'Italy's Trump': This is what the Five Star Movement is all about
Italy's Five Star Movement (M5S) was back in the headlines on Sunday for its major role in a bitter — and successful — campaign against prime minister Matteo Renzi's proposed constitutional reforms. The No vote it backed in the referendum forced Renzi's resignation.
Polls indicate M5S is now the most popular opposition party in Italy, and it looks well-placed to make a bid for power if a snap election is called. But what exactly is this insurgent movement, and where has it come from?
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The party's policies don't fit neatly into the traditional left-right political spectrum, something the party is keen to emphasise. It is variously anti-establishment, Eurosceptic, anti-immigration and pro-green. The "Five Stars" refers to its five flagship issues: publicly owned water, sustainable (eco-friendly) transport, sustainable development, right to internet access, and environmentalism.
However mixed its messages might seem, they worked. Voters, disillusioned with the "status quo" and politicians' weak response to the economic downturn, began to lodge their protest by supporting M5S at the ballot box. In Italy's 2013 general election, the party picked up 30% of the vote (although it won only 106 of over 600 seats due to a voting system which favours parties in coalition). In terms of vote share, they were the second-most popular party, and support has remained on a similar level ever since.
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-italy-five-star-movement-beppe-grillo-trump-farage-2016-12
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