Surviving but not thriving: VOX and Spain in times of Covid-19

Turnbull‐Dugarte, Stuart J.

doi:10.31219/osf.io/gvnpe

Cited by 1 publication

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“…Since the first wave, Italy subscribed to these restrictive policies. However, when the initial emergency was somehow contained, populist leaders at the opposition had the chance to politicize different aspects linked to the consequences of the pandemic itself (see Zanotti and Turnbull-Dugarte 2021). Our main argument is that populists are successful in taking advantage of a crisis when they can credibly frame it as a failure of representation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Italy: The diverging strategies of the populist radical right during the pandemic

Meléndez¹

2021

Preprint

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This chapter deals with how populist parties reacted and engaged with the pandemic in Italy, one of the European countries most affected by the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The main argument of this chapter is that populist actors are successful in profiting from a crisis when they can credibly frame it as a failure of representation. The case of Italy, which has been defined as a “country of many populisms” (Tarchi 2008), is particularly insightful. Since the outset of the pandemic at the end of February of 2020, there were two populist parties in the system , both on the right of the political spectrum: the League (former Northern League) and Brothers of Italy. After a first period known as “rally around the flag” the two parties' strategy was somehow similar until they started to diverge substantially in February 2021. In general terms, we can say that—until the breakdown of the second Conte government—the League discursively attacked the government on managing the pandemic, focusing mainly on two issues: migration and the economy. When the League entered the government, supporting Mario Draghi’s cabinet, its discourse changed even if its loyalty to the government has been flaky, at least. This strategy of keeping one foot in and one out of government (see Albertazzi and McDonnell 2005) has always been a trademark characteristic of the (Northern) League since the 1990s. Conversely, Brothers of Italy, while sharing with the League the critique to the government supported by the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement during the first year, has later changed its strategy becoming the only relevant party in opposition to Mario Draghi’s government. This allowed FdI to systematically challenge the government's actions and depict itself as the only party to act in the interest of the people, opposing to the elite. Even if the pandemic is still unfolding, vote intention shows that Brothers of Italy has become the first Italian party, demonstrating to have taken advantage of the crisis, through a framing that was more functional with its populist appeal and in turn resulted more credible to voters.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%