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For the first time since the start of the pandemic, Italians went to the polls. They voted on a parliamentary reduction proposed by the ruling Cinque Stelle party. And seven regions and numerous cities elected their governments and parliaments. A real test of state of mind, which the government passed.
Successful fight of Cinque Place
A large majority of the people follow the government in its plan to reduce parliament from 945 to 600 seats. This is a true triumph for Cinque Stelle. The protest movement founded by the comedian Beppe Grillo had always fought against high salaries, generous expenses, the privileges of the “onorevoli”, the parliamentarians.
Now most of the people have followed the protest movement and want a third of their representatives to stay home in the future. If the Cinque Stelle had lost this vote, they would have lost much of their credibility.
The Tuscan fortress is on the left.
But the other ruling party, the social democratic Partito Democratico, is also leaving the polls with a tailwind. The party manages to keep Tuscany and two other controversial regions. The left has ruled Tuscany for more than 50 years.
But now, under the leadership of the Lega, the right was about to lay waste to this stronghold. The Partito Democratico won this battle of great symbolic power with surprising clarity.
Tailwind for Conte
The bottom line is that Giuseppe Conte and his government will get stronger. The coalition is rewarded for leading Italy through the pandemic with a sense of proportion. But the right wing that led to the great attack failed, not everywhere, but in many places.
And soon Prime Minister Conte should get more tailwind. The billions of the EU Recovery Fund will soon arrive in Rome. That is a lot of fuel for the government. Almost never an Italian cabinet has had such a large financial margin.
Franco Battel
Correspondent in Italy, SRF
