This weekend, members of Italy’s Five Star Movement (M5S) voted to elect the party’s new president—effectively, its leader. Giuseppe Conte, the former Prime Minister, will remain because there was no other contender. The election was rather ironic given that there was no minimum vote threshold to ensure its validity. Initially, seventy-seven individuals submitted applications for the leadership of the Movement, which was established by comedian Beppe Grillo. However, 56 of them were rejected due to their failure to satisfy at least one of the party's criteria: being of legal age, having been a member of the Movement for a minimum of six months, not having been a member of any other party in the previous ten years, not belonging to a Masonic lodge, not having been convicted of intentional crimes, and not having pending proceedings that could "lead to the belief that their conduct is detrimental to the values" or image of the party. Conte was one of the 21 remaining, and he was the only one who advanced to the following level, which required him to collect at least 500 signatures from members in five days, from September 17th to 22nd. Conte, 61, has been the president of the Five Star Movement since August 2021. The tenure lasts four years and can be renewed once.