The politics of Italy take place in a framework of a parliamentary, democratic republic, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers, which is led by the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, commonly referred to as "premier" or "prime minister" in English. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Italy has been a democratic republic since 2 June 1946, when the monarchy was abolished by popular referendum (see birth of the Italian Republic). The constitution was promulgated on 1 January 1948. The Constitutional Court of Italy (Italian: Corte costituzionale della Repubblica Italiana) is the supreme court of Italy. ... The President of the Italian Republic is the head of State of Italy, and represents national unity. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925), is an Italian politician and former lifetime senator, the eleventh and current President of the Italian Republic. ... In Italy, the President of the Council of Ministers (Italian: Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri) is the countrys prime minister or head of government. ... Prodi redirects here. ... The Prodi II Cabinet has been the cabinet of the government of Italy since May 17, 2006. ... In Italy, the President of the Council of Ministers (Italian: Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri) is the countrys prime minister or head of government. ...   (born September 29, 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ... The Parliament of Italy (Italian: Parlamento Italiano) is the national parliament of Italy. ... Palazzo Madama house of the Senate of the Republic. ... Back side of Palazzo Montecitorio designed by architect Ernesto Basile. ... The Court of Cassation (Corte di Cassazione in Italian) is the main court of last resort in Italy. ... Political parties in Italy are organized into two dominant political coalitions. ... The Democratic Party (Partito Democratico, PD) is a proposed political party in Italy. ... Elections in Italy gives information on election and election results in Italy. ... A general election for the renewal of the two Chambers of the Parliament of Italy was held on April 9 and April 10, 2006. ... The Constitution of Italy provides for legally binding referenda. ... The Regions of Italy were granted a degree of regional autonomy in the 1948 constitution, which states that the constitutions role is: to recognize, protect and promote local autonomy, to ensure that services at the State level are as decentralized as possible, and to adapt the principles and laws... In Italy, a province (in Italian: provincia) is an administrative division of intermediate level between municipality (comune) and region (regione). ... Municipalities of Italy In Italy, the comune, (plural comuni) is the basic administrative unit of both provinces and regions, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality. ... The European Union or EU is a supranational and international organization of 27 member states. ... This article describes the foreign relations of Italy. ... This is a list of major political scandals in Italy: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconis many corruption charges Tax evasion bribing members of the judicary immunity legislation Media manipulation fro political propaganda P2 scandal, 1980s Tangentopoli (diffuse corruption cases in national politics), early 1990s Categories: Incomplete lists | Politics of Italy... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Parliamentary republics around the world, shown in Orange (Parliamentary republics with a non-executive President) and Green (Parliamentary republics with an executive President linked to Parliament). ... Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of popular sovereignty by the peoples representatives. ... Look up republic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law. ... In Italy, the President of the Council of Ministers (Italian: Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri) is the countrys prime minister or head of government. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ... The Parliament of Italy (Italian: Parlamento Italiano) is the national parliament of Italy. ... In the law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of courts which administer justice in the name of the sovereign or state, a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the documentary series, see Monarchy (TV series). ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A referendum (plural referendums or referenda), ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, originally a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... The birth of the Italian Republic (officially on June 2, 1946) is a key event of Italian contemporary history. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Government

The 1948 Constitution of Italy established a bicameral legislature (parliament), an executive branch composed of a Council of Ministers (cabinet), headed by the President of the Council (prime minister), and an independent judicial branch headed by the 'Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura'. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The House of Representatives Chamber of the Parliament of Australia in Canberra. ... This article is about the governmental body. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ...

Head of State

Main article: President of the Italian Republic

Giorgio Napolitano was elected President on 10 May 2006.

As the head of state, the President of the Republic represents the unity of the nation and has many of the duties previously given to the king of Italy. The president serves as a point of connection between the three branches of power: he is elected by the lawmakers, he appoints the executive, and is the president of the judiciary. The president is also the commander-in-chief of armed forces. The President of the Italian Republic is the head of State of Italy, and represents national unity. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925), is an Italian politician and former lifetime senator, the eleventh and current President of the Italian Republic. ... For the comedy film of the same name, see Head of State (film). ... King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers after the fall of the Roman Empire. ...

The President of the Republic is elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term. His election needs a wide majority that is progressively reduced from two-thirds to one-half plus one of the votes as the ballots progress. The only Presidents ever to be elected on the first ballot are Francesco Cossiga and Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. Mr. Ciampi was replaced by Giorgio Napolitano, who was elected on 10 May 2006. While it is not forbidden by law, no president has ever served two terms. Francesco Cossiga (born July 26, 1928) is an Italian politician and former President of the Italian Republic. ... Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (born 9 December 1920 in Livorno) is an Italian politician and banker who has been both Prime Minister of Italy and President of the Italian Republic. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925), is an Italian politician and former lifetime senator, the eleventh and current President of the Italian Republic. ...

Usually, the President tries to stay out of the political debate, and to be an institutional guarantee for all those involved in the political process. The president can also reject openly anti-constitutional laws by refusing to sign them, since he acts as the guardian of the Constitution of Italy. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

Executive

Main articles: President of the Council of Ministers of Italy and Council of Ministers of Italy

The President of the Republic appoints the Council of Ministers and its President (the prime minister). The prime minister advises the President of the Republic on the composition of the rest of the Council of Ministers (the cabinet), which comprises the ministers in charge of the various governmental departments. In practice, the President accepts prime minister's advice, and submits the proposed Council for a vote of confidence from both parliamentary chambers. In Italy, the President of the Council of Ministers (Italian: Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri) is the countrys prime minister or head of government. ... In Italy, the President of the Council of Ministers (Italian: Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri) is the countrys prime minister or head of government. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... A Motion of Confidence is a motion of support proposed by a government in a parliament to give members of parliament a chance to register their confidence for a government by means of a parliamentary vote. ...

The government has the power to issue decrees. Decrees have to be confirmed in the parliament, and "decree jam" has been a problem in recent years, as governments try to reform the structure of the state using chiefly decrees instead of passing laws directly through the parliament. Decree is an order that has the force of law. ...

The prime minister, through the cabinet, effectively runs the government of Italy. The current Prime Minister is Romano Prodi. The Prime Minister elect is Silvio Berlusconi. Prodi redirects here. ...   (born September 29, 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ...

Legislative branch

Main article: Parliament of Italy

Italy elects a parliament consisting of two houses, the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati), which has 630 members and the Senate of the Republic (Senato della Repubblica), comprising 315 elected members and a small number of senators for life). As of 15 May 2006, there are seven life senators of whom three are former Presidents. Both houses are elected for a maximum of five years, but they may be dissolved before the expiration of their normal term. The Parliament of Italy (Italian: Parlamento Italiano) is the national parliament of Italy. ... The Parliament of Italy (Italian: Parlamento Italiano) is the national parliament of Italy. ... This article is about bicameralism in government. ... Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati, one house of the bicameral parliamentary system, seats 630 members of which 475 are directly elected and 155 by regional proportional representation. ... Palazzo Madama house of the Senate of the Republic. ... A senator for life is a member of the senate elected or appointed for lifetime. ... A senator for life is a member of the Italian Senate appointed by the President of the Italian Republic for outstanding merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field. Former Presidents of the Republic are ex officio life senators. ...

Legislation may originate in either house and must be passed in identical form by a majority in each. Legislation (or statutory law) is law which has been promulgated (or enacted) by a legislature or other governing body. ...

Judicial branch

The Italian judicial system is based on Roman law modified by the Napoleonic code and later statutes. It is based on an inquisitorial civil law system. Appeals are treated almost as new trials, and three degrees of trial are present. Using the term Roman law in a broader sense, one may say that Roman law is not only the legal system of ancient Rome but the law that was applied throughout most of Europe until the end of the 18th century. ... First page of the 1804 original edition. ... The Statute of Grand Duchy of Lithuania A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and enacted by its legislative authority, perhaps to then be ratified by the highest executive in the government, and finally published. ... An inquisitorial system is a legal system where the court or a part of the court is actively involved in determining the facts of the case, as opposed to an adversarial system where the role of the court is solely that of an impartial referee between parties. ... For other uses of civil law, see civil law. ...

There is only partial judicial review of legislation in the American sense. Judicial review exists under certain conditions in the Constitutional Court, or Corte Costituzionale, which can reject anti-constitutional laws after scrutiny. Judicial review is the power of a court to review the actions of public sector bodies in terms of their legality or constitutionality. ... The Constitutional Court of Italy (Italian: Corte costituzionale della Repubblica Italiana) is the supreme court of Italy. ...

The Constitutional Court is composed of 15 judges one of which is the President of the Italian Constitutional Court elected from the court itself. One third of the judges are appointed by the President of the Italian Republic, one-third are elected by Parliament and one-third are elected by the ordinary and administrative supreme courts. The Constitutional Court passes on the constitutionality of laws, and is a post-World War II innovation. Its powers, case load, and frequency of decisions are not as extensive as those of the U.S. Supreme Court. The President of the Italian Republic is the head of State of Italy, and represents national unity. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the acronym SCOTUS[1]) is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. ...

Italy has not accepted compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice. The International Court of Justice (known colloquially as the World Court or ICJ; French: ) is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. ...

Political parties and elections

All Italian citizens older than 18 can vote. However, to vote for the senate, the voter must be at least 25 or older. A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues. ... Political parties in Italy are organized into two dominant political coalitions. ... An election is a decision making process whereby people vote for preferred political candidates or parties to act as representatives in government. ... Elections in Italy gives information on election and election results in Italy. ...

Source: Interior Ministry of Italy, Votes, Seats Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati, one house of the bicameral parliamentary system, seats 630 members of which 475 are directly elected and 155 by regional proportional representation. ... The Union (Italian: LUnione) is an Italian centre-left political party coalition. ... For information about the plant for which the political party is named, see Olive. ... The Democrats of the Left (Democratici di Sinistra, DS) is the main Italian left-wing political party, part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition. ... Daisy-Democracy is Freedom (full name in Italian: Democrazia è Libertà – La Margherita: Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy) is a centrist political Party in Italy. ... The European Republican Movement (Italian: Movimento Repubblicani Europei) of Italy is a small center left liberal party, part of the Olive Tree coalition and the ALDE group in the European Parliament. ... The Communist Refoundation Party (Italian: Partito della Rifondazione Comunista) is an Italian reformed communist party. ... The Rose in the Fist is an Italian political federation of parties founded in 2005. ... The Italian Democratic Socialists (Socialisti Democratici Italiani, SDI) is a small social-democratic party of moderate-left policies, heir of the old Italian Socialist Party, born in 1998 by the convergence of the Italian Socialists and the Italian Democratic Socialist Party. ... Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Italian political parties ... The Party of Italian Communists (Italian: Partito dei Comunisti Italiani, also translated into English as Italian Communists Party) is a political party in Italy. ... Italy of Values (Italia dei Valori, IdV) is a populist and anti-corruption political movement in Italy, headed by former magistrate and Mani Pulite campaigner Antonio Di Pietro. ... The Federation of the Greens (Federazione dei Verdi, or just Verdi) is the Italian Green Party. ... The Popular-UDEUR (Italian: Popolari-UDEUR) is a small centrist political party in Italy, led by Clemente Mastella. ... The Pensioners Party of Italy (Italian: Partito Pensionati) is led by Carlo Fatuzzo. ... The South Tyrolese Peoples Party (German: Südtiroler Volkspartei) was founded 1945 and is a political party in the South Tyrol region of Italy. ... For the party with the similar name which was active from 1994 to 1998, see Italian Socialists. ... The Consumers List (Italian: Lista Consumatori) is a political party in Italy. ... The League for Autonomy-Lombard Alliance of Italy (Italian: Lega Alleanza Lombarda) is a political party in Italy, especially in the region of Lombardy. ... Autonomy Liberty Democracy (French: Autonomie Liberté Démocratie) is a political party in Italy, active in Val dAosta. ... Liga Fronte Veneto is a splinter party of the Northern League which claims independence from Italy for the Veneto. ... The Union (Italian: LUnione) is an Italian centre-left political party coalition. ... Casa delle Libertà (CDL; Italian for House of Freedoms), was a major Italian center-right political alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. ... Forza Italia (Forward Italy, FI) [1] is an Italian political party. ... National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale, AN) is a national-conservative Italian political party. ... The Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (Italian: Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e dei Democratici di Centro), commonly abbrieviated to UDC, is a political party in Italy formed by a merger of the former Christian Democratic Centre (CCD, led by Pierferdinando Casini from 1994 to 2001, then by Marco Follini... The Lega Nord (Northern League, LN), whose complete name is Lega Nord for the Independence of Padania, is an Italian political party founded in 1991 as a federation of several regional parties in northern Italy, most of which had arisen, and all of which had expanded their share of the... The Movement for Autonomy (Italian: Movimento per lAutonomia or MPA) is a minor Italian political party, founded on April 30, 2005 by a number of Southern Italian, especially Sicilian, centre-of-right autonomist dissidents, notably from Democrats Centre Union and National Alliance. ... The Lega Nord (Northern League, LN), whose complete name is Lega Nord for the Independence of Padania, is an Italian political party founded in 1991 as a federation of several regional parties in northern Italy, most of which had arisen, and all of which had expanded their share of the... The Movement for Autonomy (Italian: Movimento per lAutonomia or MPA) is a minor Italian political party, founded on April 30, 2005 by a number of Southern Italian, especially Sicilian, centre-of-right autonomist dissidents, notably from Democrats Centre Union and National Alliance. ... Christian Democracy for the Autonomies (Italian: Democrazia Cristiana per le Autonomie), often referred to as New DC (Nuova DC), is a minor centrist political party founded October 25, 2004 by former Democrats Centre Union MP Gianfranco Rotondi. ... The Partito Socialista – Nuovo PSI (NPSI) is a small Italian party which professes a social-democratic ideology and claims to be the successor to the old Italian Socialist Party, which was disbanded after the judiciary tempest of the early 1990s (see Mani Pulite). ... Christian Democracy for the Autonomies (Italian: Democrazia Cristiana per le Autonomie), often referred to as New DC (Nuova DC), is a minor centrist political party founded October 25, 2004 by former Democrats Centre Union MP Gianfranco Rotondi. ... The Partito Socialista – Nuovo PSI (NPSI) is a small Italian party which professes a social-democratic ideology and claims to be the successor to the old Italian Socialist Party, which was disbanded after the judiciary tempest of the early 1990s (see Mani Pulite). ... Alternativa Sociale (English language: Social Alternative) is an Italian political coalition of neo-fascist parties. ... Azione Sociale (Social Action), previously known as Libertà di Azione (Freedom of Action), is an Italian extremely-conservative and neo-fascist political party, led by Alessandra Mussolini, and a splinter group from Alleanza Nazionale. ... Fronte Sociale Nazionale is an Italian far right political party. ... New Force (Forza Nuova, FN) is an Italian nationalist and neo-fascist movement, a member of the European National Front. ... The Movimento Sociale Fiamma Tricolore is a hardline Italian right-wing party. ... The No Euro Movement is a small political party that aims to remove the Euro as the Italian currency, returning to the Italian lira, and advocates governmental control of the Italian Central Bank. ... The United Pensioners of Italy (Italian: Pensionati Uniti) is a political party in Italy. ... The Environmental List-Ecological Democrats of Italy (Italian: Ambienta-Lista-Ecologisti Democratici) is a political party in Italy. ... Forza Italia (Forward Italy, FI) [1] is an Italian political party. ... National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale, AN) is a national-conservative Italian political party. ... The S.O.S. Italy (Italian: ) is a political party in Italy. ... The For Italy in the World with Tremaglia (Italian: Partito per Italia nel mondo con Tremaglia) is a political party in Italy, active with voters living abroad. ... AISA symbol The Italian Association in South America (Italian: Associazioni Italiane in Sud America) is an Italian political party. ... The North-East Project is a strongly autonomist and federalist party founded in Veneto in 2004 by Giorgio Panto, former members of the Liga Veneta-Northern League and former members of Liga Fronte Veneto, as former leader and Venetist historian Ettore Beggiato. ...

Source: Interior Ministry of Italy, Votes, Seats The Parliament of Italy (Italian: Parlamento Italiano) is the national parliament of Italy. ... The Italian Senate (Italian: Senato della Repubblica, Senate of the Republic) is the upper house of the Parliament of Italy. ... The Union (Italian: LUnione) is an Italian centre-left political party coalition. ... The Democrats of the Left (Democratici di Sinistra, DS) is the main Italian left-wing political party, part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition. ... Democracy is Freedom – Daisy (Democrazia è Libertà – La Margherita, DL) is a centrist political party in Italy. ... The Communist Refoundation Party (Partito della Rifondazione Comunista, PRC) is an Italian reformed communist party. ... The Federation of the Greens (Federazione dei Verdi, or just Verdi) is the Italian Green Party. ... The Party of Italian Communists (Italian: Partito dei Comunisti Italiani, also translated into English as Italian Communists Party) is a political party in Italy. ... The United Consumers (Italian: Consumatori Uniti) is a political party in Italy. ... Italy of Values (Italia dei Valori, IdV) is a populist and anti-corruption political movement in Italy, headed by former magistrate and Mani Pulite campaigner Antonio Di Pietro. ... The Rose in the Fist is an Italian political federation of parties founded in 2005. ... The Italian Democratic Socialists (Socialisti Democratici Italiani, SDI) is a small social-democratic party of moderate-left policies, heir of the old Italian Socialist Party, born in 1998 by the convergence of the Italian Socialists and the Italian Democratic Socialist Party. ... Do not confuse the Italian Radicals with the Transnational Radical Party. ... The UDEUR Populars (Popolari UDEUR, UDEUR) is a small centrist political party in Italy, led by Clemente Mastella. ... The Pensioners Party of Italy (Italian: Partito Pensionati) is led by Carlo Fatuzzo. ... The Union (Italian: LUnione) is an Italian centre-left political party coalition. ... The South Tyrolese Peoples Party (German: Südtiroler Volkspartei) was founded 1945 and is a political party in the South Tyrol region of Italy. ... For the party with the similar name which was active from 1994 to 1998, see Italian Socialists. ... The Lombard Alliance League (Lega Alleanza Lombarda, LAL) is a political party in Italy, based in Lombardy. ... The South Tyrolese Peoples Party (German: Südtiroler Volkspartei) was founded 1945 and is a political party in the South Tyrol region of Italy. ... The Consumers List (Italian: Lista Consumatori) is a political party in Italy. ... For information about the plant for which the political party is named, see Olive. ... The Italian Democratic Socialists (Italian: Socialisti Democratici Italiani), or SDI, is a small social democratic party of moderate-left policies, heir of the old Italian Socialist Party and led by Enrico Boselli. ... The European Republicans Movement (Movimento Repubblicani Europei, MRE) of Italy is a small center left liberal party. ... Autonomy Liberty Democracy (French: Autonomie Liberté Démocratie) is a political party in Italy, active in Val dAosta. ... The Union (Italian: LUnione) is an Italian centre-left political party coalition. ... Liga Fronte Veneto is a splinter party of the Northern League which claims independence from Italy for the Veneto. ... The United Democratic Christians (Italian: Democratici Cristiani Uniti) is a political party in Italy. ... Casa delle Libertà (CDL; Italian for House of Freedoms), was a major Italian center-right political alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. ... Forza Italia (Forward Italy, FI) [1] is an Italian political party. ... National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale, AN) is a national-conservative Italian political party. ... The Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (Italian: Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democratici di Centro) is a political party in Italy formed by a merger of the former Centro Cristiano Democratico and Christiani Democratici Uniti parties. ... The Lega Nord (Northern League, LN), whose complete name is Lega Nord for the Independence of Padania, is an Italian political party founded in 1991 as a federation of several regional parties in northern Italy, most of which had arisen, and all of which had expanded their share of the... The Movement for Autonomy (Italian: Movimento per lAutonomia or MPA) is a minor Italian political party, founded on April 30, 2005 by a number of Southern Italian, especially Sicilian, centre-of-right autonomist dissidents, notably from Democrats Centre Union and National Alliance. ... The Northern League (Italian: Lega Nord) is an Italian political party founded in 1991 as a federation of several regional parties in Northern Italy, most of which had arisen, and all of which had expanded their share of the electorate, in the 1980s. ... The Movement for Autonomy (Italian: Movimento per lAutonomia or MPA) is a minor Italian political party, founded on April 30, 2005 by a number of Southern Italian, especially Sicilian, centre-of-right autonomist dissidents, notably from Democrats Centre Union and National Alliance. ... Alternativa Sociale is an Italian far right political party. ... In sociology, social action refer to any action that takes into account actions and reactions of another individuals (real or imagined) and is modified based on those events. ... Fronte Sociale Nazionale is an Italian far right political party. ... New Force (Forza Nuova, FN) is an Italian nationalist and neo-fascist movement, a member of the European National Front. ... The Social Movement Tricolour Flame, normally just Tricolour Flame (Movimento Sociale Fiamma Tricolore, MS-FT), is a hardline Italian neo-fascist party. ... Christian Democracy for the Autonomies (Italian: Democrazia Cristiana per le Autonomie), often referred to as New DC (Nuova DC), is a minor centrist political party founded October 25, 2004 by former Democrats Centre Union MP Gianfranco Rotondi. ... The New Italian Socialist Party (Nuovo Partito Socialista Italiano, NPSI) is a small Italian party which professes a social-democratic ideology and claims to be the successor to the old Italian Socialist Party, which was disbanded after the judiciary tempest of the early 1990s (see Mani Pulite). ... Christian Democracy for the Autonomies (Italian: Democrazia Cristiana per le Autonomie), often referred to as New DC (Nuova DC), is a minor centrist political party founded October 25, 2004 by former Democrats Centre Union MP Gianfranco Rotondi. ... The New Italian Socialist Party (Nuovo Partito Socialista Italiano, NPSI) is a small Italian party which professes a social-democratic ideology and claims to be the successor to the old Italian Socialist Party, which was disbanded after the judiciary tempest of the early 1990s (see Mani Pulite). ... Casa delle Libertà (CDL; Italian for House of Freedoms), was a major Italian center-right political alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. ... The United Pensioners of Italy (Italian: Pensionati Uniti) is a political party in Italy. ... The Italian Republican Party (Partito Repubblicano Italiano) is an old left liberal party in Italy, with roots to Giuseppe Mazzini. ... The Federalist Greens of Italy (Verdi Federalisti) is a political party in Italy. ... New Sicily (Italian: Nuova Sicilia) is a political party in Italy. ... The No Euro Movement is a small political party that aims to remove the Euro as the Italian currency, returning to the Italian lira, and advocates governmental control of the Italian Central Bank. ... The Pact for Sicily (Italian: Patto per la Sicilia) is a political party in Italy. ... The Italian Liberal Party (Italian: Partito Liberale Italiano, PLI) was an Italian free market liberal party. ... Forza Italia (Forward Italy, FI) [1] is an Italian political party. ... National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale, AN) is a national-conservative Italian political party. ... The Christian Extended Pact (Italian: Patto Cristiano Esteso) is a political party in Italy. ... Liberal Reformers is a party founded in 2005 by a split from Italian Radicals of those radicals that were against the alliance with Italian Democratic Socialists. ... The S.O.S. Italy (Italian: ) is a political party in Italy. ... AISA symbol The Italian Association in South America (Italian: Associazioni Italiane in Sud America) is an Italian political party. ... The North-East Project is a strongly autonomist and federalist party founded in Veneto in 2004 by Giorgio Panto, former members of the Liga Veneta-Northern League and former members of Liga Fronte Veneto, as former leader and Venetist historian Ettore Beggiato. ... The Sicilian Alliance (Alleanza Siciliana) is a minor autonomist and conservative political party in Sicily in Italy. ... Marxist-Leninist Italian Communist Party (in Italian: Partito Comunista Italiano Marxista-Leninista, PCIM-L) is a small communist party in Italy. ... The Valdotanian Union (French: Union Valdôtaine) is a liberal regionalist political party in the Aosta Valley, Italy. ...

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol[1] (Italian: Trentino-Alto Adige; German: Trentino-Südtirol; Ladin: Trentin-Adesc Aut, also Trentin-Sudtirol [2][3]) is an autonomous region in Northern Italy. ... For the village of the same name in Ontario, Canada, see Lombardy, Ontario. ... Molise is a region of central Italy, the second smallest of the regions. ... The Aosta Valley (Italian: Valle dAosta, French: Vallée dAoste, Arpitan: Val dOuta) is a mountainous Region in north-western Italy. ... Veneto or Venetia, is one of the 20 regions of Italy. ... Sicily ( in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... For other uses, see Campania (disambiguation). ...

Political parties

a poster for the European Parliament election 2004 in Italy, showing party lists

Italy's dramatic self-renewal transformed the political landscape between 1992 and 1997. Scandal investigations touched thousands of politicians, administrators, and businessmen; the shift from a proportional to an Additional Member System (with the requirement to obtain a minimum of 4% of the national vote to obtain representation) also altered the political landscape. Download high resolution version (553x678, 61 KB)announcement of elections in Brunate (near Como), Italy, 2004-06-07. ... Download high resolution version (553x678, 61 KB)announcement of elections in Brunate (near Como), Italy, 2004-06-07. ... The Additional Member System (AMS) is a voting system in which some representatives are elected from geographic constituencies and others are elected under proportional representation from party lists. ...

Party changes were sweeping. The Christian Democratic party dissolved; the Italian People's Party and the Christian Democratic Center emerged. Other major parties, such as the Socialists, saw support plummet. A new liberal movement, Forza Italia, gained wide support among moderate voters. The Alleanza Nazionale (National Alliance) broke from the (alleged neo-fascist) Italian Social Movement (MSI). A trend toward two large coalitions (one on the center-left and the other on the center-right) emerged from the April 1995 regional elections. For the 1996 national elections, the center-left parties created the Olive Tree coalition while the center-right united again under the House of Freedoms. These coalitions continued into the 2001 and 2006 national elections. Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value. ... Forza Italia (Forward Italy, FI) [1] is an Italian political party. ... The National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale) is a right-wing Italian party, formed from most of the former Italian Social Movement (Movimento Sociale Italiano, MSI) and conservative elements of the former Christian Democrats, the National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale, AN) was created in 1994. ... The Italian Social Movement (Movimento sociale italiano ) (MSI) was a neo-Fascist party formed 1946 in the post-World War II period by supporters of the executed dictator Benito Mussolini under the lead of Giorgio Almirante. ... For the Italian political alliance see Olive Tree, and the color, olive (color). ... Casa delle Libertà (CDL; Italian for House of Freedoms), was a major Italian center-right political alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. ...

Main article: Italian general election, 2006

This emerging bipolarity represents a major break from the fragmented, multi-party political landscape of the postwar era, although it appears to have reached a plateau, since efforts via referendums to further curtail the influence of small parties were defeated in 1999 and 2000. A general election for the renewal of the two Chambers of the Parliament of Italy was held on April 9 and April 10, 2006. ...

History of the post-war political landscape

campaigners working on posters in Milan, Italy, 2004

Main article: History of Italy as a Republic

campaigners working on posters in Milan, Italy, 2004-06-10. ... campaigners working on posters in Milan, Italy, 2004-06-10. ... After World War II and the overthrow of Mussolinis fascist regime, Italys history was dominated by the Democrazia Cristiana (DC - Christian-Democrats) party for forty years, while the opposition was led by the Italian Communist Party (PCI); this condition endured until the Tangentopoli scandal and operation Mani pulite...

First Republic

There have been frequent government turnovers since 1945, indeed there have been 61 governments in this time.^[1] The dominance of the Christian Democratic party during much of the postwar period lent continuity and comparative stability to Italy's political situation, mainly dominated by the attempt of keeping the Italian Communist Party (PCI) out of power, to maintain Cold War equilibrium in the region. Christian Democracy, (Democrazia Cristiana), the Christian democratic party of Italy, commonly called the democristiani or DC, dominated government for nearly half a century until its demise amid a welter of corruption allegations in 1992-94. ... The Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI) or Italian Communist Party emerged as Partito Comunista dItalia or Communist Party of Italy from a secession by the Leninist comunisti puri tendency from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) during that bodys congress on 21 January 1921 at Livorno. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ...

The communists were in the government only in the national unity governments before 1948, in which their party's secretary Palmiro Togliatti was minister of Justice. After the first democratic elections with universal suffrage in 1948, in which the Christian Democracy and their allies won against the Popular front of the Italian Communist and Socialists parties, the communist party never returned in the government. // Born in Genoa to a middle class family, Togliatti began his political life in the Italian Socialist Party prior to the First World War. ... The Italian elections of 1948 were the first democratic elections with universal suffrage ever held in Italy. ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Universal suffrage (also general suffrage or common suffrage) consists of the extension of the right to vote to all adults, without distinction as to race, sex, belief, intelligence, or economic or social status. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Even though many repeat the cliché that Italy had over fifty governments in its first fifty years of democracy to stigmatise its alleged political instability, Italy's main political problem was actually the opposite: in all the course of the so-called First Republic, the government was in the hands of the Christian Democrats and their allies, since it was unacceptable for a communist party to rule a western country during the Cold war. The system had been nicknamed the imperfect bipolarism, referring to more proper bipolarism in other western countries (the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France etc.) where right-wing and left-wing parties alternated in government. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ...

The Socialists enter the Government

The main event in the First Republic in the sixties was the inclusion of the Socialist party in the government, after the reducing edge of the Christian Democracy (DC) had forced them to accept this alliance; attempts to incorporate the fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI) in the Tambroni government led to riots, and were short-lived. Christian Democracy, (Democrazia Cristiana), the Christian democratic party of Italy, commonly called the democristiani or DC, dominated government for nearly half a century until its demise amid a welter of corruption allegations in 1992-94. ... Fascist redirects here. ... The Italian Social Movement (Movimento sociale italiano ) (MSI) was a neo-Fascist party formed 1946 in the post-World War II period by supporters of the executed dictator Benito Mussolini under the lead of Giorgio Almirante. ... Fernando Tambroni [Fernando Tambroni Armaroli] (Ascoli Piceno 1901 – Roma 1963) was an Italian politician of the Christian Democratic Party. ... Teamsters, armed with pipes, riot in a clash with riot police in the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934. ...

Aldo Moro, a relatively left-leaning Christian democrat, inspired this alliance. He would later try to include the Communist Party as well, with a deal called the historical compromise. This attempt at compromise was, however, stopped by the kidnapping and murder of Moro in 1978 by the Red Brigades, an extremist left-wing terrorist organisation. Extreme-left apologists have created elaborate conspiracy theories in order to suggest that the actual organizers of the kidnapping were members of the Christian Democrats and the mafia, but no evidence exists to support these theories. Aldo Moro (September 23, 1916 in Maglie – May 9, 1978 in Rome) was an Italian politician and five time Prime Minister of Italy, from 1963 to 1968, and then from 1974 to 1976. ... The term Historic Compromise (Italian:compromesso storico) most commonly refers to the accommodation between the Italian Christian Democrats (DC) and the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in the 1970s, after the latter embraced eurocommunism. ... Kidnapper redirects here. ... The Red Brigades (Brigate Rosse in Italian, often abbreviated as the BR) were a terrorist group[1] located in Italy and active during the Years of Lead. Formed in 1970, the Marxist-Leninist Red Brigades sought to create a revolutionary state through armed struggle and to separate Italy from the... Terrorist redirects here. ...

The Communist party was at this point the largest communist party in western Europe, and remained such for the rest of its existence. Their ability to attract members was largely due to their pragmatic stance, especially their rejection of extremism, and to their growing independence from Moscow (see Eurocommunism). The Italian communist party was especially strong in areas like Emilia Romagna, where communists had been elected to stable government positions. This practical political experience may have contributed to their taking a more pragmatic approach to politics. For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... Eurocommunism was a new trend in the 1970s and 1980s within various Western European communist parties to develop a theory and practice of social transformation that was more relevant in a Western European democracy and less aligned to the partyline of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. ... Emilia-Romagna is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. ...

The Years of Lead

See also: Strategy of tension

On December 12, 1969, a roughly decade-long period of extremist left- and right-wing political terrorism, known as the years of lead (as in the metal of bullets, Italian: anni di piombo), began with the Piazza Fontana bombing in the center of Milan. Neofascist Vincenzo Vinciguerra later declared the bombing be an attempt to push the Italian state to declare a state of emergency, in order to lead to a more authoritative state. A bomb left in a bank killed about twenty, and was initially blamed on anarchist Giuseppe Pinelli. This accusation was hotly contested by left-wing circles, especially the Maoist Student Movement, which had support in those years from some students of Milan's universities, and who considered the bombing to have all the marks of a fascist operation. Their guess proved correct, but only after many years of difficult investigations. A strategy of tension (Italian: ) is a way to control and manipulate public opinion using fear, propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs, as well as false flag terrorist actions (including bombings). ... is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... For other senses of this word, see decade (disambiguation). ... The Piazza Fontana bombing (Italian: ) refers to the terrorist bombing on December 12, 1969 in the offices of Banca Nazionale dellAgricoltura (National Agrarian Bank) in Piazza Fontana, Milan, Italy, carried out by far-right terrorists. ... Type Anti-tank Nationality Joint France/Germany Era Cold War, modern Launch platform Individual, Vehicle Target Vehicle, Fortification History Builder MBDA, Bharat Dynamics (under license) Date of design 70s Production period since 1972 Service duration since 1972 Operators 41 countries Variants MILAN 1, MILAN 2, MILAN 2T, MILAN 3, MILAN... Vincenzo Vinciguerra was a member of Avanguardia Nazionale (National Vanguard), a far-right terrorist organization founded by Stefano Delle Chiaie and involved in Italys strategy of tension promoted by Gladio networks. ... For other uses, see State of emergency (disambiguation). ... Anarchist redirects here. ... Giuseppe Pinelli (1928-1969) was an Italian railway worker and left-wing political activist. ... Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought (Chinese: 毛澤東思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), also called Marxism-Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM), is a variant of communism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893–1976). ... For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ...

The strategy of tension attempted to blame the left for bombings carried out by right-wing terrorists. Fascist "black terrorists," such as Ordine Nuovo and the Avanguardia Nazionale, were, in the 1980s-90s, found to be responsible for several terrorist attacks. On the other extreme of the political spectrum, the leftist Red Brigades carried out assassinations against specific persons, but weren't responsible for any blind bombings. The Red Brigades killed socialist journalist Walter Tobagi, and, in their most famous operation, kidnapped and assassinated Aldo Moro, president of the Christian Democracy, who was trying to involve the Communist Party in the government through the compromesso storico ("historic compromise"), to which the radical left, as well as Washington, were opposed. It is worth noting that the Red Brigades met fierce resistance from the Communist Party and the trade unions; some left-wing politicians, however, used the sympathetic expression "comrades who are mistaken" (Italian: Compagni che sbagliano) to refer to the Red Brigades. Some radical left apologists have alleged that the Red Brigades (or at least the 2nd Red Brigades, led by Mario Moretti) were exploited by right-wing or possibly foreign forces to destabilize Italy, discredit the Communist Party and impede the historic compromise. This is a hotly contested claim which many consider to have the hallmarks of a blame-the-victim conspiracy theory, that the evidence does not support. A strategy of tension (Italian: ) is a way to control and manipulate public opinion using fear, propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs, as well as false flag terrorist actions (including bombings). ... Ordine Nuovo a. ... The National Vanguard (Avanguardia Nazionale) was a far right movement formed as a breakaway group from the Italian Social Movement by Stefano Delle Chiaie in 1960. ... Aldo Moro (September 23, 1916 in Maglie – May 9, 1978 in Rome) was an Italian politician and five time Prime Minister of Italy, from 1963 to 1968, and then from 1974 to 1976. ... Christian Democracy, (Democrazia Cristiana), the Christian democratic party of Italy, commonly called the democristiani or DC, dominated government for nearly half a century until its demise amid a welter of corruption allegations in 1992-94. ... The Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI) or Italian Communist Party emerged as Partito Comunista dItalia or Communist Party of Italy from a secession by the Leninist comunisti puri tendency from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) during that bodys congress on 21 January 1921 at Livorno. ... The term Historic Compromise (Italian:compromesso storico) most commonly refers to the accommodation between the Italian Christian Democrats (DC) and the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in the 1970s, after the latter embraced eurocommunism. ... The Lawrence textile strike (1912), with soldiers surrounding peaceful demonstrators A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions, forming a cartel of labour. ... Mario Moretti (born 1946 in Porto San Giorgio, Marche, Italy) is a founding member of the 2nd Red Brigades, who kidnapped and killed Aldo Moro on May 9, 1978. ... Victim-blaming consists of holding victims of crimes or other misfortunes wholly or partly responsible for what has happened to them. ...

The last and largest of the bombings, known as the Bologna massacre, destroyed the city's railway station in 1980. This was found to be a neofascist bombing, in which Propaganda Due was involved. Rescue teams making their way through the rubble The Bologna massacre, also known in Italy as the Strage di Bologna, was a terrorist bombing against the Central Station of Bologna, Italy on the morning of 2 August 1980, which killed 85 people and wounded more than 200. ... This box:      Propaganda Due or P2 was an irregular or black Masonic lodge that operated in Italy from 1877-1981, headed in its final decades by Licio Gelli. ...

On October 24, 1990, Prime minister Giulio Andreotti (DC) revealed to the Parliament the existence of Gladio, NATO's secret "stay-behind" networks which stocked weapons in order to facilitate an armed resistance in case of a communist coup. In 2000, a Parliament Commission report from the Olive Tree (centre-left) coalition concluded that the strategy of tension followed by Gladio had been supported by the United States to "stop the PCI and, to a certain degree, the PSI [Italian Socialist Party] from reaching executive power in the country." is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Giulio Andreotti (born 14 January 1919 in Rome) is an Italian politician of the centrist Christian Democratic party who served as Prime Minister of Italy 1972-1973, 1976-1979 and 1989-1992. ... Operation Gladio Operation Gladio was a clandestine stay-behind operation sponsored by the CIA and NATO to counter communist influence in Italy, as well as in other European countries. ... This article is about the military alliance. ... For the Italian political alliance see Olive Tree, and the color, olive (color). ...

The Eighties

With the end of the lead years, the communist party gradually increased their votes under the leadership of Enrico Berlinguer. The Socialist party, led by Bettino Craxi, became more and more critical of the communists and of the Soviet Union; Craxi himself pushed in favor of Ronald Reagan's positioning of Pershing missiles in Italy, a move many communists strongly disapproved of. Enrico Berlinguer. ... Benedetto (Bettino) Craxi (February 24, 1934 – January 19, 2000) was an Italian politician, head of the Italian Socialist Party from 1976 to 1993, the first socialist President of the Council of Ministers of Italy from 1983 to 1987. ... Reagan redirects here. ... Pershing was a family of solid-fueled two-stage medium-range ballistic missiles designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the PGM-11 Redstone missile as the Armys primary theater-level weapon. ...

As the socialist party moved to more moderate positions, it attracted many reformists, some of whom were irritated by the failure of the communists to modernize. Increasingly, many on the left began to see the communists as old and out of fashion, while Craxi and the socialists seemed to represent a new liberal-socialism. The Communist party surpassed the Christian Democrats only in the European elections of 1984, held barely two days after Berlinguer's death, a passing that likely drew sympathy from many voters. The election of 1984, however, was to be the only time the Christian Democrats did not emerge as the largest party in a nation-wide election in which they participated.

In 1987, one year after the Chernobyl accident following a referendum in that year, a nuclear phase-out was commenced. Italy's four nuclear power plants were closed down, the last in 1990. A moratorium on the construction of new plants, originally in effect from 1987 until 1993, has since been extended indefinitely.^[1] The nuclear power plant at Chernobyl prior to the completion of the sarcophagus. ... List of nuclear reactors is a comprehensive annotated list of all the nuclear reactors of the world, sorted by country. ...

In these years, corruption began to be more extensive, a development that would be exposed in the early nineties and nicknamed Tangentopoli. With the Mani Pulite investigation, starting just one year after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the whole power structure faltered, and seemingly indestructible parties, such as the Christian Democrats and the Socialist party, disbanded; the communist party changed its name to the Democratic Party of the Left and took the role of the socialist party as the main social democratic party in Italy. What was to follow was then called the transition to the Second Republic. Bettino Craxi, viewed by many as the symbol of Tangentopoli, leader of the Italian Socialist Party, is greeted by a salvo of coins as a sign of loathing by protesters contesting him. ... Mani pulite (Italian for clean hands) was a nationwide Italian police investigation into political corruption held in the 1990s, following the scandal of Banco Ambrosiano in 1982, which implicated mafia, Vatican Bank and P2. ... The Democratic Party of the Left (Italian: Partito democratico della Sinistra, or PdS) was the evolution in a social-democratic direction of the Italian Communist Party, or PCI. It was founded by Achille Occhetto, last secretary of the PCI and first of the PdS. The logo of the PdS consisted... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ...

Second Republic

Bettino Craxi contested by students.

From 1992 to 1997, Italy faced significant challenges, as voters, disenchanted with past political paralysis, massive government debt, extensive corruption, and organized crime's considerable influence--collectively called Tangentopoli after being uncovered by Mani pulite)--demanded political, economic, and ethical reforms. Image File history File links Craxi_coins. ... Image File history File links Craxi_coins. ... Benedetto (Bettino) Craxi (February 24, 1934 – January 19, 2000) was an Italian politician, head of the Italian Socialist Party from 1976 to 1993, the first socialist President of the Council of Ministers of Italy from 1983 to 1987. ... Bettino Craxi, viewed by many as the symbol of Tangentopoli, leader of the Italian Socialist Party, is greeted by a salvo of coins as a sign of loathing by protesters contesting him. ... Mani pulite (Italian for clean hands) was a nationwide Italian police investigation into political corruption held in the 1990s, following the scandal of Banco Ambrosiano in 1982, which implicated mafia, Vatican Bank and P2. ...

In the Italian referendums of 1993, voters approved substantial changes, including moving from a proportional to an Additional Member System, which is largely dominated by a majoritarian electoral system and the abolition of some ministries, some of which, however, have been reintroduced with only partly modified names, such as the Ministry of Agriculture reincarnated as the Ministry of Agricultural Resources). The Constitution of Italy provides for legally binding referenda. ... The Additional Member System (AMS) is a voting system in which some representatives are elected from geographic constituencies and others are elected under proportional representation from party lists. ... The First Past the Post electoral system, is a voting system for single-member districts. ...

Major political parties, beset by scandal and loss of voter confidence, underwent far-reaching changes. New political forces and new alignments of power emerged in the March 1994 national elections. This election saw a major turnover in the new parliament, with 452 out of 630 deputies and 213 out of 315 senators elected for the first time.

The 1994 elections also swept media magnate Silvio Berlusconi (leader of "House of Freedoms" coalition) into office as Prime Minister. Berlusconi, however, was forced to step down in December 1994 when the Lega Nord withdrew support. The Berlusconi government was succeeded by a technical government headed by Prime Minister Lamberto Dini, which left office in early 1996.   (born September 29, 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ... Casa delle Libertà (CDL; Italian for House of Freedoms), was a major Italian center-right political alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. ... The Lega Nord (Northern League, LN), whose complete name is Lega Nord for the Independence of Padania, is an Italian political party founded in 1991 as a federation of several regional parties in northern Italy, most of which had arisen, and all of which had expanded their share of the... A technical government is a non-party government made up of unelected technocrats such as civil servants, magistrates or experts from outside the political circle such as bankers instead of members of the countrys legislature. ... Lamberto Dini (right) with William Cohen Lamberto Dini (born in Florence, March 1, 1931), is a former Italian Prime Minister (1995-1996) and Foreign Minister (1996-2001). ...

A series of center-left coalitions dominated Italy's political landscape between 1996 and 2001. In April 1996, national elections led to the victory of a center-left coalition, the Olive Tree, under the leadership of Romano Prodi. Prodi's government became the third-longest to stay in power before he narrowly lost a vote of confidence, by three votes, in October 1998. For the Italian political alliance see Olive Tree, and the color, olive (color). ... Prodi redirects here. ...

In May 1999, the Parliament selected Carlo Azeglio Ciampi as the President of the Republic. Ciampi, a former Prime Minister and Minister of the Treasury and, before entering the government, the governor of the Bank of Italy, was elected on the first ballot by a comfortable margin over the required two-thirds of the votes. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (born 9 December 1920 in Livorno) is an Italian politician and banker who has been both Prime Minister of Italy and President of the Italian Republic. ... Flag of the President of the Italian Republic This is the list of Presidents of the Italian Republic with the title since 1948. ... Headquarters Rome Established 1893 Governor Mario Draghi Central Bank of Italy Website bancaditalia. ...

A new government was formed by the Democrats of the Left leader and former communist Massimo D'Alema, but in April 2000, following poor performance by his coalition in regional elections, D'Alema resigned. The Democrats of the Left (Democratici di Sinistra, DS) is the main Italian left-wing political party, part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition. ... Massimo DAlema (born April 20, 1949) is an Italian politician, currently Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice President of the Council of Ministers of Italy. ...

The succeeding center-left government, including most of the same parties, was headed by Giuliano Amato, a social-democrat, who had previously served as Prime Minister in 1992-93, and had at the time sworn never to return to active politics. Giuliano Amato (born May 13, 1938) is an Italian politician. ...

National elections held on May 13, 2001 returned Berlusconi to power at the head of the five-party center-right "Freedom House" coalition, comprising the prime minister's own party, Forza Italia, the National Alliance, the Northern League, the Christian Democratic Center, and the Democrats' Center Union. Between May 17, 2006 and Feb 21 2007, Romano Prodi served as Prime Minister of Italy following the narrow victory of his l'Unione coalition over the Casa delle Libertà led by Silvio Berlusconi in the April 2006 Italian elections. Following a government crisis, Prodi submitted his resignation on February 21, 2007. Three days later he was asked by the Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano to stay on as Prime Minister and he agreed to do so. On 28 February 2007, Prodi narrowly survived a senate no confidence vote.^[2] is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Forza Italia (Forward Italy, FI) [1] is an Italian political party. ... The National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale) is a right-wing Italian party, formed from most of the former Italian Social Movement (Movimento Sociale Italiano, MSI) and conservative elements of the former Christian Democrats, the National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale, AN) was created in 1994. ... The Lega Nord (Northern League, LN), whose complete name is Lega Nord for the Independence of Padania, is an Italian political party founded in 1991 as a federation of several regional parties in northern Italy, most of which had arisen, and all of which had expanded their share of the... This party is a member of the House of Freedom Alliance currently in power in Italy. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925), is an Italian politician and former lifetime senator, the eleventh and current President of the Italian Republic. ... ...

In general there is wide consensus on the fact that Italian politics has been undergoing a slow involution over at least the last decade. This has been sometimes cited, even by some Italian politicians, as a cause of the general feeling of lack of representation Italians recently seem to suffer from.

Administrative division

Main article: Regions of Italy

The Italian State has twenty regions and about a hundred provinces. The constitution of Italy provides for twenty regions with extended powers. Regions are further divided in provinces. Provinces also have their own local elections. For each of the provinces, a prefect is appointed by and responds to the central government, which he locally represents. While the number of regions is somewhat stable (the only modification to the original set is the separation of Molise from Abruzzo), there has been a tendency in later years to create new provinces, such as Crotone, Verbania, Lodi, Biella, Lecco and others. The Regions of Italy were granted a degree of regional autonomy in the 1948 constitution, which states that the constitutions role is: to recognize, protect and promote local autonomy, to ensure that services at the State level are as decentralized as possible, and to adapt the principles and laws... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... A prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeficere: make in front, i. ... Molise is a region of central Italy, the second smallest of the regions. ... “Abruzzi” redirects here. ... Crotone is a city in Calabria, southern Italy, on the Gulf of Taranto. ... Verbania is a city and comune (commune) on the shore of Lake Maggiore, Piedmont in northwest Italy. ... For other places called Lodi, see Lodi. ... Biella (Latin: Bugella) is a town and comune in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, the capital of the province of the same name, with 45,500 inhabitants as of the 2001 census. ... Country Italy Region Lombardy Province Lecco (LC) Mayor Antonella Faggi (North League Party) Elevation 214 m Area 45 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 46,477  - Density 1,011/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Lecchesi Dialing code 0341 Postal code 23900 Frazioni Acquate, Belledo, Bonacina...

Five regions (Aosta Valley, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) have special charters granting them varying degrees of autonomy. The raisons d'être of these charters is in most cases the presence of significant linguistic and cultural minorities, but in the case of Sicily it was to calm down separatist movements. The other 15 regions were in practice established in 1970, even if their ideation had been a much earlier idea. They vote for regional councils. The Aosta Valley (Italian: Valle dAosta, French: Vallée dAoste, Arpitan: Val dOuta) is a mountainous Region in north-western Italy. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For the place in the United States, see Sardinia, Ohio. ... Sicily ( in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol[1] (Italian: Trentino-Alto Adige; German: Trentino-Südtirol; Ladin: Trentin-Adesc Aut, also Trentin-Sudtirol [2][3]) is an autonomous region in Northern Italy. ...

See also

• Foreign relations of Italy
• List of political parties in Italy
• History of Italy as a Republic
• Corruption Perceptions Index

The list of unrecognized countries enumerates those geo-political entities which lack general diplomatic recognition, but wish to be recognized as sovereign states. ...  Southwest Asia in most contexts. ... The borders of the continents are the limits of the several continents of the Earth, as defined by various geographical, cultural, and political criteria. ...  The North American plate, shown in brown The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Cherskiy Range in East Siberia. ...  The African plate, shown in pinkish-orange The African Plate is a tectonic plate covering the continent of Africa and extending westward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. ...

References

ro The Parliament of Italy (Italian: Parlamento Italiano) is the national parliament of Italy. ...