A New Anti-Establishment Political Party Created in Italy

Seldom in the history of modern democracies have established parties fallen and new parties grown as rapidly as now. The situation can be compared to the years and months preceding the fatal year of 1933, when the crisis was met with two opposing solutions: Hitler in Germany and Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the U.S. Today, as then, the system has reached a point where it can only survive with dictatorial forms of government, or give way to a new system, committed to saving the population and not the oligarchy.

Thus, we see new political actors, although with very different programs, suddenly gain large popular support: a Milei in Argentina, a Wilders in the Netherlands or a Wagenknecht in Germany. The latter’s party-in-the-making is credited with a huge 12% nationwide, even before it has been set up.

Similarly in Italy, if the Meloni government continues its policy course, the Italians will vote her out on the next occasion, in favor of figures or parties that promise change. In this context, a new anti-establishment party, with a large potential for growth, was presented at a two-day convention on Nov. 25-26 in Rome. Led by former Agriculture Minister and former Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno, the new party, called “Independence”, criticizes the pro-NATO, pro-EU and pro-Green policy of the Meloni government, and looks favorably to the BRICS and the Belt and Road Initiative.

The new party wants to take a bipartisan approach, overcoming the formal left-right divisions. A special guest of the conference was former Communist Party leader Marco Rizzo. Several friends of the Schiller Institute also spoke, such as Nino Galloni, who developed the issue of monetary sovereignty, Maurizio Abbate, chairman of the National Institute for Cultural Activities ENAC, and economist Michele Geraci. The latter two were elected to the national directorate. The mayor of Bethlehem (Palestine), Hanna Hanania, also attended.

Explaining the understanding of a supposed right-winger with the former communists, Gianni Alemanno said: “We do common, cross-party battles, we must bring the real problems to the attention of the Italians.” He added that “Meloni and [Democratic Party leader Elly] Schlein say the same things on the war and the economy, then argue nonsense”, since they represent a united mainstream “against which we must all fight together”.

The new party has certainly less initial support than Wagenknecht in Germany, but, then again, Giorgia Meloni’s party, Fratelli d’Italia created in 2013, scored no more than 4% for nearly a decade, before jumping to 26% to become the leading party in the 2022 general elections, thanks to being the only opposition party. The new “Independence” party is now similarly positioned, with the goal of catalyzing the opposition to the “united mainstream”. Its success will also depend on the personnel chosen to lead.