Italy - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Italy, it was 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). The Government system in this country is the parliamentary republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes:
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
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)
National symbols
White, five-pointed star (Stella d'Italia); national colors: red, white, green.
The flag
The National flag of Italy has 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.
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note: similar to the flag of Mexico, which is longer, uses darker shades of green and red, 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
The National Anthem
| Title | "Il Canto degli Italiani" (The Song of the Italians) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Goffredo MAMELI/Michele NOVARO |
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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)
More about the government of Italy
| Date of Independence | 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1871) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Republic Day, 2 June (1946) |
| 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 |
| 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 5 Regional Councils (elected legislative assemblies of the 15 first-level administrative regions and 5 autonomous regions of Italy); referendum not required if an amendment has been approved by a two-thirds majority in each house in the second vote; amended many times, last in 2020; note - in June 2024, the Senate approved in its first vote an amendment calling for the direct election of the prime minister; subsequent votes by both the Senate and House of Deputies is required for passage; lacking approval by Parliament, approval is required by constitutional referendum |
| 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 |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Sergio MATTARELLA (since 3 February 2015) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Giorgia MELONI (since 22 October 2022); the prime minister's official title is President of the Council of Ministers |
| Cabinet | Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, known officially as the President of the Council of Ministers and locally as the Premier; 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 24-29 January 2022 (eight rounds) (next to be held in 2029); prime minister appointed by the president, confirmed by parliament |
| Election results | 2022: Sergio MATTARELLA (independent) reelected president; electoral college vote count in eighth round - 759 out of 1,009 (505 vote threshold) 2015: Sergio MATTARELLA (independent) elected president; electoral college vote count in fourth round - 665 out of 995 (505 vote threshold)
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| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of: Senate or Senato della Repubblica (205 seats; 122 members in multi-seat constituencies directly elected by proportional representation vote, 74 members in single-seat constituencies directly elected by plurality vote, 4 members in multi-seat constituencies abroad directly elected by proportional representation vote, and 5 members appointed by the president of Italy; all members serve 5-year terms) Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (400 seats; 245 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; 147 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by plurality vote and 8 members in multi-seat constituencies abroad directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) |
| Elections | Senate - last held on 25 September 2022 (next to be held no later than December 2027) Chamber of Deputies - last held on 25 September 2022; note - snap elections were called when Prime Minister DRAGHI resigned and the parliament was dissolved on 21 July 2022 (next to be held on 30 September 2027) |
| Election results | Senate - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - center-right coalition 113 (FdI 65, Lega 30, FI 18), center-left coalition 43 (PD 40, AVS 3), M5S 28, Action-Italia Viva 9, SVP 2, MAIE 1, ScN 1; composition - men 131, women 74, percentage women 36.1% Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - center-right coalition 230 (FdI 119, Lega 66, FI 45), center-left coalition 83 (PD 69, AVS 12, +EU 2), M5S 52, Action-Italia Viva 21, SVP 3, MAIE 1, ScN 1; composition - men 271, women 129, percentage women 32.3%; total Parliament percentage women 33.6% |
| 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 and courts of appeal) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Mariangela ZAPPIA (since 15 September 2021) |
| Chancery | 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 612-4400 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 518-2154 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://ambwashingtondc.esteri.it/ambasciata_washington/en/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco |
| Consulate(s) | Detroit |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Jack MARKELL (since September 2023); note - also accredited to San Marino |
| Embassy | Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187 Roma |
| Mailing address | 9500 Rome Place, Washington DC 20521-9500 |
| Telephone | [39] 06-46741 |
| FAX | [39] 06-4674-2244 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://it.usembassy.gov/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Florence, Milan, Naples |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 59 (53 cultural, 6 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Historic Center of Rome (c); Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata (c); Venice and its Lagoon (c); Historic Center of Florence (c); Piazza del Duomo, Pisa (c); Historic Centre of Naples (c); Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (c); Villa d'Este, Tivoli (c); Mount Etna (n); Rock Drawings in Valcamonica (c); Historic Siena (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Italy
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Italy
Want to know more about Italy? Check all different factbooks for Italy below.
