Luigi Di Maio
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Pandemic opens the door for an Italian conservative

Italian politics has been reshaped by the coronavirus. Dissatisfaction with the populist star Matteo Salvini has meant an opportunity for a new rising figure, Giorgia Meloni. The former Berlusconi minister has brought back the networks and rhetoric of the traditional right wing, while cultivating ties with conservatives in Europe and even the United States. As the government struggles with pandemic politics, Ms. Meloni is angling to be the next big thing.

Italy: Salvini’s tactical mistake puts the left in power
After the European elections this year, Matteo Salvini and his Lega party were riding high. Many expected he would capitalize on the wave of support and call for new elections. When he finally did, parties on the left moved against him. With a savvy political move from former Prime Minister ...


EU elections shake the stability of Italy’s coalition
The European Parliament elections in May upended the balance of support for the parties in Italy's coalition government, with Lega far outpacing the Five Star Movement. Moreover, the country's budget imbalances increasingly require solutions that will be politically unpopular. Rank-and-file members of both parties could benefit from new elections, but ...


GIS Dossier: The Italian case
Politically and financially, Italy has come to be regarded as a weak link in the European Union. Its shaky banks and enormous public debt almost blew apart the euro area during the debt crisis of 2010-2012, and could still do so. Its government, a marriage of populists on the left ...


Will Italy make it?
Italy’s public finance situation is worrying global markets, just as the newly-elected populist coalition is plotting its economic course. The coalition made dramatic promises to voters that could blow past deficit targets and push Italy toward default, bailout or an exit from the euro. But despite their recklessness, the Five ...
