The centre-right coalition, led by Ms. Giorgia Meloni (see note 1), won the snap elections in 2022, gaining a majority in both chambers of parliament. The coalition took 237 seats in the 400-member Chamber of Deputies, and 115 of the 200 directly elected seats in the Senate. That was nearly three times more seats than the centre-left coalition, led by former Prime Minister Enrico Letta (see note 2). Mr. Luigi di Maio’s Five Star Movement lost a significant share of its seats and finished third in both chambers. On 21 October, President Sergio Mattarella appointed Ms. Meloni as the new Prime Minister. She was officially sworn in the following day, thereby becoming the first woman in Italy to assume the post.

The 2022 elections were the first to be held after the 2020 referendum, which significantly decreased the statutory number of members in both chambers of parliament (see the “Note on the new statutory number of members” under “Other notes”). A lower voting age for the Senate (18 years old, instead of 25) was applied for the first time (see note 3).

The early elections were triggered by the collapse of the coalition government and the subsequent resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi (see note 4) on 21 July 2022. On 22 July, President Mattarella dissolved Parliament and called early elections for September 2022; they had originally been due by May 2023. The elections followed the global COVID-19 pandemic, and were held against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine that started in February. The war has sparked a major Europe-wide energy crisis and a rise in the cost of living, which dominated election campaigning. Other major electoral issues included the post-COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Plan (through which Italy would obtain a €190-billion funding package from the European Union), as well as abortion rights and LGBTQ+ rights.

Note 1:
The coalition known as Brothers of Italy (FdI) – Lega – Forza Italia – Us Moderates (Noi moderati, NM) included Ms. Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI), Mr. Matteo Salvini's Northern League (Lega), and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia. The FdI traces its roots to the Italian Social Movement, a party created by supporters of former Prime Minister Benito Mussolini who founded and led the National Fascist Party.

Note 2:
Mr. Letta’s Democratic Party led the coalition known as DP – Democratic and Progressive Italy (DP –DP) – Greens and Left Alliance (AVS) – "+EUROPA" – Civic Commitment (IC).

Note 3:
In accordance with Law no. 1 of 18 October 2021 (which amended Article 58 of the Constitution), the minimum age at which one can vote in Senate elections was lowered from 25 to 18 years old. The voting age is now the same for both chambers of parliament.

Note 4:
Mr. Draghi, former President of the European Central Bank, succeeded Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in February 2021. Mr. Conte had formed a coalition government comprising the Five Star Movement and the Lega following elections in 2018. That coalition collapsed in January 2021.