| Political Information |
| Type of Government |
| Year of Constitution and Key Themes |
| Current Prime Minister/ President |
| Key Political Parties |
| # or % of women in political office |
| republic |
| Jan 1, 1948 Defines the structure and functioning of the state. Established institutional principles to be observed by high bodies of state, and clear cut seperation between and independence of the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government. |
| The President is the head of state, representing national unity. Since May 13, 1999, it has been Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (born 1920). The president serves a seven year term with the possibility of reelection. He is elected by the two chambers of parliament and three representatives from each region. Along with being the symbol of unity and the head of state, the president is also the head of the armed forces, and he chooses the prime minister (Silvio Berlusconi since Jn 10, 2001) and appoints other ministers. If the president determines that it is impossible for the parliament to function normally, he can dissolve it and call for new general elections. This has happened several times. |
| Political parties are important at the constitutional level. They are financed through public funds proportional to the consensus they obtain. The parties have undergone great change, especially after WWII, and in the early nineties. Italy has a five party coalition Forza Italia National Alliance Northern League Democratic Christian Center United Christian Democrats |
| voter turnout last election |
| In Italy, women only got the right to vote in 1946. In 2001, the voter turnout was 84.5% of the voting age population. This was their lowest turnout since before 1946. |
| There are 630 parliamentary seats. In 2002, there are 62 women in office, or 10% From 1997-2001 there were 70 women in office, or 11% In 1990 there were 81 women in office, or 13% |