The Populist Chameleon: some general considerations on Lega Nord ideology

Abstract

The paper reveals a chameleon-like characteristic, which means that individual political problems and elements of the party’s rhetoric never disappear completely, but rather stay latent, ready to revive at any moment. The only fixed element is populism. After the four main phases of the Lega Nord policy, the party and its secretary Matteo Salvini enter a new era of politics that resembles the anti-particracy of the early years of activity, the only difference being that the party is uniting with its former enemies on the common ground, such as opposition to immigration, the European Union, and the euro currency. The party is paving the way to conquest some non-typical areas, such as the red regions, although there are no barriers to its further development.