1968 Italian general election

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1968 Italian general election
Flag of Italy.svg
  1963 19 May 1968 1972  

All 630 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
316 seats needed for a majority
All 315 elective seats in the Senate
162 seats needed for a majority [a]
Registered35,566,493 (C) ·32,517,638 (S)
Turnout33,001,644 (C) ·92.8% (Decrease2.svg0.1 pp)
30,252,921 (S) ·93.0% (Decrease2.svg0.1 pp)
 Majority partyMinority partyThird party
 
Mariano Rumor daticamera.jpg
Luigi Longo 1968.jpg
Francesco De Martino.jpg
Leader Mariano Rumor Luigi Longo Francesco De Martino [b]
Party DC PCI Unified Socialist
Leader since27 January 196422 August 196412 December 1963
Leader's seat Verona (C) Milan (C) Naples (C)
Seats won266 (C) / 135 (S)177 (C) / 101 (S) [c] 91 (C) / 46 (S)
Seat changeIncrease2.svg6 (C) / Increase2.svg6 (S)Increase2.svg11 (C) / Increase2.svg17 (S)Decrease2.svg29 (C) / Decrease2.svg12 (S)
Popular vote12,441,553 (C)
10,972,114 (S)
8,557,404 (C)
8,585,601 (S) [c]
4,605,832 (C)
4,354,906 (S)
Percentage39.1% (C)
38.3% (S)
26.9% (C)
30.0% (S) [c]
14.5% (C)
15.2% (S)
SwingIncrease2.svg0.8 pp (C)
Increase2.svg1.8 pp (S)
Increase2.svg1.6 pp (C)
Increase2.svg6.5 pp (S)
Decrease2.svg5.5 pp (C) [d]
Decrease2.svg5.1 pp (S) [d]

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
Giovanni Malagodi 1972.jpg
Arturo Michelini (cropped).jpg
Tullio Vecchietti 1968.jpg
Leader Giovanni Malagodi Arturo Michelini Tullio Vecchietti
Party PLI MSI PSIUP
Leader since4 April 195410 October 195412 January 1964
Leader's seat Milan (C) Rome (C) Rome (C)
Seats won31 (C) / 16 (S)24 (C) / 11 (S)23 (C) / w. PCI (S)
Seat changeDecrease2.svg8 (C) / Decrease2.svg2 (S)Decrease2.svg3 (C) / Decrease2.svg3 (S)New party
Popular vote1,850,650 (C)
1,943,795 (S)
1,414,036 (C)
1,304,847 (S)
1,414,697 (C)
w. PCI (S)
Percentage5.1% (C)
6.8% (S)
4.5% (C)
4.6% (S)
4.5% (C)
w. PCI (S)
SwingDecrease2.svg1.2 pp (C)
Decrease2.svg0.6 pp (S)
Decrease2.svg0.6 pp (C)
Decrease2.svg0.7 pp (S)
New party

1968 Italian general election - Results.svg
Results of the election in the Chamber and Senate

Prime Minister before election

Aldo Moro
DC

Prime Minister after the election

Giovanni Leone
DC

The 1968 Italian general election was held in Italy on 19 May 1968. [1] The Christian Democracy (DC) remained stable around 38% of the votes. They were marked by a victory of the Communist Party (PCI) passing from 25% of 1963 to c. 30% at the Senate, where it presented jointly with the new Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity (PSIUP), which included members of Socialist Party (PSI) which disagreed the latter's alliance with DC. PSIUP gained c. 4.5% at the Chamber. The Socialist Party and the Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI) presented together as the Unified PSI–PSDI, but gained c. 15%, far less than the sum of what the two parties had obtained separately in 1963.

Contents

Electoral system

The pure party-list proportional representation had traditionally become the electoral system for the Chamber of Deputies. Italian provinces were united in 32 constituencies, each electing a group of candidates. At constituency level, seats were divided between open lists using the largest remainder method with Imperiali quota. Remaining votes and seats were transferred at national level, where they was divided using the Hare quota, and automatically distributed to best losers into the local lists.

For the Senate, 237 single-seat constituencies were established, even if the assembly had risen to 315 members. The candidates needed a landslide victory of two thirds of votes to be elected, a goal which could be reached only by the German minorities in South Tirol. All remained votes and seats were grouped in party lists and regional constituencies, where a D'Hondt method was used: inside the lists, candidates with the best percentages were elected.

Historical background

On 21 August 1964, the historic leader of the Italian Communist Party, Palmiro Togliatti died of cerebral haemorrhage [2] while vacationing with his companion Nilde Iotti in Yalta, then in the Soviet Union. According to some of his collaborators, Togliatti was travelling to the Soviet Union in order to give his support to Leonid Brezhnev's election as Nikita Khrushchev's successor at the head of Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Togliatti was replaced by Luigi Longo, a long-time prominent PCI members; Longo continued Togliatti's line, known as the "Italian road to Socialism", playing down the alliance between the Italian Communist Party and the USSR. He reacted without hostility to the new left movements that sprang up in 1968 and, among the leaders of the PCI, was one of those most disposed to engage with the new activists, although he did not condone their excesses.

Moreover, Francesco De Martino, became the new Secretary of the Italian Socialist Party, after the resignation of Pietro Nenni, due to age.

In 1965, the SIFAR intelligence agency was transformed into the SID following an aborted coup d'état, Piano Solo , which was to give power to the Carabinieri , then headed by general De Lorenzo.

The difficult equilibrium of Italian society was challenged by a rising left-wing movement, in the wake of 1968 student unrest ("Sessantotto"). This movement was characterized by such heterogeneous events as revolts by jobless farm workers (Avola, Battipaglia 1969), occupations of Universities by students, social unrest in the large Northern factories (1969 autunno caldo, hot autumn). While conservative forces tried to roll back some of the social changes of the 1960s, and part of the military indulged in "sabre rattling" in order to intimidate progressive political forces, numerous left-wing activists became increasingly frustrated at social inequalities, while the myth of guerrilla (Che Guevara, the Uruguayan Tupamaros) and of the Chinese Maoist "cultural revolution" increasingly inspired extreme left-wing violent movements.

Social protests, in which the student movement was particularly active, shook Italy during the 1969 autunno caldo (Hot Autumn), leading to the occupation of the Fiat factory in Turin. In March 1968, clashes occurred at La Sapienza university in Rome, during the "Battle of Valle Giulia." Mario Capanna, associated with the New Left, was one of the figures of the student movement, along with the members of Potere Operaio and Autonomia Operaia such as (Antonio Negri, Oreste Scalzone, Franco Piperno and of Lotta Continua such as Adriano Sofri.

Parties and leaders

PartyIdeologyLeaderSeats in 1963
CSTotal
Christian Democracy (DC) Christian democracy Mariano Rumor
260
132
392
Italian Communist Party (PCI) Communism Luigi Longo
166
84
250
Unified Socialist Party (PSU) Socialism, Social democracy Francesco De Martino
120
58
178
Italian Liberal Party (PLI) Conservative liberalism Giovanni Malagodi
39
18
57
Italian Social Movement (MSI) Neo-fascism Arturo Michelini
27
15
42
Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity (PDIUM) Monarchism Alfredo Covelli
8
2
10
Italian Republican Party (PRI) Republicanism Ugo La Malfa
6
1
7
Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity (PSIUP) Democratic socialism Tullio Vecchietti
New

Results

The election was a test for the new organization of the socialist area, which was divided between the new revolutionary and Communist-allied Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity and the governmental social-democratic federation between PSI and PSDI. The polls said that the split of the PSIUP in 1964 had not been a purely parliamentary operation, but the reflex of divisions into the leftist electorate. The result shocked the PSI's leadership, causing the sudden sinking of the social-democratic federation, and an alternance of provisional retirements by the government, firstly led by lifetime senator Giovanni Leone and then, through two political crisis, by DC's secretary Mariano Rumor. Unsuccessfully trying to recover its lost leftist electors, the PSI returned to the alliance with the PCI for the regional elections of 1970, so causing another crisis and a new change of premiership, then led by Emilio Colombo, but the government coalition had continuous problems of instability. Influent Giulio Andreotti tried to resurrect the centrist formula in 1972, but he failed, opening the way to the first early election of the republican history.

Chamber of Deputies

Italian Chamber of Deputies 1968.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Christian Democracy 12,437,84839.12266+6
Italian Communist Party 8,551,34726.90177+11
Unified Socialist Party 4,603,19214.4891−29
Italian Liberal Party 1,850,6505.8231−8
Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity 1,414,6974.4523New
Italian Social Movement 1,414,0364.4524−3
Italian Republican Party 626,5331.979+3
Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity 414,5071.306−2
South Tyrolean People's Party 152,9910.4830
Social Democracy100,2120.320New
New Republic 63,4020.200New
Autonomous Party of Italy's Pensioners41,7160.1300
Valdostan Union 31,5570.100−1
Sardinian Action Party 27,2280.090New
National Monarchist Party18,8830.0600
Socialist Movement6,5510.020New
Slovene Union 6,1420.0200
Socialist Workers' Party5,7400.020New
National Union of Public Health3,6970.0100
Technique3,1580.010New
Party of Economic Order3,0130.010New
Democratic Progressive Party2,2080.010New
Farmers' Party2,0610.010New
Italian Group1,8070.010New
Revolutionary Communist Party1,7980.010New
Radical Party 1,5400.000New
Popular Collection1,1960.000New
Sacred Idealism World1,1260.000New
Progressive Party U.N.S.I.P.O.1,0680.000New
National Party of Italian Mutilated and Combatants5240.000New
Total31,790,428100.006300
Valid votes31,790,42896.33
Invalid/blank votes1,211,2163.67
Total votes33,001,644100.00
Registered voters/turnout35,566,49392.79
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote
DC
39.12%
PCI
26.90%
PSU
14.48%
PLI
5.82%
PSIUP
4.45%
MSI
4.45%
PRI
1.97%
PDIUM
1.30%
Others
1.50%
Seats
DC
42.22%
PCI
28.10%
PSU
14.44%
PLI
4.92%
MSI
3.81%
PSIUP
3.65%
PRI
1.43%
PDIUM
0.95%
Others
0.48%

Results by constituency

ConstituencyTotal
seats
Seats won
DC PCI PSU PLI MSI PSIUP PRI PDIUM Others
Turin 3211105312
Cuneo 1573311
Genoa 2287421
Milan 47171384221
Como 1793311
Brescia 20123311
Mantua 9432
Trentino 94113
Verona 281744111
Venice 1894311
Udine 1573311
Bologna 256124111
Parma 2069311
Florence 165821
Pisa 1556211
Siena 9351
Ancona 1776211
Perugia 1345211
Rome 471713644111
L'Aquila 158421
Campobasso 5311
Naples 381510513112
Benevento 2110431111
Bari 23117311
Lecce 1995212
Potenza 8521
Catanzaro 2611651111
Catania 2913732211
Palermo 29127312121
Cagliari 198521111
Aosta Valley 11
Trieste 321
Total63026617791312423963

Senate of the Republic

Italian Senate 1968.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Christian Democracy 10,972,11438.34135+6
Italian Communist PartyPSIUP 8,585,60130.00101+17
Unified Socialist Party 4,354,90615.2246−12
Italian Liberal Party 1,943,7956.7916−2
Italian Social Movement 1,304,8474.5611−3
Italian Republican Party 622,3882.172+2
Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity 312,7021.0920
MSIPDIUM 292,3491.020−1
South Tyrolean People's Party 131,0710.4620
Social Democracy36,0730.130New
Valdostan Union 28,4140.1000
Sardinian Action Party 25,8910.0900
Socialist Workers' Party5,8700.020New
Total28,616,021100.003150
Valid votes28,616,02194.59
Invalid/blank votes1,636,9005.41
Total votes30,252,921100.00
Registered voters/turnout32,517,63893.04
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote
DC
38.34%
PCIPSIUP
30.00%
PSU
15.22%
PLI
6.79%
MSI
4.56%
PRI
2.17%
PDIUM
1.09%
Others
1.83%
Seats
DC
42.86%
PCIPSIUP
32.06%
PSU
14.60%
PLI
5.08%
MSI
3.49%
PRI
0.63%
PDIUM
0.63%
Others
0.63%

Results by constituency

ConstituencyTotal
seats
Seats won
DC PCIPSIUP PSU PLI MSI PRI PDIUM Others
Piedmont 2410743
Aosta Valley 11
Lombardy 452012841
Trentino-Alto Adige 7412
Veneto 2313541
Friuli-Venezia Giulia 7421
Liguria 114421
Emilia-Romagna 2261231
Tuscany 207103
Umbria 7241
Marche 8431
Lazio 2498322
Abruzzo 7421
Molise 22
Campania 2911841212
Apulia 2196312
Basilicata 7421
Calabria 125421
Sicily 291193231
Sardinia 9531
Total315135101461611222

Maps

1968 Italian general election - Seat Distribution.svg
Seat distribution by constituency for the Chamber of Deputies (left) and Senate (right)

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1048 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Agosti, Aldo (30 July 2008). Palmiro Togliatti: A Biography. London: I. B. Tauris. pp. 291–292. ISBN   978-1-84511-726-9 . Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  1. taking into account the Senators for life, which accounted for 7 seats at the time the election took place
  2. As secretary of the main party within the coalition, the Italian Socialist Party (PSI).
  3. 1 2 3 In a joint list with the PSIUP.
  4. 1 2 Considering the votes of the PSI and of the PSDI.