Italy’s new coalition will be pragmatic

Significance

The new government, to be headed by FdI leader Giorgia Meloni, will have a stable parliamentary majority. The coalition and its programme have direct electoral endorsement, and therefore greater legitimacy than the coalitions assembled after elections over the last decade.

Impacts

• Electoral setbacks suffered by the Democratic Party, Forza Italia and the League will prompt resignations or leadership challenges.
• Over half of the electorate voted for populist parties, in a reflection of widespread discontent with mainstream parties.
• The election result seems to discourage any serious effort to change Italy’s constitutional framework.