1994 Italian general election

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1994 Italian general election
Flag of Italy.svg
  1992 27–28 March 1994 1996  

All 630 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
316 seats needed for a majority
All 315 elective seats in the Senate
163 seats needed for a majority [a]
Registered48,135,041 (C) ·41,795,730 (S)
Turnout41,546,290 (C) ·86.3% (Decrease2.svg1.1 pp)
35,873,375 (S) ·85.8% (Decrease2.svg1.0 pp)
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Silvio Berlusconi 1994 (cropped).jpg
Achille Occhetto.jpg
Mariotto Segni 1994.jpg
Leader Silvio Berlusconi Achille Occhetto Mario Segni
Party Forza Italia PDS Segni Pact
Alliance PdLPdBG Progressives Pact for Italy
Leader since18 January 199421 June 1988 [b] 5 January 1994
Leader's seat Roma Centrale (C) Borgo Panigale (C) Sardegna (C) [c]
Seats won366 (C) / 156 (S)213 (C) / 122 (S)46 (C) / 31 (S)
Constituency vote17,746,612 (C)
14,110,705 (S)
12.632,680 (C)
10,881,320 (S)
6,019,038 (C)
5,519,090 (S)
 % and swing46.1% (C)
42.6% (S)
32.8% (C)
32.9% (S)
15.6% (C)
16.7% (S)
Party vote16,585,516 (C)13,308,244 (C)6,098,986 (C)
 % and swing42.8% (C)34.3% (C)15.8% (C)

1994 Italian general election - Vote Strength.svg
Results of the single-member constituencies in the Chamber of Deputies (left) and Senate (right).

Prime Minister before election

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Independent

Prime Minister after the election

Silvio Berlusconi
Forza Italia

The 1994 Italian general election was held on 27 and 28 March 1994 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic for the 12th legislature. Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right coalition won a large majority in the Chamber of Deputies but just missed winning a majority in the Senate.

Contents

The Italian People's Party, the renamed Christian Democracy (DC), which had dominated Italian politics for almost half a century, was decimated. It took only 29 seats versus 206 for the DC two years earlier—easily the worst defeat a sitting government in Italy has ever suffered, and one of the worst ever suffered by a Western European governing party.

New electoral system

A new electoral system was introduced in these elections, after a referendum in 1993 which repealed the "supermajority clause" concerning Senate elections. The clause had meant that Senate elections were conducted using de facto pure proportional representation. As a result of this change, the Senate now elected 75% of its seats via plurality voting system in single-member constituencies, with the remaining 25% assigned proportionally in a compensatory nature. Parliament passed a new electoral law for the Chamber of Deputies to bring it more in line with the Senate, assigning 75% of the seats via plurality voting, with the remaining 25% assigned proportionally in a supplementary manner using a minimum threshold of 4% of the vote. The new electoral system was nicknamed Mattarellum after Sergio Mattarella, who was the official proponent.

Background

In 1992, the five pro-Western governing parties (Christian Democracy, the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Social-Democratic Party, the Italian Republican Party, and the Italian Liberal Party) lost much of their electoral strength almost overnight due to a large number of judicial investigations concerning the financial corruption of many of their foremost members. This led to a general expectation that upcoming elections would be won by the Democratic Party of the Left, the heirs to the former Italian Communist Party, and their Progressives coalition unless there was an alternative.

On 26 January 1994, the media magnate Silvio Berlusconi announced his decision to enter politics, ("enter the field", in his own words) presenting his own political party, Forza Italia, on a platform focused on defeating "the communists ". His political aim was to convince the voters of the Pentapartito , i.e. the usual five governing parties who were shocked and confused by Mani Pulite scandals, that Forza Italia offered both novelty and the continuation of the pro-Western free-market policies followed by Italy since the end of World War II.

Shortly after he decided to enter the political arena, investigators into the Mani Pulite affair were said to be close to issuing warrants for the arrest of Berlusconi and senior executives of his business group. During his years of political career Berlusconi has repeatedly stated that the Mani Pulite investigations were led by communist prosecutors who wanted to establish a Soviet-style government in Italy. [1] [2]

In order to win the election, Berlusconi formed two separate electoral alliances: Pole of Freedoms (Polo delle Libertà) with the Northern League (Lega Nord) in northern Italian districts, and another, the Pole of Good Government (Polo del Buon Governo), with the post-fascist National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale; heir to the Italian Social Movement) in central and southern regions. [3] In a shrewd pragmatic move, he did not ally with the latter in the North because the League disliked them. As a result, Forza Italia was allied with two parties that were not allied with each other.

Berlusconi launched a massive campaign of electoral advertisements on his three TV networks. He subsequently won the elections, with Forza Italia garnering 21% of the popular vote, the highest percentage of any single party. [4] One of the most significant promises that he made in order to secure victory was that his government would create "one million more jobs".

On the other side, the center-left Progressives led by Achille Occhetto, also called "the Joyful War Machine", was composed by the two party born from the dissolution of the Italian Communist Party: the Democratic Party of the Left and Communist Refoundation Party. Since the alliance was sure of victory, based his campaign accusing the communicative power of Silvio Berlusconi.

Main coalitions and parties

CoalitionPartyMain ideologyParty leaderCoalition leader
Pole of Freedoms
Pole of Good Government
Forza Italia (FI) Liberal conservatism Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi
National Alliance (AN) [d] National conservatism Gianfranco Fini
Northern League (LN) [e] Regionalism Umberto Bossi
Christian Democratic Centre (CCD) [f] Christian democracy Pier Ferdinando Casini
Union of the Centre (UdC) [f] Liberalism Raffaele Costa
Liberal Democratic Pole (PLD) [f] Liberalism Adriano Teso
Progressives Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) Democratic socialism Achille Occhetto Achille Occhetto
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) Communism Fausto Bertinotti
Federation of the Greens (FdV) Green politics Carlo Ripa di Meana
Italian Socialist Party (PSI) Social democracy Ottaviano Del Turco
The Network (LR) Anti-corruption politics Leoluca Orlando
Democratic Alliance (AD) Social liberalism Willer Bordon
Social Christians (CS) [g] Christian socialism Pierre Carniti
Socialist Rebirth (RS) [h] Social democracy Giorgio Benvenuto
Pact for Italy Italian People's Party (PPI) Christian democracy Mino Martinazzoli Mario Segni
Segni Pact (PS) Liberalism Mario Segni

Results

Berlusconi's coalition won a decisive victory over the progressive one, becoming the first centre-right alliance to win a general election in Italy since the end of the Second World War. The Pole of Freedoms won in the main regions of Italy: in the North the strongest parties were the regionalist Northern League and Forza Italia, which was also able to win in all provinces of Sicily, while in the South the National Alliance received more votes. The Alliance of Progressive confirmed its predominance in the "Red Belt" regions of central Italy, and in the South.

Chamber of Deputies

Overall results

Summary of the 27 March 1994 Chamber of Deputies election results
Italian Chamber of Deputies, 1994.svg
Italy Chamber election (coa) 1994.svg
CoalitionPartyProportionalFirst-past-the-postTotal
seats
+/–
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
Pole of Freedoms
Pole of Good Government
Forza Italia (FI)8,136,13521.0130 [i] 17,746,61246.0987111 [j] New
Christian Democratic Centre (CCD)2127New
National Alliance (AN)5,214,13313.4723 [k] 87110+75
Northern League (LN)3,235,2488.3611 [l] 107118+62
Total seats64302366
Progressives Democratic Party of the Left (PDS)7,881,64620.3638 [m] 12.632,68032.8187125 [n] +17
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)2,343,9466.05112738+4
Federation of the Greens (FdV)1,047,2682.7001111−5
Italian Socialist Party (PSI)849,4292.1901515 [o] −77
The Network (LR)719,8411.86088−4
Democratic Alliance (AD)456,1141.1801616New
Total seats49164213
Pact for Italy Italian People's Party (PPI)4,287,17211.07296,019,03815.63433−146
Segni Pact (PS)1,811,8144.6813013New
Total seats42446
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)231,8420.600188,0170.4933±0
Southern Action League (LAM)59,8730.15046,8200.1311+1
Aosta Valley (VdA)043,7000.1111±0
Total630

Detailed results

First-past-the-post
Party or coalitionVotes%Seats
Progressives (P)12,632,68032.81164
Pole of Freedoms (PdL)8,767,72022.77164
Pact for Italy (PpI)6,019,03815.634
Pole of Good Government (PdBG)5,732,89014.89129
National Alliance (AN)2,566,8486.678
Forza Italia (FI)679,1541.761
Pannella List (LP)432,6671.120
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)188,0170.493
Social Democracy for the Freedoms (PSDIFDS)147,4930.380
Southern Action League (LAM)46,8200.131
Aosta Valley (VdA)43,7000.111
Others1,247,1313.240
Total38,504,158100.00475
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Proportional
PartyVotes%Seats
Forza Italia (FI)8,136,13521.0130
Democratic Party of the Left (PDS)7,881,64620.3638
National Alliance (AN)5,214,13313.4723
Italian People's Party (PPI)4,287,17211.0729
Northern League (LN)3,235,2488.3611
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)2,343,9466.0511
Segni Pact (PS)1,811,8144.6813
Pannella List (LP)1,359,2833.510
Federation of the Greens (FdV)1,047,2682.700
Italian Socialist Party (PSI)849,4292.190
The Network (LR)719,8411.860
Democratic Alliance (AD)456,1141.180
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)231,8420.600
Social Democracy for Freedoms (PSDIFDS)179,4950.460
Program Italy (PI)151,3280.390
Lombard Alpine League (LAL)136,7820.350
Venetian Autonomy League (LAV)103,7640.270
Southern Action League (LAM)59,8730.150
Others517,7801.340
Total38,720,893100.00155
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote (First-past-the-post)
P
32.81%
PdL
22.77%
PpI
15.63%
PdBG
14.89%
AN
6.67%
FI
1.76%
Pannella
1.12%
Others
4.35%
Popular vote (Proportional)
FICCD
21.01%
PDS
20.36%
AN
13.47%
PPI
11.07%
LN
8.36%
PRC
6.05%
Segni
4.68%
Pannella
3.51%
FdV
2.70%
PSI
2.19%
Rete
1.86%
AD
1.18%
Others
3.56%

FPTP results by constituency

ConstituencyTotal
seats
Seats won
PdLPdBG P PpI Others
Abruzzo 11110
Aosta Valley 11
Apulia 3423101
Basilicata 514
Calabria 17710
Campania 1 251015
Campania 2 227123
Emilia-Romagna 32329
Friuli-Venezia Giulia 1010
Lazio 1 32293
Lazio 2 1111
Liguria 1477
Lombardy 1 3131
Lombardy 2 3232
Lombardy 3 11101
Marche 1212
Molise 321
Piedmont 1 19145
Piedmont 2 1717
Sardinia 14941
Sicily 1 20164
Sicily 2 2121
Trentino-Alto Adige 853
Tuscany 2929
Umbria 77
Veneto 1 2222
Veneto 2 15141
Total47530216445

PR results by constituency

ConstituencyTotal
seats
Seats won
PdLPdBG P PpI
Abruzzo 321
Apulia 10154
Basilicata 211
Calabria 6222
Campania 1 8422
Campania 2 7412
Emilia-Romagna 9441
Friuli-Venezia Giulia 3111
Lazio 1 10163
Lazio 2 3111
Liguria 6321
Lombardy 1 10442
Lombardy 2 11533
Lombardy 3 4211
Marche 4211
Molise 11
Piedmont 1 6321
Piedmont 2 6321
Sardinia 4112
Sicily 1 7322
Sicily 2 7322
Trentino-Alto Adige 211
Tuscany 11542
Umbria 22
Veneto 1 8323
Veneto 2 5311
Total155644942

Senate of the Republic

Overall results

Summary of the 27 March 1994 Senate of the Republic election results
Italian Senate, 1994.svg
Italy Senate election (coa) 1994.svg
CoalitionPartyFirst-past-the-postProportional
Seats
Total
seats
+/–
Votes%Seats
Pole of Freedoms
Pole of Good Government
Northern League (LN)13,342,940 [p] 40.34 [q] 1282860+35
National Alliance (AN)48+32
Forza Italia (FI)36 [r] New
Christian Democratic Centre (CCD)12New
Total seats156
Progressives Democratic Party of the Left (PDS)10,881,32032.90962676 [s] +12
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)18−2
Italian Socialist Party (PSI)9 [t] −40
Federation of the Greens (FdV)7+3
Democratic Alliance (AD)6New
The Network (LR)6+3
Total seats122
Pact for Italy (PpI)5,519,09016.6932831−64
Pannella List (LP)767,7652.32011+1
Lombard Alpine League (LAL)246,0460.74011±0
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)217,1370.66303±0
Magris List (Magris)61,4000.19101New
Aosta Valley (VdA)27,4930.08101±0
Total315

Detailed results

Party or coalitionVotes%Seats
FPTPProportional
Progressives (P)10,881,32032.909626
Pole of Freedoms (PdL)6,570,46819.87748
Pact for Italy (PpI)5,519,09016.69328
Pole of Good Government (PdBG)4,544,57313.745619
National Alliance (AN)2,077,9346.2808
Pannella List (LP)767,7652.3201
Pensioners' Party (PP)250,6370.7600
Lombard Alpine League (LAL)246,0460.7401
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)217,1370.6630
Venetian Autonomy League (LAV)165,3700.5000
Federalist Greens (VF)100,4180.3000
Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az)88,2250.2700
Natural Law Party (PLN)86,5790.2600
Social Democracy for Freedoms (PSDIFDS)80,2640.2400
The League of Angela Bossi 72,4550.2200
Greens Greens (VV)68,2180.2100
Veneto Autonomous Region Movement (MVRA)64,1490.1900
Magris List (Magris)61,4000.1910
Southern Action League (LAM)54,3950.1600
League for Piedmont 49,5050.1500
Aosta Valley (VdA)27,4930.0810
Others931,1432.8200
Total33,074,549100.0023283
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote
P
32.90%
PdL
19.87%
PpI
16.69%
PdBG
13.74%
AN
6.28%
Pannella
2.32%
Others
8.20%

FPTP by constituency

ConstituencyTotal
seats
Seats won
PdLPdBG P PpI Others
Piedmont 17125
Aosta Valley 11
Lombardy 3535
Trentino-Alto Adige 633
Veneto 1717
Friuli-Venezia Giulia 541
Liguria 624
Emilia-Romagna 15114
Tuscany 1414
Umbria 55
Marche 66
Lazio 21165
Abruzzo 55
Molise 22
Campania 227132
Apulia 1697
Basilicata 514
Calabria 817
Sicily 20173
Sardinia 6321
Total2321289635

PR results by constituency

ConstituencyTotal
seats
Seats won
PpI PdLPdBG P Others
Piedmont 6222
Lombardy 123162
Trentino-Alto Adige 11
Veneto 6213
Friuli-Venezia Giulia 211
Liguria 312
Emilia-Romagna 624
Tuscany 523
Umbria 211
Marche 211
Lazio 7214
Abruzzo 22
Campania 8332
Apulia 6222
Basilicata 211
Calabria 312
Sicily 725
Sardinia 3111
Total832827262

Leaders' races

1994 Italian general election (C): Rome Centre
CandidateCoalitionPartyVotes%
Silvio Berlusconi Pole FI 34,35446.29
Luigi Spaventa Progressives PDS 29,91440.10
Alberto Michelini Pact for Italy PS 9,56612.82
Others5930.79
Total74,607100.0
Turnout77,56277.19
Pole gain
Source: Ministry of the Interior
1994 Italian general election (C): Bologna – Borgo Panigale
CandidateCoalitionPartyVotes%
Achille Occhetto Progressives PDS 52,99759.77
Pier Ferdinando Casini Pole CCD 17,92520.22
Alfredo RuoccoNone AN 7,3888.33
Maria Gualandi Pact for Italy PPI 7,1338.04
Oliviero Toscani None LP 3,2253.64
Total88,668100.0
Turnout91,57195.03
Progressives gain
Source: Ministry of the Interior
1994 Italian general election (C): Sassari
CandidateCoalitionPartyVotes%
Carmelo Porcu Pole AN 30,62336.14
Mario Segni Pact for Italy PS 26,77631.60
Gavino Angius Progressives PDS 17,57020.73
Giacomo SpissuNone PSd'Az 6,9528.20
Gavino SaleNone ParIS 1,1851.40
Giovanni ConociNone LR 9661.14
Others6640.78
Total84,736100.0
Turnout89,50486.02
Pole gain
Source: Ministry of the Interior

Aftermath

Contrary to its success in the Chamber, the Pole failed to win a majority in the Senate. Nevertheless, the Berlusconi I Cabinet obtained a vote of confidence also in the Senate, thanks to the abstention of four PPI senators (Vittorio Cecchi Gori, Stefano Cusumano, Luigi Grillo and Tomaso Zanoletti), who decided not to take part in the vote. The vote of the Senators for life was not decisive, as three (Gianni Agnelli, Francesco Cossiga and Giovanni Leone) voted in favour of the government, three were absent (Carlo Bo, Norberto Bobbio and Amintore Fanfani) and five voted against (Giulio Andreotti, Francesco De Martino, Giovanni Spadolini, Paolo Emilio Taviani and Leo Valiani). The Senate finally gave Berlusconi 159 votes in favour and 153 against. [5]

Commenting on the historical significance of Berlusconi’s victory, together with the complexity of his alliance, one historian has noted that

It was an extraordinary transformation: 70 per cent of the deputies and senators won seats for the first time. The corrupt old parties were replaced by a ‘new Right’: 97 businessmen and media executives of FI, 122 small businessmen and artisans of the League, bent on a Sack of Rome, and 109 ‘post-Fascists,’ advocates prominent among them, desperate to preserve ‘Italy’ from the League and social spending from the free marketeers. [6]

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Lombardy renewed its delegation to the Italian Senate on March 27, 1994. This election was a part of national Italian general election of 1994 even if, according to the Italian Constitution, every senatorial challenge in each Region is a single and independent race.

References

  1. "As Italy Votes, Golden Career Of Berlusconi Is at Crossroads". Wall Street Journal. 30 March 2006.
  2. "Italian Election, The Prelude". The American. 1 April 2006. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  3. Griffin, Roger (1996). "The 'Post-Fascism' of the Alleanza Nazionale: A Case Study in Ideological Morphology". Journal of Political Ideologies. 1 (2): 123–145. doi:10.1080/13569319608420733. 'AN's ideological tap-root is still thrust deep into historical Fascism... retaining many Fascist core values
  4. "Elezioni della Camera dei Deputati del 27 Marzo 1994" (in Italian). Italian Chamber of Deputies. Archived from the original on 2009-06-12.
  5. "Il Sole 24 Ore - Nel 1994 decisivi per Berlusconi tre senatori a vita". Archived from the original on 2017-02-03. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
  6. Modern Italy 1871-1995 Second Edition by Martin Clark, Pearson Education Limited, 1996, P.422

Notes

  1. taking into account the Senators for life, which accounted for 10 seats at the time the election took place
  2. Occhetto served as secretary of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) from 1988 to 1991. In February 1991, he was appointed secretary of PCI's heir, the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS).
  3. Segni ran also in the single-member constituency of Sassari but he lost, being then elected in the closed list proportional representation system.
  4. Pole of Good Government only
  5. Pole of Freedoms only
  6. 1 2 3 Confederation with Forza Italia
  7. Running with the Democratic Party of the Left
  8. Running with the Italian Socialist Party
  9. 6 out of the 30 MPs elected on the Forza Italia list were members of the Christian Democratic Centre.
  10. Including 6 deputies of the Reformers, 4 deputies of the Union of the Centre (UdC) and 2 deputies of the Liberal Democratic Pole (PLD).
  11. Emiddio Novi, elected in Campania for National Alliance, was member of Forza Italia, and he joined his party after the election.
  12. Andrea Merlotti, elected in Lombardy for the Northern League, was member of Forza Italia, and he joined his party after the election.
  13. Fabiano Crucianelli, elected in Latium for the PDS, was member of the Communist Refoundation Party, and he joined his party after the election.
  14. Including 8 deputies of the Social Christians party.
  15. Including 1 deputy of the Socialist Rebirth.
  16. 6,570,468 votes for the Pole of Freedoms (in Northern Italy), 4,544,573 votes for the Pole of Good Government (in Southern Italy), 2,077,934 votes for National Alliance (in Northern Italy) and 149,965 votes for Forza Italia–CCD (in Abruzzo)
  17. 19.87% of the votes for the Pole of Freedoms, 13.74% of the votes for the Pole of Good Government, 6.28% of the votes for National Alliance and 0.45% of the votes for Forza Italia–CCD
  18. Including 2 senators of the Union of the Centre and 1 senator of the Reformers.
  19. Including 6 senators of the Social Christians party.
  20. Including 1 senator of the Socialist Rebirth.