IFES Election Guide - Election Profile for Italy

Election Profile:

Overview

Results

Of Interest/Links

Sources

Country: Italy
Official Name: Italian Republic
Election Type: Referendum
Date: June 21, 2009

At stake in this Referendum:

Under current rules, the apparentement (pre-election coalition) winning a plurality of votes automatically wins a majority of seats. (Nationally in the Chamber and regionally in the Senate; see electoral system details.) This referendum concerns three questions: whether the majority of seats in the Chamber should go to the plurality party instead of the plurality apparentement; whether the majority of Senate seats in each region should go to the plurality party instead of the plurality apparentement; and whether multiple candidacy should be outlawed.

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: President Giorgio NAPOLITANO
Head of Government: Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI
Assembly: Italy has a bicameral Parliament (Parlamento) consisting of the Senate (Senato della Repubblica) with 322 seats* and the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) with 630 seats**.

* Lists are closed. Thresholds apply at the regional level, and seats are allocated regionally. The thresholds are: 20% for any pre-election coalition, 3% for any party within a coalition, and 8% for any party not in coalition. Within a coalition, seats are allocated to parties in proportion to their vote shares.

** Lists are closed. Once national thresholds are met, seats are allocated to parties on a regional basis. The thresholds are: 10% for any pre-election coalition, 2% for any party within a pre-election coalition, and 4% for any party not in coalition. The pre-election coalition winning a plurality of votes is guaranteed 340 seats. Within a coalition, seats are allocated to parties in proportion to their vote shares.

Main provisions in the Referendum:

Should the majority of seats in the Chamber go to the plurality party instead of the plurality apparentement?
Should the majority of Senate seats in each region go to the plurality party instead of the plurality apparentement?
Should multiple candidacies be outlawed?