Last Sunday, Italians went to the polls to elect a new parliament amid fears of rising populism and nationalism. Those concerns were confirmed when the exit polls asserted that the Lega would become the leading political group in the center-right coalition and the 5-star movement (5SM) the largest party in the country. These elections have once again showcased the inaptitude of traditional center-left (Partito Democratico, PD) and center-right (Forza Italia, FI) parties to answer citizens’ needs, in fact, their inability to build consensus has enabled the exponential rise of radical and unpredictable political groups. The reasons for such a strong variation are to be found in the failure to answer the social and economic crisis that has hit the southern regions and the feeling of insecurity and diffidence that characterize the electorate of the north.

Despite achieving a clear victory, neither the right-wing coalition (led by the Lega) or the 5SM obtained an absolute majority to form a new government and will have to negotiate under the supervision of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella. This situation is also the result of a complex electoral law that made an outright victory virtually impossible to achieve, an electoral law that was created to limit the damages for the traditional parties and avoid a majority for the 5SM. The Italian political landscape has drastically changed and its future remains unclear. For more details, check out the short note prepared by NOVE that explains the reasons for such an electoral shock and what will be the possible outcomes and consequences.