Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

About parliament

Basic information such as the official name of parliament and details of its structure and leadership. Also includes the current breakdown of MPs by sex and age, and provisions for quotas and reserved seats.

Parliament name
Il Parlamento (Parliament)
Chamber name
Senato della Repubblica (Senate)
Structure & status of parliament
Upper chamber
Parliamentary term (years)
5

IPU membership

Affiliation periods
from 1889
IPU Geopolitical Group/s
Twelve Plus Group

Speaker

Official title
President of the Senate
Speaker
Ignazio La Russa (Male)
Date of birth: 18 Jul 1947
Term
13 Oct 2022
Additional information

Elected on 13 Oct. 2022.

Speaker terms

No information available

Secretary general

Official title
Secretary General
Secretary General
Federico Silvio Toniato (Male)
Term
16 May 2024
Notes

Elected on 16 May 2024.

Members

Statutory number of members
205

Notes:

Appointed members: The President of the Republic may appoint five citizens.

Other: ex-officio member (former Presidents of the Republic are ex officio Senators and for life unless they renounce the office).

Principal mode of designation of members
Directly elected
Directly elected members
200
Appointed members
5
Current number of members
205
Men
131
Women
74
Percentage of women
36.1%
Statutory number of members per country
605
Population (in thousands)
59,499
Inhabitants per parliamentarian
98,183

Age

Data on the age of parliamentarians is collected at the start of the legislature, following the most recent elections. This data is not updated during the legislature, except when parliament notifies the IPU of a change in the youngest or oldest member.

Average age of all members
55.8
(2022-10)
Youngest member
Francesca Tubetti (Female)
Youngest member (years)
40
Oldest member
Liliana Segre (Female)
Oldest member (years)
93
Number of members, by age (2022-10)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 0 0 12 26 52 33 8 3 1 135
Female 0 0 0 6 26 26 10 2 0 1 71
Totals per age interval 0 0 0 18 52 78 43 10 3 2 206
Total <= 45: 18 Total >= 46: 188
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
0.0% 0% 0.0%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
8.7% 6% 2.9%

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
No
Electoral quota for women
Yes

Notes:

Under penalty of ineligibility, the lists of candidates for the Senate in multi-member districts must comprise candidates of both genders in alternating order (known as a zebra list).

The lists of candidates in single-member districts at a regional level should not comprise more than 60% of candidates of either gender.

No more that 60% of candidates at the top of lists presented in multi-member districts at a regional level should be of either gender. The Regional Elections Office ensures compliance with such provisions.

Sources: Source: Law no. 165/2017

Youth quota
No

Links to additional information

Parliamentary website
List of members
Rules of procedure/Standing Orders
Constitution

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No