In a climate of widespread discontent with Italy’s political establishment, a new election might wipe out most of the parties in the current government coalition.
To understand whether the referendum will plunge Italy into a crisis, we need to unpack the problem in its three essential components: the reform; the Renzi’s factor; and the country’s economy.
Donald Trump descends the escalator at Trump Tower to announce he will run for president.
Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Italy’s most notorious politician has been treated as a laughing stock for years – but a new book about his life and career makes the truth all too clear.
Like Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi (right), PUP leader Clive Palmer heads up what can be termed a ‘personal’ party.
AAP/EPA/Alan Porritt/Angelo Carconi
While Silvio Berlusconi has shown himself to be adept at transferring business organisational and marketing skills to politics, Clive Palmer has appeared completely out of his depth in this sense.
In contrast to incumbent Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, his potential successor, Malcolm Turnbull, is often described as ‘charismatic’.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Those of us who study politics are fortunate, but also unfortunate, to work in an academic field whose terms are widely used and abused in public debate. “Populist”, which I’ve written about here, is one…
Italy has a new president in the form of Sergio Mattarella, a 73-year-old constitutional judge from Sicily. Mattarella was elected to the role in the wake of the retirement of Giorgio Napolitano, who had…
Giorgio Napolitano, Italy’s 89-year-old president, has resigned from the office he has held for nearly a decade. His departure will prompt a secret ballot among parliamentarians to replace him. But this…
Results in the European Parliament elections so far indicate a slide towards the Eurosceptic and right-wing parties, such as Nigel Farage’s UK Independence Party.
EPA/Gerry Penny
Some 400 million eligible voters, 751 seats, 28 countries: a portrait of true democracy at work – unless they held an election and nobody came. Average voter turnout in the weekend’s European Parliament…
The EU election result will affect Matteo Renzi’s domestic reform programme.
EPA/Ian Langsdon
In Italy, as elsewhere, elections for the European parliament have always tended to be “second order”. This means that voters see them as less important than the “first-order” elections for the national…
Silvio Berlusconi has finally learned the outcome of being found guilty of tax fraud last May. He was originally sentenced to four years in prison, but Italian law prevents over-70s from doing prison time…
Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi.
EPA/Julien Warnand
On 12 March, Italy’s Chamber of Deputies approved proposals for major electoral reform, which must now be passed by the senate. The proposals are the fruit of a cross-party agreement that has given Italy…
Consummate political performer: Matteo Renzi.
Mario Carlini / Iguana Press
Three weeks can be an awfully long time in politics. Last Thursday, Matteo Renzi, the new leader of Italy’s Democratic Party (PD) – the largest member of the country’s ruling coalition – announced that…
On 18 November 2013, the Italian right-wing leader Silvio Berlusconi dissolved his party, Popolo della Libertà (PDL –- People of Freedom), the founding of which he had announced to his supporters in Milan…
After 20 years, Silvio Berlusconi’s greatest legacy is a country in shambles, without a future and hope.
EPA/Guido Montani
On Wednesday evening, the Italian Senate forced former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to step down as a senator. In typical Italian fashion, the day of reckoning for Berlusconi lasted almost four months…