Rome, 26 Sep (Xinhua) -- What impact will be brought about by the "right-turning" of Italian politics?
Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Xiaotian
The Italian Ministry of the Interior released the vote count results of 99% of the votes on the 26th, and the Italian fraternal party led by Giorgia Meloni won about 26% of the votes, becoming the largest party in the parliament. At the same time, the center-right coalition of Italian fraternal parties won about 44% of the vote, ahead of other parties or party coalitions.
Analysts pointed out that whether Italy's center-right party alliance can come up with a feasible solution to the economic and people's livelihood dilemma has attracted attention from all sides. At the same time, due to the long-term "eurosceptic" position of right-wing parties such as Italy's fraternal parties, some EU officials and scholars are worried about the future direction of Italy's policy.
The right-wing forces win
Italy held parliamentary elections on the 25th. In this election, there are three main competitive political forces, namely the center-right party alliance, the center-left party alliance and the Five Star Movement party. According to the results released by the Italian Ministry of the Interior on the evening of the 26th, the Italian fraternal party received about 26% of the vote, the center-right party alliance obtained a total of about 44% of the vote, and the center-left party alliance led by the Democratic Party received about 26% of the vote, ranking second. The biggest winner of the last parliamentary election, the Five Star Movement, received about 15 percent of the vote.
On September 25, in Bologna, Italy, staff counted the votes of Italian citizens living abroad. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Jani Skiki)
The center-right coalition consists mainly of the Italian Brotherhood, the Alliance Party led by former Deputy Prime Minister Salvini and the Force Italia Party led by former Prime Minister Berlusconi. Before the elections, a coalition of centre-right parties agreed to support the leader of the party with the most votes as prime minister. This means that Meloni could become prime minister.
According to the Italian Constitution, the prime minister of the government must be nominated by the president and then need to pass a vote of confidence in parliament before he can take office. Italian President Mattarella will meet with the presidents of the two houses of the new parliament and the leaders of the main parties on October 24, a process that will last two to three days before announcing his nominee for prime minister. Thereafter, parties will negotiate the selection of cabinet ministers, a process that can take months at most.
Since the beginning of this year, the Italian economy has been affected by high energy prices and high inflation, and the contradictions within the government have gradually intensified. In July, several parties in Italy's coalition government absented from the government's vote of confidence, and Prime Minister Mario Draghi said that the "foundation of trust that underpins the coalition government" no longer existed, and twice submitted his resignation to President Mattarella. After that, Mattarella announced the dissolution of parliament and held early parliamentary elections. Draghi remains Prime Minister of the Caretaker Government.
Eager to improve people's livelihood
After the Italian parliamentary elections, the most concerned issue is how the new government will deal with the current economic difficulties. Analysts believe a qualified economic minister candidate is crucial to the governing prospects of a center-right coalition.
Since the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, Italy has been hit by supply chain instability and gas supply contraction, and inflation is currently high, energy prices are soaring, and people's livelihood pressures have increased sharply. Local public opinion believes that Draghi's government's emphasis on aiding Ukraine and neglecting its own livelihood is the direct reason for its loss of trust among the relevant parties.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi waved after speaking in the House of Representatives in Rome, Italy, on July 21. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Alberto)
As the heating season approaches, lowering energy prices is an urgent need for Italian people and businesses. The center-right coalition of political parties promised in the election campaign that nuclear energy will be used to provide clean and safe energy, while increasing renewable energy production and reducing taxes and fees on energy products, promoting the diversification of energy sources, and improving energy self-sufficiency. However, Italy's proposal to enable nuclear energy was rejected in two referendums, in 1987 and 2011. Some critics argue that the center-right coalition energy package lacks novelty and details of implementation.
The coalition of centre-right parties also proposed that the source of funding for subsidies for people's livelihood is the 200 billion euros of economic recovery funds that Draghi's government applied to the European Union. Meloni has previously said it will seek to renegotiate with the EU on the use of the money so that it can be "better" used to deal with the current plight of rising energy and commodity prices. However, the European Commission's commissioner for economic affairs, Paul Gentiloni, said recently that the EU will not renegotiate the basic matters in the agreement with the new Italian government in the future, and the Italian side should continue to implement the current plan in order to obtain the remaining funds.
The EU is worried
Given Italy's long-standing "Europhobic" stance by right-wing parties, the policy changes they may bring about in the future of their rise to power have raised concerns among EU officials and academics. Previously, Méloni had criticized the EU's bureaucracy, arguing that the EU does not allow member states to defend their own interests, and Italy should maintain a relatively independent position in organizations such as the EU and NATO.
On September 25, Georgia Meloni, the leader of Italy's Brotherhood, displays her ballot papers at a polling station in Rome. Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Ma Mengni photo
European Commission President von der Leyen recently stated that the EU will continue to cooperate with the Italian government that holds the same values, but if "things go in a difficult direction", the EU also has the means to counter. Alberto Alemano, a professor at the Ecole Supérieure de Paris in France, believes that the future Italian new government may no longer be a "positive force" within the EU, because it sees the EU as a constraint.
Analysts point out that the rise of right-wing forces in Europe is not just in Italy, where the right-wing Democratic Party became the second-largest party in Sweden's parliamentary elections earlier this month. Under the impact of multiple factors such as the new crown epidemic and the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, the energy crisis, inflation problems and people's livelihood difficulties in Europe are intensifying, and are having an increasing impact on the political ecology of some countries. If this trend continues, both European stability and EU solidarity will be put to a severe test.