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Further Reading

Italy - Government

Italy has been a democratic republic since June 2, 1946, when the monarchy was abolished by popular referendum. The constitution was promulgated on January 1, 1948. Italy is a parliamentary republic with a perfect bicameral system. The President of the Republic is the Head of State and represents national unity". Presiding over the Government is the Prime Minister, who is the Head of Government. The Prime Minister is appointed and then presents himself before the Parliament in order to obtain its vote of confidence. Save for the premature dissolution of the Houses (prerogative of the President of the Republic) each legislature lasts five years. The electoral system is a majority one with a 25% proportional quota.

Italy is a democratic republic founded on labor. The people have sovereignty and exercise it in the forms and within the limits prescribed in the Constitution; the republic recognises and guarantees the inalienable human rights and equal social dignity of citizens, without discrimination with regard to gender, race, language, religion, political opinion, personal or social conditions. The republic is one and indivisible and recognises and promotes local autonomies; the State and Catholic Church are independent and sovereign each according to its own laws, and their relations are regulated by the Lateran Pacts. All religions are equally free before the law. Italian law conforms to the rules of generally recognised international law.

The Parliament is composed of two Houses: Senate - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held April 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held April 2013). There are 630 Deputies and 315 Senators. Anyone who has been President of the Republic has a right to be appointed "Senator for Life". The Parliament has legislative power, and the President of the Republic promulgates laws within one month of their being passed. The Parliament delegates the issuance of decrees to the government and these have the value of regular laws. In extraordinarily urgent cases the government, on its own responsibility, adopts decree laws that become immediately effective but which must be converted into law within 60 days by the Chamber and Senate or expire.

The Head of State was elected by the Parliament in joint session and holds the position for 7 years. Participating in the elections are three delegates for each region (The Valle d'Aosta has only one). The election takes place by secret ballot and requires a two-thirds majority; after a third ballot an absolute majority is sufficient. Any citizen over the age of 50 can be elected President of the Republic. If the Head of State is unable to perform his duties, the President of the Senate steps in. The President of the Republic is the Head of State whose duties include: calling for new Parliamentary elections, promulgating laws, commanding the armed forces, presiding over the Supreme Defence Council, declaring the state of war deliberated by the Houses of Parliament, presiding over the High Council of the Magistrature, granting clemency and commuting sentences, appointing the Prime Minister and, upon the recommendation of this latter, the other Ministers. No act of the President of the Republic is valid in the absence of the counter-signature of the proposing Ministers, who assume responsibility for it.

The government is the expression of the Parliamentary majority, i.e. the coalition of parties that have obtained the greatest number of seats in Parliament. The President of the Republic appoints the Prime Minister and proposed Ministers. The Council of Ministers is a self-contained collegial body. Its Ministers are individually responsible for the acts of their Ministries and jointly responsible for those deliberated by the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister and the other Ministers take an oath before the President of the Republic before undertaking their duties. The government must have the confidence of both Houses and each House gives or revokes its consent through motions, which are argued and then submitted to roll call vote. The government can introduce its legislative bills to the Parliament. The Prime Minister can issue directives on specific matters or decrees. Each Minister has the power to sign ministerial decrees within the context of his/her specific authority.