Between the ‘politics of immediacy’ and the return of the imperative mandate. The Italian case in a comparative perspective

Abstract

In this article, I analyze the impact of populist ‘politics of immediacy’ on parliaments’ roles, focusing on the prohibition of the imperative mandate codified in many Western constitutions, especially in Europe. ‘Politics of immediacy’ refers to a form of politics that rejects the mediation offered by representative institutions. While constitutional scholars often focus on populist misuse of referenda as an aspect of immediacy, I explore another dimension – how populist advocacy for the return of the imperative mandate challenges parliamentary legitimacy. The article examines how populists view parliaments, using a case study on Italy to illustrate how this phenomenon undermines parliaments’ representative role. Italy's post-World War II (WWII) constitution, shaped by the memory of totalitarian horrors, provides a valuable lens to study the attack on parliamentary democracy. This phenomenon reflects a broader European trend but is particularly acute in Italy, where populist demands for the imperative mandate threaten to erode democratic safeguards established after WWII. By highlighting the Italian case from a comparative perspective, the article underscores the risks posed by immediacy politics to democratic institutions and offers insights into preserving parliamentary autonomy in the face of such challenges.