Populist Government Takes Power in Italy
"Populism is the new organizing principle."

by Soeren Kern • June 1, 2018 at 6:00 pm

The new government has pledged to pursue a host of populist policies, including reclaiming national sovereignty from the European Union over issues ranging from border protection and immigration to economics and finance. For now, however, it has abandoned previous plans to hold a referendum on whether Italy should abandon the euro.
"The EU Budget Commissioner the German Oettinger says the markets will show Italians the right way to vote. If that isn't a threat..." — Matteo Salvini, leader of the Lega party
The continued patronizing by EU officials has contributed to the rise of populism in Italy and feeds popular support for the euroscepticism embraced by M5S and Lega.

Italy's new prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, whose government's program closely resembles U.S. President Donald Trump's "Contract with the American Voter." Photo: Wikipedia.

Italy's rival anti-establishment parties — the populist Five Star Movement (M5S) and the nationalist League (Lega) — have formed a "eurosceptic" coalition government.

The new government has pledged to pursue a host of populist policies, including reclaiming national sovereignty from the European Union over issues ranging from border protection and immigration to economics and finance. For now, however, it has abandoned previous plans to hold a referendum on whether Italy should abandon the euro.

The viability of a M5S/Lega government initially was thrown into doubt after Italian President Sergio Mattarella vetoed their eurosceptic choice for finance minister: Paolo Savona, an 81-year-old former industry minister who has called Italy's entry into the euro a "historic mistake."