Mattia Ferraresi - Brothers of Italy on the March (Italian Elections)

Welcome to the second season of Deep Dive!

Today I’m talking to Italian journalist, and 2019 Nieman Fellow at Harvard, Mattia Ferraresi. Mattia is the managing editor of the Italian newspaper Domani and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Foreign Policy Magazine.  

Italy is having elections in just two days time – on Sunday, September 25th. And, all polls leading into the final stretch suggest that the far-right party Brothers of Italy, is going to win enough shares of the vote that they will form the next government under the Prime Ministership of the leader of their party – Giorgia Meloni. This is happening just after the April elections in France, in which the far-right leader Marine Le Pen came closer than ever to winning the election, and immediately following elections this past week, in which the far-right parties, led by Ulf Kristerrson’s center-right moderates, have won enough seats to form the next government. This came after promising during the campaign to crack down on immigration and increase prison sentences. This is a watershed moment for Sweden, perhaps for Europe overall, as Sweden is consistently one of the most progressive nation-states in Europe – which begs the question, what does Italy have in store for us?

Mattia and I discuss the structure of Italian government, how the past informs its government now, how liberal democracy has evolved in Italy, how the left has failed to address the concerns of the electorate leaving open an avenue for the right to exploit, what’s driving the electorate in Italy now, and what we might expect from a far-right government.

I'd like to thank Giorgio Ghiglione for providing background and contextual information, helping me to better understand italian politics and government.

Mentioned:
The Netanyahus - Joshua Cohen
M - Antonio Scurati

Recommended:
Domani Magazine

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Majestic Earth - Joystock