Democracy of the Commons

Representatives from 5-SM during a press conference (from El País).

Due to financing or cooperation, among other things, it is not easy to draw a clear-cut line, even less an opposition, between the state and civil society. However, one essential feature of the latter is that it is not interested in reaching power. But Italy’s Five-Star Movement (5-SM), under the leadership of comedian Beppe Grillo, won 26% of the vote and 165 seats in the lower chamber in the elections last week. Thus, it has become the third political force in Parliament, behind the Democratic Party, led by Pierluigi Bersani, and the People of Freedom, of Silvio Berlusconi. Has 5-SM lost its identity by having reached the legislative power?

During the campaign period, 5-SM insisted in presenting itself not as a political party, because parties and politicians were corrupt, inefficient, and did not represent citizens’ real interests. Even more, its members have always said that they are not going to formally support any cabinet or government; they will just do what citizens want.

On Monday, 5-SM held its first national coordination meeting, which the Spanish newspaper El País labeled as “chaotic”. Many of its winning candidates did not know each other. There is no platform or set of principles, but each future representative will defend what he or she thinks is the most pressing concern for his or her community. They refuse to talk about constituencies, or a left or right position, but rather say they will offer the more just answers for citizens. And, somewhat strangely, before the meeting began they said there would not be a press conference because as the event would be streamed in 5-SM website “there will be no need for questions”. In the end, they organized a Q&A exchange with journalists. New legislators asked to be called “citizens” instead of “representatives”, as a further way to underscore that they remain a social movement, as opposed to a political party.

In the discourse, to some extent 5-SM has managed to maintain its image as a movement. Another question is whether or not this will serve the long-term goal of political viability and, even, survival. Pre-election interviews with Italian electors suggest that the success in the polls of 5-SM can be explained due to the disenchantment against the existing parties; 5-SM offered an alternative. How long can such alternative last? 5-SM claims to represent the interests of all citizens, but elections show that in fact they represent just those of a quarter of electors. They need to be partial, and to build an identity around which citizens can rally, making the organization sustainable. By trying to maintain the image of a comprehensive social movement 5-SM might be losing all viability as political party. Its legislative activities will give the evidence for or against this perspective.