Chief of State—President Francesco COSSIGA (since 3 July 1985);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Giulio ANDREOTTI (since 22 July 1989, heads the government for the seventh time); Deputy Prime Minister Claudio MARTELLI (since 23 July 1989)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Party (DC), Arnaldo FORLANI (general secretary),
Ciriaco De MITA (president);
Socialist Party (PSI), Bettino CRAXI (party secretary);
Social Democratic Party (PSDI), Antonio CARIGLIA (party secretary);
Liberal Party (PLI), Renato ALTISSIMO (secretary general);
Democratic Party of the Left (PDS—was Communist Party, or PCI, until
January 1991), Achille OCCHETTO (secretary general);
Italian Social Movement (MSI), Giuseppe (Pino) RAUTI (national
secretary);
Republican Party (PRI), Giorgio La MALFA (political secretary);
Lega Nord, Umberto BOSSI, president;
Italy's 50th postwar government was formed on 13 April 1991,
with Prime Minister ANDREOTTI, a Christian Democrat, presiding over a
four-party coalition consisting of the Christian Democrats, Socialists,
Social Democrats, and Liberals
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18 (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)
_#_Elections:
Senate—last held 14-15 June 1987 (next to be held by June 1992); results—DC 33.9%, PCI 28.3%, PSI 10.7%, other 27.1%; seats—(320 total, 315 elected) DC 125, PCI 100, PSI 36, other 54;
Chamber of Deputies—last held 14-15 June 1987 (next to be held by June 1992); results—DC 34.3%, PCI 26.6%, PSI 14.3%, MSI 5.9%, PRI 3.7%, PSDI 3.0%, Radicals 2.6%, Greens 2.5%, PLI 2.1%, Proletarian Democrats 1.7%, other 3.3%; seats—(630 total) DC 234, PCI 177, PSI 94, MSI 35, PRI 21, PSDI 17, Radicals 13, Greens 13, PLI 11, Proletarian Democrats 8, other 7
_#_Communists: 1.3 million (1990)
_#_Other political or pressure groups: the Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations (CGIL—Communist dominated, CISL—Christian Democratic, and UIL—Social Democratic, Socialist, and Republican); Italian manufacturers association (Confindustria); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)
_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM,
CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IEA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OAS (observer),
OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP,
UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO