Italy&#39;s anti-establishment Five Star movement (M5S) has achieved a major breakthrough by winning&nbsp;Rome&#39;s mayoral election. 
 
The country&#39;s second biggest political force is a hard-to-describe broad church, resisting traditional categories of left and right and defined by its anti-establishment stance. 
 
 
How did it emerge? 
 
M5S was founded by comedian Beppe Grillo in 2009 as an alternative to established politicians and institutions in a country long blighted by corruption. 
 
It eschewed traditional political channels and the media for civic lists and citizen meet-ups, embracing the expletive &quot;vaffanculo&quot; (&quot;go screw yourself&quot;) as a political slogan. 
 
Co-founder Gianroberto Casaleggio, a communications entrepreneur considered the M5S&#39;s &quot;guru&quot; until his death in April, created a series of online platforms for &quot;direct democracy&quot;, and all the&nbsp;party&#39;s candidates are elected online. 
 
What does it want? 
 
The&nbsp;party&nbsp;is built on the dual pillars of mistrust of traditional politics and honesty of its members. 
 
It wants greater transparency, a reduction in political salaries, action in favour of the environment, a referendum on the euro, growth measures for small and medium businesses and free Internet for all. 
 
Populist or leftist? 
 
Although based on a similar mass rejection of the establishment as Spain&#39;s Podemos and Greece&#39;s Syriza, the M5S is not left-wing or anti-austerity. 
 
Grillo called for a &quot;clamp-down&quot; on humanitarian visas for asylum seekers in 2014. And the movement withdrew its support for gay civil unions in parliament earlier this year at the last minute, despite 80 per cent of its voting members favouring the bill. 
 
A government in waiting? 
 
The M5S made a sensational debut by scooping 25 per cent in the 2013 general election, becoming the second biggest political force in&nbsp;Italy&nbsp;behind the centre-left Democratic&nbsp;Party&nbsp;(PD) in one swoop. 
 
It hopes&nbsp;Rome&nbsp;will be a platform for a tilt at national power but its&nbsp;party organisation remains weak: it presented candidates for just 18 per cent of the 1,368 municipalities in the latest elections. 
 
How it operates: 
 
M5S&#39;s political novices, dubbed &quot;Grillini&quot; after founder Grillo, are struggling to make their voices heard in parliament: the movement refuses to form any alliances with its opponents and cold-shoulders mainstream media. 
 
Locally elected representatives are bound by a code of conduct that requires them to seek permission from the&nbsp;top&nbsp;for every important decision. 
 
The&nbsp;party&#39;s anti-corruption banner has also been blackened by allegations it struck deals with local mobsters in Naples in southern&nbsp;Italy, while preliminary probes have been launched&nbsp;into&nbsp;the M5S mayor of Parma in the north for abuse of office and his counterpart in coastal Livorno for fraud. 
 
Who follows the joker? 
 
Although he has officially distanced himself from politics and returned to the stand-up circuit, outspoken Grillo drew bad press last month with an off-colour joke on London&#39;s new Muslim mayor and his blog is still perceived as a voice box for the movement. 
 
Smart-suited Luigi Di Maio is tipped to replace him as the movement&#39;s figurehead but&nbsp;Rome&#39;s newly elected mayor Virginia Raggi is now equally well-placed to assume the role. 
 
(AFP)

It was founded by a comedian and one of their slogans has been 'vaffanculo' or 'go screw yourself'

Italy's anti-establishment Five Star movement (M5S) has achieved a major breakthrough by winning Rome's mayoral election. The country's second biggest political force is a hard-to-describe broad church, resisting traditional categories of left and right and defined by its anti-establishment stance. How did it emerge? M5S was founded by comedian Beppe Grillo in 2009 as an alternative to established politicians and institutions in a country long blighted by corruption. It eschewed traditional political channels and the media for civic lists and citizen meet-ups, embracing the expletive "vaffanculo" ("go screw yourself") as a political slogan. Co-founder Gianroberto Casaleggio, a communications entrepreneur considered the M5S's "guru" until his death in April, created a series of online platforms for "direct democracy", and all the party's candidates are elected online. What does it want? The party is built on the dual pillars of mistrust of traditional politics and honesty of its members. It wants greater transparency, a reduction in political salaries, action in favour of the environment, a referendum on the euro, growth measures for small and medium businesses and free Internet for all. Populist or leftist? Although based on a similar mass rejection of the establishment as Spain's Podemos and Greece's Syriza, the M5S is not left-wing or anti-austerity. Grillo called for a "clamp-down" on humanitarian visas for asylum seekers in 2014. And the movement withdrew its support for gay civil unions in parliament earlier this year at the last minute, despite 80 per cent of its voting members favouring the bill. A government in waiting? The M5S made a sensational debut by scooping 25 per cent in the 2013 general election, becoming the second biggest political force in Italy behind the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) in one swoop. It hopes Rome will be a platform for a tilt at national power but its party organisation remains weak: it presented candidates for just 18 per cent of the 1,368 municipalities in the latest elections. How it operates: M5S's political novices, dubbed "Grillini" after founder Grillo, are struggling to make their voices heard in parliament: the movement refuses to form any alliances with its opponents and cold-shoulders mainstream media. Locally elected representatives are bound by a code of conduct that requires them to seek permission from the top for every important decision. The party's anti-corruption banner has also been blackened by allegations it struck deals with local mobsters in Naples in southern Italy, while preliminary probes have been launched into the M5S mayor of Parma in the north for abuse of office and his counterpart in coastal Livorno for fraud. Who follows the joker? Although he has officially distanced himself from politics and returned to the stand-up circuit, outspoken Grillo drew bad press last month with an off-colour joke on London's new Muslim mayor and his blog is still perceived as a voice box for the movement. Smart-suited Luigi Di Maio is tipped to replace him as the movement's figurehead but Rome's newly elected mayor Virginia Raggi is now equally well-placed to assume the role. (AFP)

Raggi's party is called Five Star Movement, it is anything but

After two and a half millennia of being ruled by men, Rome will wake up on Monday under new management. 
 
Virginia Raggi was&nbsp;elected on Sunday as the Italian capital&#39;s first female mayor, sweeping into city hall on the ticket of the populist Five Star movement (M5S) with the backing of two thirds of voters. 
 
A Roman born and bred, the 37-year-old lawyer is a political novice but the campaign saw her grow increasingly assured in her public performances as it became clear she was on course for victory. 
 
According to her website, mountain hikes, swimming and skiing are among the favourite pastimes of the Dire Straits fan who won plaudits during the campaign for her effortless elegance in the style-conscious Eternal City. 
 
Friends say her gentle manner belies a steely core. 
 
Raggi only entered politics five years ago, drawn in by her husband&#39;s support for M5S founder Beppe Grillo&#39;s declaration of war on the establishment and traditional political parties. 
 
The movement&#39;s anti-corruption theme struck a chord in Rome, where the centre-left mayor was forced to resign last year over an expenses scandal only months after it emerged the city had been haemorrhaging cash to organised crime. 
 
In a narrative she exploited relentlessly on the campaign trail, Raggi told AFP it was the birth of her son Matteo that convinced her she had to do something about the dilapidated city, once the capital of an empire, now plagued by potholes and rubbish. 
 
Elected to the city council in 2013, Raggi, a specialist in intellectual property, was quickly noticed for her eloquence and stubbornness. 
 
Growing up in the Saint John Lateran area of Rome, close to the Colosseum and historic centre, she was a studious child&nbsp;and a stubborn one, by her own account. 
 
&quot;I was a curious young girl, interested in many things, but very focused, as I am today. Determination never failed me,&quot; she said. 
 
 
Unflinching 
 
M5S held its primary for mayoral candidates online, and Raggi was quickly picked as a frontrunner thanks to a slick video presentation. 
 
It wasn&#39;t long before her dark eyes and chiselled features were staring out from posters in underground stations and on the side of the late-arriving buses that helped to put her in power. 
 
Public transport was one of the key issues Raggi&#39;s campaign focused on as she vowed to undo 20 years of stagnation, corruption and administrative mismanagement. 
 
Critics have said the challenges of running Rome will be too much for a political ingenue and that the party will pay a price for getting its hands dirty in the day-to-day grind of running a near-bankrupt sprawling metropolis. 
 
Raggi can however count on a honeymoon period and a new role as the poster girl of a movement looking to shore up its identity after founder Grillo decided to take a step back from politics and focus on his stand-up comedy. 
 
Rome&#39;s hard-to-please citizens appear to have embraced University of Rome graduate, admiring how Raggi, narrowing her eyes in a television debate between the candidates, bore the attacks of opponents without flinching. 
 
At the end of the feisty exchanges she softened her tone and appealed to voters with a simple message: &quot;If you want nothing to change, vote for them&quot;. 
 
One of her biggest challenges will be convincing the city she can act independently, despite signing a contract with M5S in which she pledged to toe the party line and consult it on all major administrative decisions. 
 
&quot;Four or six eyes are better than two&quot; she said in defence of that arrangement, while insisting she will be very much her own woman. 
(AFP)

The 37-year-old lawyer is the first woman to rule eternal city in two-and-a-half millenia

After two and a half millennia of being ruled by men, Rome will wake up on Monday under new management. Virginia Raggi was elected on Sunday as the Italian capital's first female mayor, sweeping into city hall on the ticket of the populist Five Star movement (M5S) with the backing of two thirds of voters. A Roman born and bred, the 37-year-old lawyer is a political novice but the campaign saw her grow increasingly assured in her public performances as it became clear she was on course for victory. According to her website, mountain hikes, swimming and skiing are among the favourite pastimes of the Dire Straits fan who won plaudits during the campaign for her effortless elegance in the style-conscious Eternal City. Friends say her gentle manner belies a steely core. Raggi only entered politics five years ago, drawn in by her husband's support for M5S founder Beppe Grillo's declaration of war on the establishment and traditional political parties. The movement's anti-corruption theme struck a chord in Rome, where the centre-left mayor was forced to resign last year over an expenses scandal only months after it emerged the city had been haemorrhaging cash to organised crime. In a narrative she exploited relentlessly on the campaign trail, Raggi told AFP it was the birth of her son Matteo that convinced her she had to do something about the dilapidated city, once the capital of an empire, now plagued by potholes and rubbish. Elected to the city council in 2013, Raggi, a specialist in intellectual property, was quickly noticed for her eloquence and stubbornness. Growing up in the Saint John Lateran area of Rome, close to the Colosseum and historic centre, she was a studious child and a stubborn one, by her own account. "I was a curious young girl, interested in many things, but very focused, as I am today. Determination never failed me," she said. Unflinching M5S held its primary for mayoral candidates online, and Raggi was quickly picked as a frontrunner thanks to a slick video presentation. It wasn't long before her dark eyes and chiselled features were staring out from posters in underground stations and on the side of the late-arriving buses that helped to put her in power. Public transport was one of the key issues Raggi's campaign focused on as she vowed to undo 20 years of stagnation, corruption and administrative mismanagement. Critics have said the challenges of running Rome will be too much for a political ingenue and that the party will pay a price for getting its hands dirty in the day-to-day grind of running a near-bankrupt sprawling metropolis. Raggi can however count on a honeymoon period and a new role as the poster girl of a movement looking to shore up its identity after founder Grillo decided to take a step back from politics and focus on his stand-up comedy. Rome's hard-to-please citizens appear to have embraced University of Rome graduate, admiring how Raggi, narrowing her eyes in a television debate between the candidates, bore the attacks of opponents without flinching. At the end of the feisty exchanges she softened her tone and appealed to voters with a simple message: "If you want nothing to change, vote for them". One of her biggest challenges will be convincing the city she can act independently, despite signing a contract with M5S in which she pledged to toe the party line and consult it on all major administrative decisions. "Four or six eyes are better than two" she said in defence of that arrangement, while insisting she will be very much her own woman. (AFP)

Virginia Raggi elected mayor of Rome

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Raggi's party is called Five Star Movement, it is anything but

Virginia Raggi elected mayor of Rome