Elections in Italy

Italy elects, at the national level, a Parliament consisting of two houses: the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) with 630 members; and the Senate of the Republic (Senato della Repubblica) with 315 elected members, plus a few senators for life. The President of the Republic is elected for a seven-year term by the two houses of Parliament in joint session.

Italy has historically had many political parties, both national and regional, with different party systems.

The most recent Italian general election was held on 24 and 25 February 2013.

A snap general election was held in Italy on 24 and 25 February 2013, after President Giorgio Napolitano dissolved parliament few months before, due to the resignation of the Prime Minister Mario Monti and his technocratic government. No absolute winner emerged from the election; the votes were divided into three parts: the centre-left alliance, Italy Common Good, whose major party was the Democratic Party, led by Pier Luigi Bersani, the Centre-right coalition, led by Silvio Berlusconi with his People of Freedom party, and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, whose leader was Beppe Grillo. On 24 April 2013, Napolitano, gave the task to form a new government to the Deputy-Secretary of the Democratic Party, Enrico Letta. On 28 April he sworn in as Prime Minister.