Introduction: Italian Voters—Where They Have Come From and Where They Are Going

This chapter frames the 2022 election and its outcome within the debate on the evolution of the Italian political system and its ‘n Republics’. It first discusses the meaning of these (controversial) labels using them to illustrate why, starting from the early 1990s, it is possible to talk about a political transition towards a Second Republic and why that political system was (at least partly) superseded in 2011. In doing so, it considers what were the main unifying elements brought about by the electoral events of this new, turbulent phase of Italian politics as they existed until the eve of the 2022 elections. The chapter then attempts to use this interpretive framework to understand the most recent Italian elec-tion, trying to highlight its elements of continuity and change. By doing this, it illustrates the layout of the book, the leading questions addressed by its different chapters and the main findings of the research.