Italy Votes: updates

The new political picture is taking shape. Italy seems on the verge of a revolution. Of course I am not talking about a proper one, because this kind of revolution is proposed by those against which Italians should overthrow. The revolution I am talking about is political and, I am sure, it will last the time of an election. Already in the past we have seen alliances or election pacts or parties merging to run the competition and, inevitably, they end up in failure. We have seen, in the past, the most colorful coalitions and in some cases they looked like destined to last forever. However, in all cases they have result into heavy electoral defeats and subsequent change of mind. Going back in time we see the Republican and Liberal parties running together, We have seen Fini’s National Alliance running with Mario Segni, a former Christian Democrat liked a lot by the leftists (please note that National Alliance is a right wing party), we have had all sort of alliances between Socialists and Green Party, Socialists and Radicals (the Rose in the fist, that should have created the first Liberal Socialist anti clerical party) and a few more that currently do not come to my mind.

I am not saying that the Democratic Party or the Popolo della Liberta’ will be dismantled after the elections but I am pretty sure that after the elections the other coalitions that are taking shape will certainly cease to exist. I am talking about La Sinistra (The Left) that sees 2 Communist parties, a leftist party, Democratic Left, and the Green Party. Or the one that is taking shape in the middle of the Parliament between the UDC, former Berlusconi ally and now enemy, and the White Rose, a party formed a few weeks ago by former UDC politicians that have left the party because of the controversial positions of UDC leader, Casini. Add to this the possible alliance with Mastella’s UDEUR and we will have the Former CDU which was the party that up to 1995 included these three components. On the right hand side of the Parliament there could be an electoral alliance between Storace’s newly formed The Right (Party) that has left Fini’s AN because too much towards centrists positions, and the nostalgic of an Italy that brought to the dissidents death and loss of freedom.

So in this picture Italy is going to the elections. It seems that at the Lower House Berlusconi’s PDL is going to win the 55% of the seats but at the Senate where the election law is different there could be a different majority.

However, the impression I get from the current situation is that if the PDL wins at the lower house but doesn’t get enough MPs at the Senate, it will be necessary an election law reform and this time we will assist, for the first time in the Italian history, a government that will include people coming from all parties ever represented in the Italian Parliament, fro mthe former fascist to the former communists passing via liberals, Catholics, radicals, socialist and so on. And probably it will be the only time that Italy will make some steps forward.

My hope is to have a hung Parliament so that the parties can talk to each other and not having small parties in the coalitions, they will be able to make some reforms without fearing of being blackmailed by a Mastella that with a 1% of consensus made the Prodi government fall…

I am really optimistic about this elections and despite my non-vote, I hope that there won’t be a clear winner and I would invite my fellow nationals to vote for the PDL at the lower house and DP at the Senate.