18 Million Italians Don’t Know Who To Vote For
General elections are nigh in Italy and will happen a few days from now on February 24th and 25th but 18 million Italians do not know who to vote for or whether to vote. 7 million Italian voters reportedly have not decided which political party is worthy of their vote, while 11.5 million Italians – 24% of […]
Only Einstein Would Have Understood Italy’s Electoral System
I’ve often wondered whether I should attempt to explain how Italy’s electoral system works, then, after coming across an article by Chris Hanretty which does just that, I’m glad I have not bothered! It’s extremely messy and confusing, to say the least. Actually, to say the rules are confusing is a distinct understatement. The writer of […]
Will Italy End Up Being Run by the Bunga Bunga Movement?
When Italians start voting on 24–25 February 2013, they will have no less than 169 parties to choose from, perhaps a few more! One of the parties in the running is the Bunga Bunga Movement. Yesterday, the party logos, actually logos for electoral lists, numbering a grand total of 219, were approved or excluded by Italy’s […]
Will Italy Sink Back into the Mire After the February Elections?
Silvio Berlusconi was a consequence of Italy’s ineffectual left whose leaders could not hold a government together for more than a few months. Mario Monti was a consequence of Silvio Berlusconi who held his government together, just about, but did nothing positive for Italy’s economic state. Now Mario Monti’s period at Italy’s helm is over, even if he may […]
Renzi loses Ballots, but Leaves a Winning Message
Yesterday’s Centre-left primary ballot ended up with Pier Luigi Bersani’s landslide victory over Florence’s mayor Matteo Renzi. The head of Italy’s Democratic Party was able to confirm his leading role with a percentage of votes that exceeded 60. Bersani’s overwhelming success was unexpected after the final televised confrontation between the two candidates, which left many Italians believing […]
The Outcome of Centre-Left Primaries In Italy Remains Uncertain
Last Wednesday’s television confrontation between the head of the Centre-left Democratic Party (Pd) Pier Luigi Bersani and his opponent for the party leadership Matteo Renzi has brought to light important differences between the two candidates and created the impression that the final result of the next Sunday’s runoff is far from a foregone conclusion. Furthermore, new […]
Sardinia Loses Soru
Renato Soru, the former head of the Internet provider Tiscali, recently failed to be re-elected at the president of the Italian island of Sardinia. Soru was soundly beaten by one Ugo Cappellacci, who just happens to be the son of Berlusconi’s accountant.
Will Berlusconi Initiate Change in Italy?
Just to be annoying, I’ll answer the question above with another question: Would you, if you had made billions on the back of a system that potentially allows you to get away with just about anything, be interested in changing that system? To sum up the words of a recent article in The Economist: It’s […]
The Archetypal Italian Does it Again
Mr Berlusconi has once more grasped power in Italy, as he enters his third (and final??!!) term in office. However, even if the centre did not do too badly, the people were wary of the regurgitated one – Veltroni, which is probably why he did not win. One the other hand, the extreme left took a real battering.
