Italy Votes : The Impact of February’s Election on the Country and the EU

With DR TOBY Abse
Following the Euro crisis in 2011 and Berlusconi’s forced resignation, new elections were scheduled for a later date, and the neo-liberal former European Commissioner Mario Monti was appointed interim Prime Minister. Unsurprisingly, his “Technical Government”, made up entirely of non-elected members, has imposed drastic austerity measures and “labour reforms” on the country. At last, the Italian people, whose level of mistrust towards its political elite is amongst the highest in Europe, have new general elections on 24th-25th February, with Mario Monti, Silvio Berlusconi and Pier Luigi Bersani as leaders of the three mainstream coalitions. Dr Toby Abse explores the outcome and the likely implications for the Italian people and the rest of Europe, as well as the prospects for a real political alternative in the Peninsula. A lecturer in Modern European History at Goldsmiths, University of London, Dr Abse focuses his research on Italy and has written extensively on its contemporary politics.