European Parliament Elections: Court of Cassation Rules in Favor of Alternativa Popolare to Participate

The Court of Cassation has ruled in favor of Alternativa Popolare (AP) by admitting the list to participate in the European elections. AP had initially appealed against the decision of the Court of Appeal of Rome to exclude them from the central constituency, but later withdrew their appeal after being admitted by the Court of Appeal of Naples.

According to the ruling, AP met the requirement for certified affiliation with a European political party constituted as a parliamentary group in the European Parliament at the time of convening the electoral rallies. This made them eligible to participate in the election of members to the European Parliament from Italy. AP is affiliated with EPP and has ‘EPP’ in its symbol, which is a recognized political party in Europe.

In explaining its decision, the National Electoral Office at court cited a decree law passed by parliament, stating that there were two possible interpretations regarding exemption from subscription requirements: one that required both seat already obtained and certified affiliation; another that placed these requirements as alternatives. The court prioritized this second option because it was more consistent with constitutional principles.

The court concluded its decision by noting that it was unlikely that legislators would intentionally reverse previous rules regarding exemption from subscriptions while an 180-day deadline for collecting signatures remained pending. Additionally, they believed that requiring affiliation only for political parties or groups already represented in Europe was inconsistent with what had been intended by lawmakers.

With this ruling, Alternativa Popolare will now be able to participate in upcoming European elections and compete for seats representing Italy within Europe’s parliamentary body.