Introduction

In its first participation in a nationwide electoral competition, in February 2013, the Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S, Five Star Movement) obtained an impressive electoral result. Almost nine million Italians chose its symbol on the electoral ballot paper, making it the most voted party in the Chamber of Deputies, if one does not consider the votes of Italians living abroad, with 25.6 per cent of the votes. No parallels can be found in post-1945 Europe of a new party obtaining a similar success in its first electoral participation. Ironically, in spite of becoming the most voted party, the M5S rejects the label of party and all the organisational structures traditionally associated with it. It claims instead to be a non-association, with headquarters ‘located’ in the blog run by Beppe Grillo himself. It is not just a new party that shook Italian politics in 2013, but a utopian promise of renovation of politics, without the intermediation of parties, where individual citizens are called upon to decide on all the relevant issues through a continuous online discussion.