Key Moments in Europe in Italy
Key moments in Europe in Italy: Nationwide elections in Italy, one of the key countries of the European Union, will be held on September 25. These elections, following the collapse of Mario Draghi’s government, will see the rise of right-wing forces in the country. This marks the second major election in the stormy 2022 election season globally, coming at the end of summer after the right-wing victory in Sweden. Italy’s special role and influence in the European Union, which goes beyond the impact of a country like Sweden, is of great importance to major EU members like Germany and France.
New Electoral Structure
This time, Italy’s elections will be held based on the new structure of the country’s legislative chambers. The number of representatives in both the lower and upper houses has been halved, and the threshold for forming a government has also been reduced. This makes it much easier for parties that garner a high number of votes to form a government, and the usual Italian electoral tensions and divisions are unlikely to occur as intensely and persistently as in previous years.
Nevertheless, in both details and generalities, Italy’s elections remain unique, with intricacies that create many puzzles about the election process. For instance, the preferential system for selecting candidates is in place in many constituencies, while other constituencies will have a single-choice vote. This duality is just the beginning of electoral complexity, as candidates can simultaneously run in multiple constituencies. This new and complex situation, as always, makes Italian politics unique in Europe and the world.
With the reduction in the number of representatives in both chambers, many politicians currently in these assemblies would lose their positions, and the internal party battles to determine candidates have been intense due to the limited number of seats and consequently limited lists.
Seemingly Moderate Right-Wing
Italy has always lived in the shadow of the fascism of the 1920s to 1950s. Now, following recent political developments, Italy’s leftists and moderates have lost the ability to form a united structure to establish a government.
Recent Italian governments, during times of severe economic pressure and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, have engaged in extensive spending. The Italian government’s debt relative to its GDP is very high. Meanwhile, negative portrayals of immigrants and Italy’s cultural status have been ongoing, and extremists have succeeded in instilling pessimism in a significant portion of society. Now, an alliance that considers itself moderately right-wing has formed with the union of Silvio Berlusconi, Matteo Salvini, and Giorgia Meloni, with Meloni leading this alliance in the upcoming elections.
This alliance, which has secured the necessary votes to form a government in all polls, presents a serious challenge to Italy’s political future and the policies of the European Union.
Meloni, who has strong ties with conservatives and extremists in various countries, especially the United States, is the leader of the Brothers of Italy party, which is the long-standing fascist party in the country. However, Meloni’s recent approach, particularly in this year’s campaign, has been successful in moderating the image of the party and herself. In her new rhetoric, she has practically moderated anti-European Union statements and doesn’t speak of leaving the EU. This coalition now accuses the left of extremism and violence, highlighting the left’s radical actions.
The significant achievement of this coalition is the coalition itself. They promise certainty and assurance after the elections by forming this convergence, and there will be no more conflicts between parties to form a coalition government if the Italian people vote for this moderate right-wing coalition. Meanwhile, Italian politicians have, in recent weeks, dismissed the serious warnings from the left about the resurgence of fascism in their interviews and statements, assuring the public that there is no concern about the return of fascists.
The various layers of the right-wing coalition’s policies indicate their inclination towards conservative policies regarding important cultural and social issues, and there’s no doubt that topics like the abortion debate, which is serious in the U.S., are also pursued in their policies. This is something that has only been made possible by the globalization of right-wing extremist connections.
In her debate with her rivals, Giorgia Meloni has shown seriousness in moderating her positions and has supported the general policies of the European Union that Mario Draghi, a popular and non-partisan Italian politician, pursued in his government. She has portrayed herself as a supporter of aid to Ukraine and has removed the original far-right stance of strategic ties with Putin from her campaign rhetoric. However, there is no doubt that the strong relationship of the coalition of Italy’s three extremist forces with Russia is serious.
Russia’s Direct Role in Italy’s Elections
The far-right’s connections with Russia’s security and political structure are longstanding. Russia has established and maintained these ties with the majority of extremist parties and groups worldwide. However, the story of direct Russian influence in the ongoing Italian elections is different.
Russia played a major role in the collapse of Mario Draghi’s government. Draghi, a well-known European figure and a reputable economist globally, led a coalition government that owed its credibility to Draghi’s reputation as a successful president of the European Central Bank in the previous decade and policies based on maximum support for the people during the COVID-19 crisis. Multiple economic problems, livelihood crises, and other issues laid the groundwork for the weakening of Draghi’s government, yet it was expected that this government could continue.
On two occasions, the Russian embassy in Italy held meetings with Matteo Salvini’s circle on one side and Silvio Berlusconi on the other, encouraging them to leave the coalition government and dismantle it.
News about these meetings and Russian influence was gradually being forgotten in the campaign process, with denials from the moderate right-wing coalition, until news of an official U.S. document about Putin’s $300 million investment to interfere in elections in various countries worldwide was released. This news created a new wave of accusations against both the far-left and far-right. Giuseppe Conte, the left-wing leader who clearly has a different stance in his policies compared to the EU regarding Putin’s aggression in Ukraine and knows that, like many far-left figures, he is suspected of aligning with Putin, has denied receiving help from Putin.
Berlusconi’s story is even stranger. He and his party have a formal agreement and understanding of cooperation with Putin’s main Russian party, and their ties remain serious. In the context of news about Putin’s investment for electoral interference worldwide, Berlusconi is under intense scrutiny.
In the final days of the 2022 Italian election campaign, it is unlikely that the moderate right-wing coalition, which sells moderation to voters by adjusting its positions, will fail in the electoral battle. The outlook for European politics, with the second major victory of far-right forces on this continent, is more complex than ever.
