Italy: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Italian Republic conventional short form: Italy local long form: Repubblica Italiana local short form: Italia former: Kingdom of Italy etymology: derivation is unclear, but the Latin "Italia" may come from the Oscan "Viteliu" meaning "(land) of young cattle" (the bull was a symbol of southern Italic tribes) |
|---|---|
| Government type | parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Rome
Rome
geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| Administrative divisions | 15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma)regions: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Toscana (Tuscany), Umbria, Veneto (Venetia) autonomous regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Sardegna (Sardinia); Sicilia (Sicily); Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol) or Trentino-Suedtirol (German); Valle d'Aosta (Aosta Valley) or Vallee d'Aoste (French) |
| Independence | 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1871) |
| National holiday | Republic Day, 2 June (1946) |
| Constitution | history: previous 1848 (originally for the Kingdom of Sardinia and adopted by the Kingdom of Italy in 1861); latest enacted 22 December 1947, adopted 27 December 1947, entered into force 1 January 1948 amendments: proposed by both houses of Parliament; passage requires two successive debates and approval by absolute majority of each house on the second vote; a referendum is only required when requested by one-fifth of the members of either house, by voter petition, or by five Regional Councils (elected legislative assemblies of the 15 first-level administrative regions and 5 autonomous regions of Italy); amended many times, last in 2012; note - a referendum held on 4 December 2016 on constitutional amendments was defeated (2016) |
| Legal system | civil law system; judicial review of legislation under certain conditions in Constitutional Court |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Italy dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years for EU nationals, 5 years for refugees and specified exceptions, 10 years for all others |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25 |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Sergio MATTARELLA (since 3 February 2015) head of government: Prime Minister Paolo GENTILONI (since 12 December 2016); note - Prime Minister Matteo RENZI (since 22 February 2014) resigned 12 December 2016; the prime minister's official title is President of the Council of Ministers cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and nominated by the president elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 31 January 2015 (next scheduled for 2020); prime minister appointed by the president, confirmed by parliament election results: Georgio MATTARELLA (PD) elected president; electoral college vote count in fourth round - 665 out of 1,009 (505-vote threshold); Paolo GENTILONI (PD) sworn in as prime minister on 12 December 2016 |
| Legislative branch | description: bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (322 seats; 315 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms and 7 ex-officio members appointed by the president of the Republic to serve for life) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 629 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 1 member from Valle d'Aosta elected by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms) elections: Senate - last held on 24-25 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 24-25 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - center-left coalition 123 (PD 111, SEL 7, SVP 2, other 3), center-right coalition 117 (PdL 98, LN 18, other 1), M5S 54, centrist coalition 19, other 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - center-left coalition 345 (PD 297, SEL 37, CD 6 SVP 5), center-right coalition 125 (PdL 98, LN 18, FdI 9), M5S 109, centrist coalition 47, other 3 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Supreme Court of Cassation or Corte Suprema di Cassazione consists of the first president (chief justice), deputy president, 54 justices presiding over 6 civil and 7 criminal divisions, and 288 judges; an additional 30 judges of lower courts serve as supporting judges; cases normally heard by 5-judge panels; more complex cases heard by 9-judge panels; Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (consists of the court president and 14 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Council of the Judiciary, headed by the president of the republic; judges may serve for life; Constitutional Court judges - 5 appointed by the president, 5 elected by parliament, 5 elected by select higher courts; judges serve up to 9 years subordinate courts: various lower civil and criminal courts (primary and secondary tribunals, courts, and courts of appeal) |
| Political parties and leaders | Ruling left-center-right coalition: Civic Choice or SC (Enrico ZANETTI) Democratic Centre or CD (Bruno TABACCI) Democratic Party or PD (Matteo RENZI) The New Center-Right or NCD (Angelino ALFANO) Center-right opposition: Brothers of Italy-National Alliance or FdI-AN (Giorgia MELONI, Ignazio LA RUSSA, and Guido CROSETTO) Forza Italia (Silvio BERLUSCONI) (formerly PdL) Northern League or LN (Matteo SALVINI) other minor parties Center-left opposition: Left Ecology Freedom (Nichi VENDOLA) Other parties: Civil Revolution or RC (Antonio INGROIA) Five Star Movment or M5S (Beppe GRILLO) South Tyrolean People's Party or SVP (Philipp ACHAMMER) Union of the Center or UdC (Pier Fernando CASINI) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | manufacturers and merchants associations: Confcommercio Confindustria organized farm groups: Confcoltivatori Confagricoltura major trade union confederations: Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL (Susanna CAMUSSO) (left wing) Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL (Raffaele BONANNI) (Roman Catholic centrist) Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL (Luigi ANGELETTI) (lay centrist) other: Roman Catholic Church |
| International organization participation | ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Armando VARRICCHIO (since 2 March 2016) chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (1) (202) 612-4400 FAX: (1) (202) 518-2151 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco consulate(s): Charlotte (NC), Cleveland (OH), Detroit (MI), Hattiesburg (MS), Honolulu (HI), New Orleans, Newark (NJ), Norfolk (VA), Pittsburgh (PA), Portland (OR), Seattle consular agency(ies): Anchorage (AL), Charleston (SC), Worcester (MA) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador John R. PHILLIPS (since 3 October 2013); note - also accredited to San Marino embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 telephone: (39) (06) 46741 FAX: (39) (06) 4674-2244 consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples consular agency(ies): Anchorage (AK), Charleston (SC), Worcester (MA) |
| Flag description | three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; design inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797; colors are those of Milan (red and white) combined with the green uniform color of the Milanese civic guard note: similar to the flag of Mexico, which is longer, uses darker shades of red and green, and has its coat of arms centered on the white band; Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green |
| National symbol(s) | white, five-pointed star (Stella d'Italia); national colors: red, white, green |
| National anthem | name: "Il Canto degli Italiani" (The Song of the Italians) lyrics/music: Goffredo MAMELI/Michele NOVARO note: adopted 1946; the anthem, originally written in 1847, is also known as "L'Inno di Mameli" (Mameli's Hymn), and "Fratelli D'Italia" (Brothers of Italy) |