The 2013 Italian elections in historical perspective

The Italian General Elections of 24–25 February 2013 are generally considered a historic turning point, marking the end of the so-called Second Republic as well as the dawn of an ambiguous Third Republic. In this study, we address the 2013 campaign, the election results and their political consequences in an historical perspective. After examining the major characteristics of the five elections held since 1994, this paper proposes a systematic comparison of the 1994 and the 2013 ballots in order to highlight the elements of continuity and change. One of the key findings is related to the Italian party system. If in 1994 the country witnessed the beginning of a transition, which was making headway but remained incomplete, in 2013 no new system arose. This may point to an acceleration in the decline of the pre-existing regime