Constitution: 1 January 1948
Legal system: based on civil law system, with ecclesiastical law influence; appeals treated as trials de novo; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial
elections, where minimum age is 25)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992)
was elected for a seven-year term by an electoral college consisting
of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives
head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the
President of the Council of Ministers) Romano PRODI (since 18 May
1996) was appointed by the president
cabinet: Council of Ministers was nominated by the President of the
Council (i.e., Prime Minister) and approved by the President of the
Republic
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlamento)
Senate (Senato della Repubblica): elections last held 22 April 1996
(next to be held by NA); results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (326 total, 315 elected, 11 appointed senators-for-life)
Olive Tree 157, Freedom Alliance 116, Northern League 27, Refounded
Communists 10, regional lists 3, Social Movement-Tricolor Flames 1,
Panella Reformers 1
Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati): elections last held 22
April 1996 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party
NA; seats - (630 total) Olive Tree 284, Freedom Alliance 246,
Northern League 59, Refounded Communists 35, Southern Tyrol List 3,
Autonomous List 2, other 1
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (Corte Costituzionale),
composed of 15 judges (one-third appointed by the president,
one-third elected by Parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary
and administrative supreme courts)
Political parties and leaders:
Olive Tree: Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), Massimo D'ALEMA;
Greens, Carlo RIPA DI MEANA; Italian Renewal, Lamberto DINI;
Southern Tyrols List (German speakers)
Freedom Alliance: Forza Italia (FI), Silvio BERLUSCONI; National
Alliance (AN), Gianfranco FINI; Christian Democratic Center (CCD),
Pier Ferdinando CASINI; Democratic Union Party, Antonio MACCANICO
other: Northern League (NL), Umberto BOSSI; Italian Social Movement,
Pino RAUTI; Communist Refoundation (RC), Fausto BERTINOTTI; Italian
Socialists, Enrico BOSELLI; Rete (The Network), Leoluca ORLANDO;
Christian Socialists, Luciano GUERZONI; Democratic Pact for Italy,
Mario SEGNI; Italian Popular Party (PPI), Gerardo BIANCO; Pannella's
Reformers, Marco PANNELLA; Christian Democratic Union (United
Christian Democrats - CDU), Rocco BUTTIGLIONE; Democratic Alliance,
Willer BORDON; Union for the New Republic, Raffaele COSTA; Unitary
Communists, Famiano CRUCIANELLI; Autonomous List (a group of minor
parties); Social Movement-Tricolor Flames
Other political or pressure groups: the Roman Catholic Church;
three major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale
Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL which is PDS-dominated, Confederazione
Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL which is centrist, and
Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL which is center-left); Italian
manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria,
Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori,
Confagricoltura)
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer),
AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN,
EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer),
MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),
OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU,
WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ferdinando SALLEO chancery: 1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 328-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 483-2187 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco consulate(s): Detroit and New Orleans