Italy apparently fond of right-wing leaders

Quick note to any lefties out there who are a little dismayed with Boris Johnson's poll lead: imagine how your Italian counterparts must feel.

Not only did the nation decide to re-elect notorious right-winger Silvio Berlusconi this month - a move which provoked much international forehead-slapping - but now the residents of Rome have opted to transfer the Mayorship of the city away from the left for the first time in 15 years. Not only that ... they've gone and handed the reins of power to Gianni Alemanno, a man with a notable neo-facist history. What exactly is trickling into the water supply over there?

The former youth leader of the Italian Social Movement - a charming anti-democracy bunch of chaps - Alemanno just pipped his rival Francesco Rutelli to the post, gathering 53.6% of the vote against his opponent's 46.3%.

His major priority being to tighten up law and order, Alemanno embraced his winning result by saying:

"This long battle has ended with our victory. This wasn't a victory for a party but for the whole of Rome. The result shows I received broad support and I will take that into account when governing the city."

Recent developments in Italy have been quite interesting to watch, and may have a further resonant echo about them in upcoming years. A left-leaning government destroyed by its own incompetence, opening the doors for all sorts of Conservative opportunists to snake into power?

Now, why does that sound familiar?

Written by C J Davies on 28 Apr 2008 11:21 PM. Permalink