Giulio Andreotti in Rome, Italy on November 5, 2004, a few days after Italy's highest court cleared him of cultivating ties with the Sicilian Mafia. Vandeville Eric/Press Association. All rights reserved.All citizens have the right to freely associate in parties to contribute to the democratic processes that determine national policy
-- Article 49, Constitution of the Italian Republic
As Italy approaches elections on 4 March 2018, it becomes ever clearer that one of the fundamental testing grounds is not just ‘for whom shall I vote?’, but rather ‘should I vote at all?’ Let me state immediately that I intend to vote on 4 March, and that I believe fervently in the democratic duties as well as rights of the citizen. But the argument cannot just stop there. Amongst friends, colleagues and the citizenry as a whole, it has become a commonplace to express indignation and disgust with the party system, and a consequent intention not to vote.
