The results of the latest regional elections in Tuscany show a sharp
increase in abstention. ---- These are the data relating to the trend of
abstention over the last 10 years, as a percentage of the electorate:
2014 (European elections) 33.28%, 2015 (regional elections) 51.72%, 2018
(political elections) 22.53%, 2019 (European elections) 34.25%, 2020
(regional elections) 37.40%, 2022 (political elections) 30.25%, 2024
(European elections) 40.94%, 2025 (regional elections) 52.27%. ---- As
can be seen, we are faced with a steady increase in abstention, with
only two anomalies: the 2015 regional elections, in which abstention
rose to a peak of 51.72% before returning to its consolidated trend in
subsequent elections, and the 2022 general elections, in which
abstention fell to 30.25%.
This second finding deserves separate consideration, as it ties in with
the regional success of the Brothers of Italy party, for which numerous
explanations have been offered. In my opinion, these two findings are
connected, and can also be explained by the attitude of Giorgia Meloni's
party toward the Conte and Draghi governments, particularly regarding
the COVID emergency. It's likely, according to this interpretation, that
many people, even those not directly involved in the anti-green pass
movement, but still dissatisfied with the policies of the governments
and the political forces that supported them, turned out to vote in the
face of the pandemic, decreasing the number of abstentions and shifting
their vote toward the Brothers of Italy party.
This is one of the factors, along with the traditional right-wing
electorate's shift toward the more extremist positions of the party of
the flame; a factor that has rapidly evaporated, given that support for
the Brothers of Italy party already declined in the 2024 European
elections, while in this year's regional elections the decline was even
more pronounced. On both occasions, abstention rates increased again.
Exceeding the 50% abstention threshold is a symbolic element
demonstrating citizens' support for the institution; for this reason,
commentators have focused on the composition of the electorate and the
"physiological" abstention associated with regional elections. According
to this interpretation, the electorate for regional elections also
includes voters who work elsewhere and who exercise their right to vote
in another region during the general election, something that is not
possible for regional elections. Supporting this thesis, we see that the
electorate for the 2022 general election was composed of 2,811,953
people, while in 2025 it was 3,007,061, a difference of approximately
195,000 people. If we subtract this figure from the electorate for the
most recent regional elections, the upward trend in abstention remains
unchanged, even though it remains below the psychological threshold of 50%.
This trend, in general, reflects, on the one hand, a disaffection with
political forces transformed into electoral lists, linked to narrow
economic, financial, and speculative groups; on the other, it expresses
a rejection of a structure that concentrates power in the hands of the
regional president, stripping the regional council of any role in
appointing the president and the executive branch. This structure
certainly ensures greater stability for the executive branch, but at the
same time reduces the possibilities for bottom-up control that should be
a hallmark of a democratic system. In reality, the evolution of the
region in recent years demonstrates that every government tends to
become dictatorial, reducing elected representatives to mere extras
tasked with approving decisions made by the president and executive branch.
In this context, the role of the opposition, especially the radical
ones, is nonexistent. The left-leaning lists of the PD and AVS saw their
votes almost halved in the same period.
While the Toscana Rossa list obtained 57,000 votes in the last regional
elections, the Sinistra list had obtained 83,000 votes in the 2015
regional elections; in 2020, it had obtained 79,000 votes. The
controversy surrounding the government's response to COVID-19 has been
particularly disruptive in this area, which in the subsequent elections
(2022 general elections) dropped to 42,000 votes. Disaffection with the
democratic system is actually widespread across all elections and
increases each time. This is the incontrovertible fact. This could be an
opportunity to promote our model of social organization: a society
organized without government.
Lona Lenti
https://umanitanova.org/lastensione-fa-paura-elezioni-regionali-in-toscana/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
increase in abstention. ---- These are the data relating to the trend of
abstention over the last 10 years, as a percentage of the electorate:
2014 (European elections) 33.28%, 2015 (regional elections) 51.72%, 2018
(political elections) 22.53%, 2019 (European elections) 34.25%, 2020
(regional elections) 37.40%, 2022 (political elections) 30.25%, 2024
(European elections) 40.94%, 2025 (regional elections) 52.27%. ---- As
can be seen, we are faced with a steady increase in abstention, with
only two anomalies: the 2015 regional elections, in which abstention
rose to a peak of 51.72% before returning to its consolidated trend in
subsequent elections, and the 2022 general elections, in which
abstention fell to 30.25%.
This second finding deserves separate consideration, as it ties in with
the regional success of the Brothers of Italy party, for which numerous
explanations have been offered. In my opinion, these two findings are
connected, and can also be explained by the attitude of Giorgia Meloni's
party toward the Conte and Draghi governments, particularly regarding
the COVID emergency. It's likely, according to this interpretation, that
many people, even those not directly involved in the anti-green pass
movement, but still dissatisfied with the policies of the governments
and the political forces that supported them, turned out to vote in the
face of the pandemic, decreasing the number of abstentions and shifting
their vote toward the Brothers of Italy party.
This is one of the factors, along with the traditional right-wing
electorate's shift toward the more extremist positions of the party of
the flame; a factor that has rapidly evaporated, given that support for
the Brothers of Italy party already declined in the 2024 European
elections, while in this year's regional elections the decline was even
more pronounced. On both occasions, abstention rates increased again.
Exceeding the 50% abstention threshold is a symbolic element
demonstrating citizens' support for the institution; for this reason,
commentators have focused on the composition of the electorate and the
"physiological" abstention associated with regional elections. According
to this interpretation, the electorate for regional elections also
includes voters who work elsewhere and who exercise their right to vote
in another region during the general election, something that is not
possible for regional elections. Supporting this thesis, we see that the
electorate for the 2022 general election was composed of 2,811,953
people, while in 2025 it was 3,007,061, a difference of approximately
195,000 people. If we subtract this figure from the electorate for the
most recent regional elections, the upward trend in abstention remains
unchanged, even though it remains below the psychological threshold of 50%.
This trend, in general, reflects, on the one hand, a disaffection with
political forces transformed into electoral lists, linked to narrow
economic, financial, and speculative groups; on the other, it expresses
a rejection of a structure that concentrates power in the hands of the
regional president, stripping the regional council of any role in
appointing the president and the executive branch. This structure
certainly ensures greater stability for the executive branch, but at the
same time reduces the possibilities for bottom-up control that should be
a hallmark of a democratic system. In reality, the evolution of the
region in recent years demonstrates that every government tends to
become dictatorial, reducing elected representatives to mere extras
tasked with approving decisions made by the president and executive branch.
In this context, the role of the opposition, especially the radical
ones, is nonexistent. The left-leaning lists of the PD and AVS saw their
votes almost halved in the same period.
While the Toscana Rossa list obtained 57,000 votes in the last regional
elections, the Sinistra list had obtained 83,000 votes in the 2015
regional elections; in 2020, it had obtained 79,000 votes. The
controversy surrounding the government's response to COVID-19 has been
particularly disruptive in this area, which in the subsequent elections
(2022 general elections) dropped to 42,000 votes. Disaffection with the
democratic system is actually widespread across all elections and
increases each time. This is the incontrovertible fact. This could be an
opportunity to promote our model of social organization: a society
organized without government.
Lona Lenti
https://umanitanova.org/lastensione-fa-paura-elezioni-regionali-in-toscana/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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