Front national and Lega Nord. Two stories of the same Euroscepticism

This article is focused on case-studies of the Front National in France and the Lega Nord in Italy. It shows analogies and differences between the two parties and then analyzes their attitudes towards Euroscepticism. The idea is that both in France and in Italy, Eurosceptic feelings are economically-driven and the two parties have been able to capitalize on this sentiment. Through an analysis of the correlation between Euroscepticism and economic indicators in the two nations and a similar study on the two parties’ electoral results, this research shows how only the Front National can be considered a pure anti-cyclical party, which maximizes its votes when the economic situation of the country is worsening. Probably on account of its various experiences in government, the Lega Nord’s results are not correlated with the negative trends of the Italian economy.