The populist Five Star Movement in Italy was founded only 8 years ago, but it has emerged as Europe’s biggest populist party. Its leader is Beppe Grillo, an Italian comedian, actor, blogger, and political activist - who cannot enter parliament because of an old manslaughter conviction related to a car accident in which he was the driver and three passengers lost their lives.
The party secured 25.51% of the vote in the 2013 General Election - they only obtained 109 deputies out of 630 because of the electoral system which favours parties running in coalition- making it Italy’s biggest opposition party and Europe’s biggest elected anti-establishment party. They are also Eurosceptic and anti-globalisation with the "five stars" referencing to five key issues for the party: public water, sustainable transport, sustainable development, right to Internet access, and environmentalism. The latest opinion polls show that M5S and the Democratic party are neck-to-neck - if the Five Star Movement succeeds it would shake the foundations of both the European Union and the Eurozone.
