Crazy Italian Politics!

Italian politics has been racked with scandal forever. It is one of the most corrupt Western governments which is never too far from a scandal. To make matters worse Silvio Berlusconi has been at the forefront of Italian politics for over two decades. Berlusconi has never been far from a scandal, especially when it comes to sex. Despite being over 70, Berlusconi has been accused of many sex crimes throughout his career including having sex with underage prostitutes at his infamous ‘bunga bunga’ parties. The idea that a politician accused of statutory rape being able to maintain a political career is unfathomable to most of us. Yet in Italy he weathered every scandal, every time you thought he was down and out he just came right back. It is quite impressive if you think about it, but it reflects badly on Italy.

Finally in August of this year he was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to four years in prison. He won’t serve any of the sentence as he is over 70, but he was thrown out of the Senate later that month. Despite this he still is the leader of Forza Italia! It just shows you how crazy Italian politics can be.

In the midst of all this there was also an election to deal with. Held in February as a result of Prime Minister Mario Monti’s resignation, it resulted in a hung parliament. Here are a table of results:

Chamber of Deputies (316 required for a majority)
Leader	Party/Coalition	% of the vote	Number of seats
Pier Luigi Bersani	Common good Coalition	29.54	340
Silvio Berlusconi	Centre Right Coalition	29.18	124
Beppe Grillo	Five Star Movement	25.55	108
Mario Monti	With Monti For Italy (Coalition)	10.56%	45
N/A	Others	5.17%	13

Senate of the Republic (160 required for a majority)
Leader	Party/Coalition	% of the vote	Number of seats
Pier Luigi Bersani	Common good Coalition	31.63%	113
Silvio Berlusconi	Centre Right Coalition	30.71%	116
Beppe Grillo	Five Star Movement	23.79%	54
Mario Monti	With Monti For Italy (Coalition)	9.13%	18
N/A	Others	4.74%	14

This election is amazing for two reasons: the continued success of Berlusconi, who led the right-wing coalition ‘The People of Freedom’ and the success of Beppe Grillo and his ‘Five Star Movement’. Many in the establishment were shocked, and scared, by Grillo’s success due to bad policies such as degrowth. Yet the Five Star Movement has resonated with many Italians who agree with its views on politicians. Corruption in Italy is rampant and FSM is determined to stamp it out. They want to limit politicians’ pay and perks at a level a lot lower than it is now. They also demand term limits for politicians and an end to politicians having two jobs at the same time. This kind of rhetoric is a breath of fresh air for many Italians.