Enthusiasm for politics is gradually waning, and a spectre looms over the upcoming regional elections on 31 May: voter apathy. This is not a new phenomenon; in other European countries it is a well-established fact, but here it is on the rise and is a cause for concern for a number of reasons. Firstly, we come from a cultural tradition which, to some extent, used to require people to take part in elections. That moral obligation, however, has for some time now lost its normative weight and is now viewed with greater pragmatism. Only 38.4 per cent of the population (Community Media Research, LaST Survey) considers failing to vote in elections to be a completely unacceptable act. Secondly, the Italian case is unique: following the Tangentopoli scandal, the political and institutional system has yet to find a stable footing. Parties that have changed their names several times since then, forming various alliances, whilst new ones are constantly emerging: all these factors make the political landscape unstable and uncertain. They fuel a climate of disillusionment or indifference (at best), and of alienation and protest (at worst). Continue reading
