There is weird political stuff happening in Italy. Two populist parties - one left, one right - recently won the two largest blocs of votes. Together they have a majority and they've agreed to form a coalition government (most Italian governments are coalitions).
The two parties haggled and put together a proposed cabinet, including a finance minister who is eurosceptic. Italy's figurehead President refused to approve the cabinet - very nearly his only important constitutional function - as he found the eurosceptic unacceptable.
Instead he asked a former IMF official to form a government, ignoring the vote of the people. Many media outlets have run with this story, see the electoral map at this one.
Whatever that IMF boffin comes up with will likely be turned down by the parliament, after which another election will be held. The two snubbed parties likely will gain an even larger share of the vote a second time.
Europe's elites, much like our own, disdain public opinion. Theirs, however, get away with ignoring the popular will more often. Bureaucrats of the continent-wide European Union are often openly contemptuous of voting and plebiscites, preferring rule by technocrat.
