Matteo Renzi: A ‘Leftist Berlusconi’ for the Italian Democratic Party?

Abstract:

Matteo Renzi's rise to the leadership of the Democratic Party brings to the heart of the centre-left the leadership model imposed upon the Italian scene by Berlusconi in the early 1990s. A post-ideological, anti-political and innovative type of leadership, which has proved to be highly effective in attracting electoral support and media attention. Yet a type of leadership that clashes with the cultural and organisational roots of the centre-left. The article frames the experience of the new party Secretary, focusing on his political history, public narrative and style of communication.