Italy: Senate, 4 March 2018

At stake in this election:

• 315 seats in the Senate (Senato della Repubblica)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Sergio MATTARELLA
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Giuseppe CONTE
• Assembly: Italy has a bicameral Parliament (Parlamento) consisting of the Senate (Senato della Repubblica) with 319 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) with 630 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by an electoral college to serve a 7-year term.
• Prime Minister is appointed by the president with the approval of the parliament.
• In the Senate (Senato della Repubblica), 315 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms and 4 members are filled ex officio*. In the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) 630 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms.**

* Thresholds apply at the regional level, and seats are allocated regionally. The thresholds are: 20% for any pre-election coalition and 3% for any party. Seats are allocated first by direct voting for candidates- 116 seats go to single member district candidates are selected by majority. The remaining 199 seats are allocated by proportional representation. Within a coalition, seats are allocated to parties in proportion to their vote shares. A coalition that wins 40% of the vote is guaranteed a majority.

** 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 and 3% for any party. Seats are allocated first by direct voting for candidates- 232 seats go to single member district candidates are selected by majority. The remaining 398 seats are allocated by proportional representation. Within a coalition, seats are allocated to parties in proportion to their vote shares. Within a coalition, seats are allocated to parties in proportion to their vote shares.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Coalition: Democratic Party (Centre-Left Coalition) / Partito Democratico (L'alleanza di Centro-Sinistra)*
  • Leader: Vacant*
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 57
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 113
  • Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 340
• Party: Free and Equal / Liberi e Uguali
  • Leader: Pietro GRASSO
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 4
  • Seats won in last Senate election: N/A
  • Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: N/A
• List: Five Star Movement / Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S)
  • Leader: Luigi DI MAIO
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 111
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 54
  • Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 108
• Coalition: Centre-Right Coalition / L'alleanza di Centro-Destra**
  • Leader: Matteo SALVINI
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 135
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 116
  • Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 124

* Electoral coalition consisting of the Democratic Party (Partito Democratico), + Europa (+ Europe), Italia Euopa Insieme (Italy Europe Together), Civica Popolare Lorenzin (Popular City of Lorenzin),  and the SVP-PATT union People’s Party (Südtiroler Volkspartei)Democratico), Moderates for the Piedmont (Moderati per il Piemonti), and SVP-PATT. Currently these parties have seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and 60 seats in the Senate. Matteo Rezzi resigned as coalition leader and national secretary of the Democratic Party following the elections in March 2018.
** Electoral coalition comprised of League (Lega), Force Italy (Forza Italia), Brothers of Italy with Girogia Meloni (Fratelli d’Italia con Girogia Meloni), and We With Italy - UDC (Noi Con Italia - UDC). Currently, these parties hold seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 137 seats in the Senate.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 60,233,948 (2013)
• Registered Voters: 42,270,824 (February 2013 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 30,972,255 (2013)

·         Is Italy a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Italy ratified CEDAW: Yes (10 June 1985)

·         Gender Quota: Yes- no party can have more than 60% male candidates

·         Female candidates in this election: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 179 (Chamber of Deputies); 86 (Senate) (following the 2013 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 27 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Italy a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Italy ratified CRPD: Yes (15 May 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 9,035,092 (est.)