Il Movimento Cinque Stelle alla prova delle regionali

Abstract

The Italian political system has undergone deep transformation over the last few years (Chiaramonte, Tarli Barbieri 2007). In this context the appearance of the Five Star Movement (M5S) has taken a prominent importance. M5S, a political party founded in 2009, has very different organizational features from other parties (Corbetta, Gualmini 2013). This research aims to analyze the behavior of this political organization during the regional elections held in the 2010-2015 interval. We will examine the results of the regional vote for MS5, comparing them with the results in National and European elections. Also we will assess whether the candidates of M5S have been able to create personal visibility and support networks, or whether their success was tied to the popularity of the national leader and to the party brand. In order to do this, we will look at the rules for the selection of candidates and at the socio-demographic characteristics of elected representatives of M5S in regional councils, comparing them with those of elected representatives of other parties.