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Italy: Political Developments and Data in 2024

The Return of Bipolarism?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Marta Gallina  and
Cecilia Biancalana
Marta Gallina
Affiliation:
Catholic University of Lille, France
Cecilia Biancalana*
Affiliation:
University of Turin, Italy
*
Email: cecilia.biancalana@unito.it
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Abstract

In 2024, Italian politics experienced institutional continuity, with no national elections or major Cabinet reshuffles. The European Parliament election emerged as the year's most salient political event, consolidating Fratelli d'Italia and the Partito Democratico as the two main poles and underscoring the electoral collapse of the Movimento Cinque Stelle (M5S, Five Star Movement. This shift has reignited debates over a possible return to bipolarism in the Italian party system. The report also examines the outcome of seven regional elections, which saw the centre-right coalition consolidate its territorial dominance. Further sections address limited but politically significant Cabinet changes, the organisational transformation of the M5S and key political developments during the year. Special attention is given to the proposed constitutional reform introducing a directly elected Prime Minister (premierato), a controversial measure that has sparked widespread public and academic debate. Taken together, these developments point to a politically stable system facing emerging pressures on institutional and party configurations.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Political Data Yearbook , Volume 64 , Issue 1 , December 2025 , pp. 348 - 362
Copyright
Copyright © 2025 European Consortium for Political Research

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