The Italian Election Campaign: A Controversial Time in Italian Politics
As the March 4th election day approaches the political climate in Italy is heated and there is widespread coverage in the media of the candidates and the issues.
The political parties that are running in the election have recently submitted their official "election manifesto", or the written party platform that parties are required to submit in order to participate in an election under Italian law. In addition to immigration, most of the parties' programs focus on unemployment, reducing taxes, reforming the current pension system, and providing financial subventions for families and introducing a minimum income. The debates in the Italian media and in the public sphere mainly revolve around the parties' proposals.
Laura Boldrini, President of the Chamber of Deputies
Also making the news this week, a court in Venice tried unsuccessfully to challenge the current procedure that governs the right of Italian citizens who are permanent residents in another country to vote abroad. The current procedure, which allows Italian citizens abroad to vote by mail, has always been controversial. Critics argue that it is vulnerable to manipulation and is also very expensive. The Venice Court's appeal reignited a longstanding debate about the role that Italians abroad play in Italian elections and how to secure the voting process. In the Italian parliament there are 12 members of the House of Deputies and 6 Senators who represent this constituency. Electronic voting is being considered, but has not yet gained widespread support. The Italian newswire service ANSA reported on the newly released Amnesty International 2017-2018 report on human rights worldwide, which states that “Italy is filled with hostility, racism, xenophobia and the unjustified fear of those who are different”. This has sparked new questions as part of Italy's ongoing debate about racism and xenophobia. Since a racial shooting in the city of Macerata a few weeks ago, in which an Italian right wing extremist randomly shot at individuals on the street who had black skin in retaliation for the discovery that a recent Nigerian immigrant had murdered a young girl in the city, race, racism, and migration are at the forefront of Italian public debate. Like in the United States and other European countries, there is an increasing visibility of far right racist, nationalist and anti-immigrant views. Some commentators warn against a silent and insidious rebirth of fascism in Italy, while others diminish the issue.
Laura Boldrini, President of the Chamber of Deputies, has called for dismantling Italian Fascist Movements, such as, for example, Forza Nuova and Casa Pound. The Italian writer Giampaolo Pansa, on the other hand, dismissed the widespread fear that Italy could go back to fascism as nonsense: racist, anti-immigrant and nationalist views have not been organized into a popular official political platform, as they were under the fascism of the past. This debate stirs up huge emotions in the Italian public sphere and some demonstrations have degenerated into clashes with the police causing injuries on both sides.
How these events will influence the March 4th elections, and how Italians will vote, will soon be answered. Of course, the direction that Italian politics takes will depend on which party wins.
