Some thoughts on yesterday’s regional elections in Italy:
1. Salvini turned the Emilia Romagna election into a vote about himself and the government - and he lost, and turnout was massively up (67.7% compared to previous 37.8%)
1. Salvini turned the Emilia Romagna election into a vote about himself and the government - and he lost, and turnout was massively up (67.7% compared to previous 37.8%)
2. In Calabria, where the right won, Salvini’s Lega is sandwiched between Forza Italia and far-right Fd’I. This matters because it means Salvini can’t just do whatever he wants but will have to compromise with coalition partners
The implosion of the M5S in both elections is extraordinary. From Italy’s largest party to single figure also rans: If that trend persists, it will redraw the electoral map in ways that are hard to predict
Bigger picture:
4. The PD-5S government is more likely to live to see another day, pushing elections further away
4. The PD-5S government is more likely to live to see another day, pushing elections further away
5. Emilia Romagna is a rarely competitive left stronghold. The right are still well ahead nationally. But Salvini is becoming a bit like Balotelli: lots of potential but he keeps making mistakes - and the risk is that one day he may find he’s no longer the new kid on the block
