The death of populism has been greatly exaggerated

Have we reached peak populism? This is the question being asked after a recent regional election in Italy delivered a setback to Matteo Salvini, the de facto head of Europe’s populist family. In the affluent and historically left-wing region of Emilia Romagna, Salvini’s right-wing alliance finished more than seven points behind the Left. It wasn’t even close.

It is not a surprise that some have breathed a sigh of relief. For much of the past three years, Salvini has seemed unstoppable. While the 46-year-old has miscalculated – like last summer when he tried but failed to bring down the government – he has transformed his ‘Lega’ movement from a small northern separatist party into a serious national force. He has swept south and into first place in the polls.

But now his revolt has stalled, or so it seems. “Salvini’s first defeat”, is how Italy’s La Repubblica described it. For others, it signals something far more profound: a watershed moment, a sign that populism is, finally, running out of steam.