia (Go Italy!) emerged with the biggest bloc of votes at 36 per cent. The ruling centre-left coalition came a distant third. This divided result is a trend that Italy has consistently seen over the last eight years. As shown in the most recent legislative period alone (2013-2018), there have been three different governments because no party or coalition has had enough seats to govern the country.

What Was The Election About?

Immigration and the economy have been two of the key issues for voters during the election. More than 600,000 migrants have travelled from Libya to reach Italy since 2013, which has upset many Italians and stressed the poorest parts of Italy like the province of Sicily. The state of the economy was also at the centre of the debates. In 2016, some 18 million people were at risk of poverty, and unemployment is currently at 11%.

The Structure of Government In Italy

Italy's general election is run via a combination of both First Past the Post and Proportional Representation. The Chamber of Deputies, akin to India’s Lok Sabha, has 630 seats, with 232 of those elected by FPTP, and 386 by PR. The remaining 12 seats are assigned to politicians voted for by Italians living overseas. A similar split is seen in the upper house of the Italian parliament — the Senate of the Republic — with 102 members of the senate elected via FPTP, and 207 via PR. Six senators are elected by overseas voters.

In the Italian set-up both houses of Parliament are equally powerful and hence the approval of both is needed to form a government. Since no party/coalition has a majority in either, deals need to be struck if a new election is to be avoided.

What Is The Five Star Movement?

Soon after the global financial crisis of 2008, countries across the world saw the rise of distrust and disillusionment in the traditional parties occupying power. As Italy’s economy faltered so did its people’s confidence in those governing them. Beppe Grillo, a comedian fed-up with the corruption and inconsistency racking Italian politics launched a movement on the internet without the help of any organization, money or political ideology. His movement was based on identifying local issues and campaigning on it or against it.

The Movement initially campaigned on the twin platforms of a new form of direct democracy and popular disgust with the political elites. Its policies then cemented anti-establishment, pro-environment, anti-globalist and Eurosceptic ideas, which drew supporters from across the political spectrum.

At the 2013 general election, the M5S came from nowhere to become the second most voted for party. Five Star’s goals included cutting 80% MP salaries (currently the highest in Europe), making all government financial statements transparent to the public and transitioning to a direct democracy via the Internet. This was very resonant with people, given that Italy ranks 129th in the world for trust in its politicians and 135th for wastefulness in public spending.

But since its inception, critics have slammed Grillo’s party as ‘anti-everything’ and amateurs with no governing experience. In 2018, Beppe Grillo stepped back and allowed Luigi di Maio to take charge of the party.

As the Five Star movement has won 32% of the popular mandate it is highly likely that it could form the government. Five Star Movement’s populist claims have famously included a call to leave the European Union and its gain in the Italian elections proves that the sentiment is alive and well amongst its voters. The party has also called for an "immediate stop" to the sea-taxi service that brings migrants to Europe. Italy is usually the first stop for refugees fleeing North Africa by boat.

Who Are The Northern Leaguers?

Founded in 1991, the Northern League was - by design - a strictly regional force as it spoke for the concerns of Italians residing in the North. For years, Italy’s Northern League derided residents of the country’s south and complained they were a drain on the North’s prosperity. The party long advocated secession of more affluent northern provinces of Italy.

But with Silvio Berlusconi’s party losing appeal amongst its supporters, Italian politics did not have a political party on the right to compete against the governing left Democratic party. With an eye on broadening his party’s appeal Matteo Salvini re-christened his party as simply “The League” and dropped “Northern” from its name. He then began a populist campaign by appealing to concerns of poorer ethnic Italians. Salvini’s populist program is strongly anti-immigrant, anti-globalization, and Euroskeptic. The party platform no longer explicitly advocates secession of the northern provinces, but it pledges more autonomy for regions that want it.

With almost 120,000 migrants arriving last year, the increase in Salvini's vote share shows the strong support for his idea of creating immigration centers in North Africa, criminalizing undocumented arrivals, and cracking down on aid groups that help migrants coming in by sea.

The general election results gave Matteo Salvini and his coalition partners a total of 36% of vote share which means that he too is in the running to form the government in Italy. Upon declaration of the results, party chief Matteo Salvini declared Italian voters had "made a step forward to be free from the cages and ties that are bringing back hunger and insecurity in Europe". "I will always say that the euro is the wrong currency, and that it was a big mistake getting in it…We have it very clear that the common currency is bound to end. And we want to come prepared to that moment." He added "We look towards the other European forces that they call populist. I am and I will stay proudly populist, because the populists listen to the people, unlike the 'radical chic' that despise the workers and don't do their groceries."

Italy’s election confirms the rising trend of Euro-sceptics across the Union as seen in the increase of vote share of parties espousing an anti-EU stance in Germany, France, Austria and Netherlands. No matter who forms the government, the Five Star Movement or the League, it is certain that Italy’s election results will unveil a new response to economic stagnation, migration woes, and European integration, with repercussions across the continent.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 06, 2018 06:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).