Every year, as the Republic ages, we hear more and more about abstentionism: a tradition that is not new for the undecided and disinterested but which, however, brings more problems what advantages. The data on abstentionism during the 2024 European elections are particularly worrying: let’s try to understand the reasons at the root of this phenomenon.
European elections: catastrophic percentages
On 8 and 9 June, on the occasion of the European elections, Italians chose the 76 politicians who will represent them in the European Parliament. Although the European institutions have publicized the elections and the candidacies of parliamentarians, generals and public figures – sometimes even ghosts – have been spread, the undisputed protagonist of the 2024 European elections remains theabstentionism.
In Italy, the percentage of voter turnout is among the lowest in republican history: according to Ansa it only reaches 49.69%, placing Italy among the top countries for lowest turnout. What lowers the percentages even further are the islands and the Southern Italywhile greater participation was recorded in the North Western and Eastern constituencies.
Among the percentages of the European Parliament, this is the lowest turnout ever recorded in Italy – even taking into account the administrative elections in more than 3,000 municipalities -, starting from the first elections in 1979 and after the catastrophic turnout of 54.5% in 2019. But what drives people not to vote?
Is abstentionism a form of protest?
L’abstentionism it is defined as the phenomenon whereby a citizen with political rights, and therefore the possibility of voting, abstains from choosing a party, without showing up at the polls. Many call it a “protest” and a form of “boycott”.
The anarchistsfor example, often abstain from elections because they believe that Parliament is a form of government anachronistic, transforming non-voting not only into a protest, but also into an ideology. Again, the Landless People’s Movementborn in 2004 in South Africa, places abstentionism as a form of boycott towards parties that do not truly represent the poor and even makes it part of their motto “No Land! No House! No vote!”.
In Europe, however, the situation is more complex, especially in Italy, because political issues no longer seem to interest ordinary people, not so much due to a real lack of interest, but due to little credibility of politicians. The reasons for the growth of this disabling choice can also be “technical”, such as the vote of non-residents and the distance of the polls electoral.
However, a growing trend can be perceived mistrust in politics which leads many young people – but not only – to choose not to take sides and to remain invisible. As a result, we arrive at a disinterest ever greater in the evolution of parties, which develop in an increasingly heterogeneous manner, generating even more indecision, confusion and internal conflicts.
The white paper: themes and solutions
This topic is dealt with by a study commission promoted by the department for institutional reforms of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, whose works, studies and outlines of the phenomenon of abstentionism have been collected in a “white paper”.
This studies the phenomenon starting from Constitution, which in the art. 2 says “the vote is personal and equal, secret and unique”. This article implies the impossibility of voting by proxy, proxy or correspondence.
Furthermore, according to thearticle 3 of the Constitution, the institutions should eliminate any obstacle to the vote. The contrast between these two articles is that if the vote is not made personally by the voter, there is a risk that it can be manipulated. The commission is working to resolve this first problem digitalisation of the electoral card and the concentration of votes at a maximum of two days the year.
In addition to this “limitation” of personal voting, the white paper studies the topic of mistrust towards politics and states:
Italy must be included in those countries with high participation, in which the growth in abstention seems to be the result, first, of the distrust in the parties and the consequent political earthquake at the beginning of the nineties and, then, years later, of the great recession with its economic and social effects which leads to protest reactions and abstention
According to the ISTAT Report on Fair and Sustainable Wellbeing, on a scale from 0 to 10, trust towards politicians stops at 3.3. This “distrust” towards politicians and parties is the second cause of abstention from voting, after causes of force majeure, such as physical impossibilities.
For this second issue, the commission is unable to find an efficient and decisive solution: it is necessary overcome the political crisis current.
Ludovica Accardi
(On the cover, photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash)
