Italian Elections and Politics 2018: Yellow Tide

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

Berlusconi, probably, is for the Spanish system

Berlusconi, just this once, would be right.

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

I want Italy to get out of the mess it is in right now, and the only way for this to happen is to have a strong, stable left-wing government. It might not be morally right to craft an electoral system based on this need, but it is the only possibility to avoid total disaster. I'm sincerely sorry this is the way thing are, but it is.

Yeah but rigging the system in an undemocratic manner isn't really going to solve the problem.
This system might as well create another Berlosconi undeserved majority, and even if it resulted in the out-come you wish for, no PD-lead government with its current establishment is going to be that stable left-wing government that brings Italy out of its crisis.

As AL says, the only real way to solve the fact that a left-wing alternative can't reach 50%, is for the left to reform itself into a credible political force, not bend the rules so they can rule with-out popular support.   
 

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

It's certainly deeply flawed and criticizable on many different respects, but you can't say it's undemocratic, unless you think British FPP is even undemocratic.

I do think FPTP is undemocratic.

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

So Grillo supporters are like Pirate Party supporters.

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

What are the potential candidates for new president?

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

Although I agree with Politicus that the fair representation principle is more important in the abstract, such principle can only fully prevail in "civilized" countries like the Scandinavians, where a hung parliament doesn't result in utter chaos.

You haven't been paying attention to Sweden much this past autumn I hear.


When it comes to electoral law it does seem that Italy has a preference for making things as complicated as possibly imaginable. Which of course is fun for us election geeks, but must be really confusing for the average voter. And it does inevitably seem that no matter which system you have the voters seem to hand you unstable situations anyway.

I do really think Politicus raises an important point. The political system forms the political conduct, not only for the voters but also for the politicians. The reason that things are (supposedly) more civilized in Scandinavia is because our system forces there to be broad coalitions, while politicians in Britain are incapable of compromise with the other party because they're used to either always having all the power.

I don't think this system will last. What happens for example if the Lega becomes second largest party at the next election? Southern right-wingers voting for the Lega in the run off? I do really think you guys would have been much better off by just keeping the old system and just neuter the Senate's power, alternatively reforming the senatorial electoral law.