| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Il Parlamento / Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Senato della Repubblica / Senate |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Camera dei Deputati / Chamber of Deputies
|
| LEGAL FRAMEWORK |
| Electoral Law |
6 February 1948
Last amendment: 21.12.2005 |
| Mode of designation |
directly elected 315
appointed 5
other 2 |
| Constituencies |
- 20 multi-member constituencies (302 seats)
- 1 single-member constituency in Valle d'Aosta (1 seat)
- 6 single-member constituencies in Trentino-Alto Adige (6 seats) equally distributed between Italian-speaking Trento (Trent) province and German-speaking Bolzano (Südtirol) province
- 1 constituency for Italians abroad representing 4 geographical groups (6 seats): a) Europe (including the entire Russian Federation and Turkey); b) South America; c) North and Central America; and d) Africa, Asia, Oceania and Antarctica |
| Voting system |
Proportional:
- proportional representation system applying the d'Hondt method to regional voting results for 302 seats
- proportional representation system for the constituency for Italians abroad representing 4 geographical groups (6 seats)
*First-past-the-post system for single-seat-constituencies in Valle d'Aosta and Trentino-Alto Adige (12 seats).
The minimum thresholds for a seat in the Senate are based on regional voting results:
- for a political coalition: 20 per cent of the total number of valid votes in every region/constituency;
- for a political list within a coalition: 3 per cent of the total number of valid votes in every region/constituency;
- for a political party (list) not affiliated with any political coalition: 8 per cent of the total number of valid votes in every region/constituency.
If the political coalition or political party with the highest number of votes fails to win 55 per cent of the seats to be filled in the region, it is given "bonus" seats to obtain the minimum of 55 per cent of seats required in the region. The remaining seats are distributed among the other qualifying coalitions and individual parties. However, no regional majority bonus seats are awarded in Molise, which elects only two senators.
Seats which become vacant between general elections are filled by the "next-in-line" candidate of the same party list. By-elections are held in the case of majority seats.
Voting is not compulsory. |
| Voter requirements |
- age: minimum 25 years old
- Italian citizenship
- disqualifications: criminal conviction, immoral conduct as defined by the law
Pursuant to Law No. 459/2001 and its implementing regulations (Presidential Decree No. 104 of 2003), Italians abroad meeting the above-mentioned requirements are entitled to elect 6 members representing the Constituency for Italians Abroad (Circonscrizione Estero). They can vote by post or in the constituency in Italy in which they are registered. Electors residing overseas and wishing to return to Italy to cast their vote must notify the relevant Consular Office in writing by 31 December the year before the normal expiry of the legislature or, if Parliament is dissolved early, within 10 days of the calling of the election. |
| CANDIDATES |
| Eligibility |
- qualified electors
- age: minimum 40 years old
- Italian citizenship
Candidates running in the Constituency for Italians Abroad must be both resident and qualified electors of that geographical group. |
| Incompatibilities |
- public posts (including the Constitutional Court judges and members of the National Council for Economic Affairs and Labour)
- executive of a State enterprise or State-assisted company |
| Candidacy requirements |
- signatures of between 1,000 and 1,500 electors (for independent candidates)
- signatures of between 1,000 and 3,500 electors (for candidates associated with a group having at least two other candidates in other constituencies of the same region) |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Electoral system module
