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Present Government
Italy has been a democratic republic
since June 2, 1946, when the
monarchy was abolished by popular
referendum. The constitution was
promulgated on January 1, 1948. The
head of state is the president,
chosen in a joint session by
parliament and is to occupy the
position for 7 years. The head of
the government is the prime
minister. The national referendum of
2001 had increased the regional
powers and their responsibility over
the regional matters while the
federal government oversees public
order and justice, election law,
foreign relations, national defense,
and environmental issues.
Parliament
The 1948 constitution established a
bicameral parliament consisting of
the 630-member Chamber of Deputies
and the 315-member Senate. Both
houses are elected for a maximum of
5 years, but either may be dissolved
before the expiration of its normal
term. Legislative bills may
originate in either house and must
be passed by a majority in both.
Executive
The Italian executive branch is
composed of a Council of Ministers
(cabinet) whose members have been
elected and are headed by the prime
minister (called in Italy as the
president of the council) who
himself is nominated by the
president. The Council of
Ministers--in practice consists
mostly of members of
parliament--must retain the
confidence of both
houses.
Judiciary
The Italian judicial system is based
on Roman law modified by the
Napoleonic code and subsequent
statutes. There is only partial
judicial review of legislation in
the American sense. A constitutional
court, which passes on the
constitutionality of laws, is a
post-World War II innovation. Its
powers, volume, and frequency of
decisions are not as extensive as
those of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Administrative Regions
Italy is administratively divided
into twenty regions. Five of the
regions, namely Sardinia, Sicily,
Trentino-Alto Adige, Valle d'Aosta,
and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, are given
special autonomy statutes whereas
the rest 15 regions--Abruzzi,
Basilicata, Calabria, Campania,
Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Liguria,
Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte,
Puglia, Toscana, Umbria, and
Veneto--have their own regional
councils.
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Government & Politics 
