reduced to fifth place. By Steve Gainers on the left were the Babbage two wings of the now split Communist Party - the PDS THE CENTRE parties col- (Party of the Democratic Left)
and the PCR (Party of Commulapsed in Italy's local elecnist Refoundation). tions two weeks ago. The But big gains were recorded PSI (Socialist Party) has all by the rightist Northern but disappeared as a sig- League in northern cities, and nificant political force and the MSI (Italian Social Movethe formerly dominant ment), the openly fascist party, Christian Democrats were in the south.
Defeated fascist candidate Alessandra Mussolini of the MSI polled 44 per cent of the vote in the second round of the local elections in Naples on December 5. Victorious candidate Antonio Bassolino received 56 per cent. The PDS repeated this victory in 149 towns and cities across the country gaining control of Venice, Trieste and Genoa. The elections are considered a key test of strength in the run up to the national elections due in March 1994.
The surge of the Northern League just consolidates the gains made by this party over 18 months, in response to the corruption scandals which have led to 60 per cent of Italian MPs being under investigation for corruption.
But the new upswing in the fortunes of the MSI comes as a direct result of the semi-collapse of the Christian Democracy, always the dominant party in the south.
Corruption
Italy's deep economic crisis and the corruption scandals have thus opened a new opportunity for far-right and fascist forces. Euphoria over Italy's 'democratic revolution' has to be tempered by this fact.
The pattern of far right gains is not restricted to Italy. While Jean Marie Le-Pen's Front National in France gained no seats in this year's general election, this was because of the electoral system. In fact it got over 10 per cent of the vote, and continues to build a substantial political base, including in some sections of the working class.
In Germany the far-right Republicaner party is set to enter the Bundestag (parliament) for the first time in 1994. To do this the party has to gain more than 5 per cent of the votes, a total which they are expected to surpass easily.
In addition to the October 16 demonstration in Britain, important anti-fascist mobilisations of youth and school students have taken place in Belgium and Holland in recent months.
But far-right and fascist political gains continue because the social conditions for reactionary advance are deepening - in particular the rise of mass Problems This poses important questions for the anti-fascist and anti-racist movements, which have big difficulties in several countries. The French anti-fascist movement is at a low ebb; in Germany there is no national co-ordination of anti-racist groups, an absolute disaster for an effective fightback.
Future issues of Socialist Outlook will look at the European anti-fascist struggle in detail.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 54, December 11 1993, Page 14