Italy: The Outsider | European Journal

The parliamentary elections are over, but Italy still hasn't been able to form a government. That's because close to 60 percent of Italians voted for political outsiders -- like former comedian Beppe Grillo.In the 1980s Grillo was a popular TV personality, known for his biting political satire. Then he became an activist and, eight years ago, started his own blog. In 2007, Grillo organized a massive rally to demand that over two dozen Italian politicians with criminal records leave office. His party "Movimento 5 stelle" or the "Five Stars Movement" won more than 25 percent of the vote in the recent general election, but Grillo has vowed it will not join any coalition. For more go to http://www.dw.de/program/european-journal/s-3065-9798