Italian Parliament

The Italian Parliament (Italian: Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It represents the people of Italy and continues the history of earlier parliaments, such as the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy, the transitional National Council, and the Constituent Assembly.

It is a bicameral legislature, meaning it has two separate groups of lawmakers. The Italian Parliament has 600 elected members, along with a few unelected members called senatori a vita. It is made up of the Chamber of Deputies, which has 400 members called deputati, and the Senate of the Republic, which has 200 members called senatori. The Senate also includes a small number of senators for life or senatori a vita, who are either appointed by the President of the Republic or are former Presidents themselves.

The two houses of the Italian Parliament work independently and usually do not meet together. However, the Constitution of Italy gives both houses the same powers, which is different from many other countries. This idea of equal powers for both houses has been part of Italian law since the Albertine Statute and was brought back after the end of the fascist dictatorship in the 1920s and 1930s. While there is no difference between deputies and senators, a person cannot be both a senator and a deputy at the same time. When choosing leaders, the older member is given precedence.

Composition of the Parliament

The Italian Parliament has two parts: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. In 2020, Italy decided to reduce the number of members in Parliament. Now, the Chamber of Deputies has 400 members, and the Senate has 200 elected members.

Besides these elected members, the Senate also includes a few special members called senators for life. These include former Presidents of Italy and up to five people chosen for their great achievements in areas like science, art, or literature. To vote in Italy, you must be eighteen or older. To be elected as a deputy, you must be twenty-five or older, and to be elected as a senator, you must be forty or older.

Functions of the Parliament

The main job of the Italian Parliament is to make laws. For a bill to become a law, it must be approved by both parts of Parliament in the same way. The bill starts in one part, gets changed, and is voted on. If it is approved, it moves to the other part, which can also change and vote on it. This continues until both parts agree, and then the President of Italy signs it to become a law.

The group that leads the government, called the Council of Ministers, needs approval from both parts of Parliament to do its job. If it loses this approval, it must leave. Parliament can also dissolve one or both parts, leading to new elections if needed.

Legislative process

Laws can start from the government, members of Parliament, citizens with enough signatures, regional councils, or a special council. The bill goes to a committee for checking, then to one part of Parliament for discussion and voting. If it passes, it goes to the other part. If changes are made, it goes back and forth until both parts agree. Some laws, like those about the budget or emergencies, have special rules.

Amendments to the Constitution and to constitutional laws

Changing the Constitution has special rules. Both parts of Parliament must vote on it twice, with at least three months between votes. If it passes with a big majority, it becomes law right away. If it passes with a smaller majority, people can vote on it in a special vote. If more people vote "No" than "Yes", the change does not happen.

Reviewing and guiding the executive

Parliament also checks on the government and gives it directions. Members can ask questions about government actions and can call for debates if they are not satisfied with the answers.

Inquests

Parliament can investigate matters of public interest by forming special committees.

Joint sessions

Parliament sometimes meets together for special tasks, like electing the President of Italy, receiving the President’s promise to follow the rules, or choosing members of important groups. These meetings happen in a special building and follow specific rules set by the Constitution.

Prerogatives

The Italian Parliament has special rights to keep itself independent from other parts of the government. These include:

• Regulatory autonomy: The Parliament makes its own rules for how it works.
• Financial autonomy: It decides how much money it needs to do its job.
• Administrative autonomy: Each part of the Parliament manages its own staff and offices.
• Inviolability of the site: Police can only enter Parliament buildings with permission and cannot carry weapons there.

These special rights help make sure the Parliament can do its work freely and without outside interference.

Electoral system

Main articles: Italian general elections and Italian Electoral Law

Italy uses a special voting system to choose members of its Parliament. This system, called "Rosatellum bis" or "Rosatellum," mixes two ways of picking leaders. About one-third of the seats are chosen by a simple "who gets the most votes wins" style in small areas. The other two-thirds are chosen based on the share of votes parties get across larger regions. This way, both popular support and party support matter in the elections.

Constituencies

Main article: List of Italian constituencies

Election of the Senate of the Republic

The Senate has 200 members chosen by people aged 18 and older. Some are elected directly in local areas, while others are chosen based on how well parties do in each region, including some seats for people living outside of Italy. Special lifelong senators also join the Senate as part of Italy’s rules.

Election of the Chamber of Deputies

The Chamber of Deputies has 400 members also chosen by people aged 18 and older. Some are elected directly in local areas, and others are chosen based on how well parties do nationwide, again with some seats for people living outside of Italy. Like the Senate, they all vote at once, but the way party votes are counted is a bit different.

Overseas constituencies

Main article: Overseas constituencies of the Parliament of Italy

Italy is special because it saves seats in its Parliament for citizens living in other countries. There are 8 of these seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 4 in the Senate, as decided by a law from 2001.

Graphical summary

Membership

Main article: List of members of the Senate of Italy, 2022–present

Main article: List of members of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, 2022–present

The Italian Parliament has two main groups of members, called the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies. Their members were elected in the most recent general election.