The Italian general election taking place Sunday is the most important in Europe this year. But while a lurch to the extremes is unlikely thanks to new electoral rules, there could still be trouble ahead, the Financial Times editorializes. "Whoever comes out on top needs to tackle deep-seated structural problems in the economy and in the financial sector with much greater vigor. None of the most likely outcomes — a ring-wing grouping, a grand coalition or a Eurosceptic government — appears to offer that. Meanwhile, the need to remain within EU fiscal constraints risks fueling the sense of lost sovereignty, furthering the rise of populist nationalists who have made Europe a scapegoat for Italy's woes," the Financial Times argues. "[Silvio] Berlusconi is not the answer. His political career waxed in the mid-1990s in response to generalized mistrust of politicians. Like President Donald Trump in the US, he played the pluto-populist, the wealthy man of the people capable of standing up to vested interests and kick-starting the economy. He did neither. Instead, he abused his position to fend off the law. "Italy deserves better. But it is running out of responsible political alternatives to secure its future at the heart of Europe." |
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