Italy
Senate
-
Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
View field in the data dictionary -
Parliamentary system
-
Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
View field in the data dictionary -
Bicameral
-
IPU membership
Current membership status
View field in the data dictionary -
Yes
Election results
Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.
Background
-
Election date(s)
The date when elections started and ended for directly or indirectly elected parliaments/chambers. The date of appointments for appointed parliaments/chambers.
View field in the data dictionary -
25 Sep 2022
-
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature
Date at which the previous legislature (elected at the previous elections) was dissolved.
View field in the data dictionary -
22 Jul 2022
-
Timing of election
Timing of election: Upon normal expiry; Early elections; Delayed elections
View field in the data dictionary -
Early elections
-
Expected date of next elections
The expected date at which the next elections should take place, based on law or practice.
View field in the data dictionary -
30 Sep 2027
-
Number of seats at stake
Number of seats contested at the elections. Where the parliament/chamber is fully renewed, this number is usually identical to the statutory number of members. Where the parliament/chamber is partially renewed or appointed, the number of seats at stake is usually less than the total number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
200
-
Scope of elections
Scope of elections: Full renewal; Partial renewal.
View field in the data dictionary -
Full renewal
Candidates
-
Number of parties contesting the election
This field may include either the number of parties contesting the election, or the number of coalitions/electoral alliance.
View field in the data dictionary -
25
-
Total number of candidates
Total number of people who registered as candidates for election. Does not include people who stood as candidates to become "substitute members".
View field in the data dictionary -
1,630
-
Number of male candidates
Number of male candidates
View field in the data dictionary -
911
-
Number of female candidates
Number of female candidates
View field in the data dictionary -
719
-
Percentage of women candidates
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
View field in the data dictionary -
44.1%
Voter turnout
-
Registered voters
Number of people registered to vote
View field in the data dictionary -
45,210,950
-
Voters
Number of people who actually voted
View field in the data dictionary -
28,795,727
-
Voter turnout
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of people who actually voted by the number of people registered to vote
View field in the data dictionary -
63.7%
Results
-
About the election
Short description of the context and results of the election.
View field in the data dictionary -
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 (PD-IDP) – 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.
-
Number of parties winning seats
The number of parties which won parliamentary representation in the given election.
View field in the data dictionary -
7
-
Percentage of parties winning seats
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of parties which won parliamentary representation by the number of parties contesting the election.
View field in the data dictionary -
28.0%
-
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of seats won by the largest party by the number of seats at stake in the election.
View field in the data dictionary -
57.5%
-
Alternation of power after elections
The results of the elections caused a change in the government. "Not applicable" to countries using the presidential system when parliamentary and presidential elections are held separately, to countries in political transition or where there is no party system.
View field in the data dictionary -
Yes
-
Names of parties in government
The government may be formed by one or more political parties
View field in the data dictionary -
Coalition Brothers of Italy (FdI) - Lega - Forza Italia - Us Moderates (Noi moderati, NM)
Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group | Total | Proportional | Majority | Abroad |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coalition Brothers of Italy (FdI) - Lega - Forza Italia - Us Moderates (Noi moderati, NM) | 115 | 56 | 59 | 0 |
Democratic Party - Democratic and Progressive Italy (PD-IDP) - Greens and Left Alliance (AVS) - +EUROPA" - Civic Commitment (IC) | 44 | 34 | 7 | 3 |
Five Star Movement (M5s) | 28 | 23 | 5 | 0 |
Action - Italia Viva | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
South Tyrolean People's Party - PATT (SVP - PATT) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
South calls North (Sud Chiama Nord) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Associative Movement of Italians Abroad (MAIE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Members elected, by sex
- Number of men elected
-
131
- Number of women elected
-
69
Notes:
After the 2022 elections, there were 206 members of the Senate, of whom 71 were women. The composition of the chamber broke down as follows:
- 200 directly elected senators, of whom 69 were women;
- five senators appointed by the President, of whom two were women;
- one male former President of the Republic, who is an ex-officio member of the Senate.
-
Percentage of women elected
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women elected by the number of seats filled.
View field in the data dictionary -
34.5%
- Women Directly Elected
-
69
- Women Appointed
-
2
- Other notes on the elections
-
Note on the new statutory number of members:
Article 4 of the Constitutional Amendment Law 19 October 2020 no. 1 stipulates that the 2020 constitutional amendments “shall become effective after the first dissolution of Parliament following the date of entry into force of this Law”. The new statutory number of members in both chambers of parliament thus became effective on 22 July 2022 when the 2018 legislature was dissolved in view of early elections to be held on 25 September 2022.
The number of members in the Chamber of Deputies has decreased from 630 to 400 and that of the Senate from 315 to 200*. Both chambers will continue to be elected under a mixed system (parallel system, using list-based proportional representation and first past the post), see below.
*In addition, as was the case for the previous Senate, the President of the Republic may appoint up to five citizens. Former Presidents of the Republic are ex officio Senators for life unless they renounce the office.
Chamber of Deputies: 400 members
- List proportional representation system: 253 members (245 members elected from 28 constituencies in Italy and 8 members elected from constituencies abroad)
- First-past-the-post system: 147 members elected from 28 national constituencies
Senate: 200 members
- List proportional representation system: 126 (122 members elected from 20 regional constituencies and 4 members elected from constituencies abroad)
- First-past-the-post system: 74 members elected from 20 regional constituencies
- Sources
New legislature
-
Total number of men after the election
The total number of male parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
View field in the data dictionary -
135
-
Total number of women after the election
The total number of female parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
View field in the data dictionary -
71
-
Percentage of women after the election
The percentage is calculated by dividing the total number of women in this parliament/chamber by the current number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
34.5%
-
First-term parliamentarians
The number of members who are assuming their parliamentary mandate for the first time following the election or renewal, regardless of their mode of designation.
View field in the data dictionary -
78
-
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of first-term parliamentarians by the number of seats at stake in the election.
View field in the data dictionary -
37.9%
-
Date of the first session
The date when the newly elected parliament/chamber was convened for the first time. It may be different from the date when members were sworn in.
View field in the data dictionary -
13 Oct 2022
First Speaker of the new legislature
- Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature
-
Ignazio La Russa (Male)
Date of birth: 18 Jul 1947 -
Political party
The political party to which the Speaker belonged to at the moment of the election. In some parliaments, the Speaker suspends or relinquishes their party membership during their term in office and is considered as an independent member.
View field in the data dictionary -
Brothers of Italy (FdI)
-
Date of election
The date of the election of the Speaker may be different from the date of the first session of the new legislature.
View field in the data dictionary -
13 Oct 2022