Federal elections in Italy
Italian federal elections are held every to elect the Chancellor, the 172 Delegates to the Court of Delegates, and the 145 members of the Chamber of Deputees. The most recent election was held in 2005, but the next election is approaching in the latter half of 2009.
Chancellor Elections
The Chancellor is elected by popular vote every four years, coinciding with the Chamber of Deputees elections. To be elected, a candidate must receive at least 50% of the votes cast; failing that, the three candidates with the largest amounts of votes present themselves to a second round, which must be held no more than seven days after the first. In this second round, whichever candidate wins a plurality of votes wins the chancellorship.
If a Chancellor is elected in the first round, all candidates who received at least 5% of the popular vote are automatically elected to the Court of Elders for four-year terms of office. If a Chancellor is elected in the second round, the two other second-round candidates are elected to the Court of Elders for four-year terms.
Senate Elections
The Court of Delegates in the Senate is composed of 172 directly-elected Delegates, elected for five-year terms in single-member constituencies. Elections for Delegates are held under the single transferable vote system.
Chamber of Deputees Elections
The Chamber of Deputees is composed of 145 directly-elected Deputees, elected for four-year terms on a party-list system. Of the 145 members of the Chamber, 97 are elected at the national level, that is, within the member states. The remaining 48 are elected at the federal level.
2005 General Election Results
The overall results reinforced the Liberal Democratic Union's position as the governing party.
Chancellor election, 2005
The candidates garnering 0.25% or more of the popular vote in the 2005 Chancellor election.
| Candidate | Party | Region | Vote percentage | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liliana Spada | ULD | Tuscany | 54.23 | elected as Chancellor |
| Gianfranco Fini | PM | Modena | 21.68 | elected to the Court of Elders |
| Livia Turco | SD | Torino | 11.55 | elected to the Court of Elders |
| Tiberio de Montenero | FP | Elba | 6.04 | automatically elected to the Court of Elders |
| Patrizia Toja | PPI | Tuscany | 3.12 | |
| Stefano Taglia | RC | Milano | 0.93 | |
| Renato Frescobaldi | LV | Tuscany | 0.87 | |
| Emma Bonino | PR | Veneto | 0.36 | |
| Giovanna Marchi | IF | Trento | 0.35 | |
| Emmanuela de Tommaso | PDC | Ceva | 0.29 | |
| Acchille Fiori | DP | Bologna | 0.25 | |
| Others | 0.33 | |||
| Total | 100.00 |
Court of Delegates election, 2005
The winning candidates of the Court of Delegates election in 2005 (non-incumbents only):
- Eleonora Righetti, IF, Aosta
- Anna Maria Nardini, SD, Modena
- Elettra Nerva, UC, Veneto
- Orietta De Mattei, SD, Mantua
- Ombelina Arroni, PM, Tuscany
- Luigi Leopoldo d'Asburgo, PPI, Trento
- Ubaldo Torricelli, ULD, Montferrat
- Riccardo Iacobini, ULD, Ceva
- Agnese Eure, PM, Umbria
- Andrea Novelli, ULD, Liguria
- Adriana Rossi, SD, Torino
- Silvana Aspesi, SD, Piedmont
- Isabella Ercolani, FP, Genova
- Enrico Negrin, IF, Friuli
- Mariangela Antognoni, ULD, Marches
- Ulderico Ermanni, RC, Padova
- Donatella Francesconi, ULD, Piombino
- Beniamino Sciacca, ULD, Lombardy
Chamber of Deputees
The results of the 2005 Chamber of Deputies election by party:
| Party | Seats |
|---|---|
| Liberal Democratic Union (UDL/ULD) | 61 |
| Democratic Left (SD) | 34 |
| Monarchist Party (PM) | 13 |
| Italian Popular Party (PPI) | 12 |
| Communist Refoundation (RC) | 9 |
| Christian Socialist Movement (MSC) | 5 |
| Federalist Italy (IF) | 4 |
| Confederalist Union (UC) | 2 |
| Green List (LV) | 1 |
| Radical Party (PR) | 1 |
| Popular Front (FP) | 1 |
| Italian Socialists (SI) | 1 |
| Christian Democratic Union (UDC) | 1 |
