By David Meier
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| From: Presidenza della Repubblica Italiana |
1 June 2018 was a historic day as a government in Italy was sworn in while another one in Spain was ousted. Only two days later, on 3 June 2018, parliamentary elections in Slovenia resulted in a complex constellation as the party winning the most votes seems to be isolated among potential coalition partners. All three events were just the climax of a series of national elections resulting in complicated political situations without a clear perspective, since the formation of a stable government. The European Union (EU) and the European youth take center stage concerning the underlying reasons for this development and its repercussions.
On June 1, the political landscape of the EU changed dramatically as the Italian parties Lega Nord (Northern League) and Movimento cinque stelle (Five Star Movement) formed a coalition government; while in Spain the Spanish Socialist opposition leader Sanchez won a no- confidence vote against the incumbent conservative prime minister Rajoy.
The inauguration as Italian prime minister of the non-affiliated law professor and lawyer Giuseppe Conte, who is close to the Movimento cinque stelle, marked the end of an emotional rollercoaster that had unfolded after the Italian parliamentary elections. The election result was a blow to the governing Partito Democratico (Socialists), and a triumph for the Movimento cinque stelle being the single party with the most votes (about a third) and the Lega Nord that surprisingly topped the conservative and far right electoral alliance of three right-wing parties. This alliance was the most successful of all electoral alliances.
Both coalition parties are considered populist parties but their programmes strongly differ. The Lega Nord is known as a eurosceptic and xenophobic party that originally advocated for the secession of northern Italy from the rest of Italy, in order to create a new state called Padania with Milano as its capital instead of Rome which is anathema to them. By contrast, Movimento cinque stelle focuses on ecology, direct democracy, and an anti graft as well as anti nepotism stance. However, both parties do also have some points in common, e.g. both reject the euro as Italy`s currency and fiscal discipline and austerity, imposed by the EU, that are attached to it. Therefore, many fear that it will be a eurosceptic government.
The coalition talks took three months, a period unprecedented in Italy`s history. Both parties argued about which parties would be part of the new government and who would lead it. In the end they decided that only Lega Nord and Movimento cinque stelle will participate in the coalition without the right wing allies of the Lega Nord. Instead of chosing one of the two party leaders Luigi Di Maio (Movimento cinque stelle) and Matteo Salvini (Lega Nord) as Prime Minister, they chose Conte.
In Spain, Mariano Rajoy, was reelected as Spanish prime minister in October 2016. However, his conservative Partido Popular did not dispose of a majority in Parliament and he did not succeed to find partners willing to form a coalition with him. As similar situations had occured in two election held very shortly before (December 2015 and June 2016), Rajoy was elected as head of a minority government with the support of the Socialists.
After a verdict of a Spanish court against former high ranking Partido Popular politicians for corruption charges and the judges expressed disbelieve of Rajoy`s claim that the top of the national Partido Popular was not involved in the scandal or did not know about it, Sanchez initiated a no-confidence vote against Rajoy. He won it by forming a short time alliance with the left wing party Podemos (We can) along with some regional and even separatist parties.
In Slovenia,
