1996 Italian general election

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1996 Italian general election
Flag of Italy.svg
  1994 21 April 1996 2001  

All 630 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
316 seats needed for a majority
315 seats in the Senate
163 seats needed for a majority [a]
Registered48,744,846 (C) ·42,889,825 (S)
Turnout40,401,774 (C) ·82.9% (Decrease2.svg3.4 pp)
35,260,803 (S) ·82.2% (Decrease2.svg3.6 pp)
 First partySecond party
 
Romano Prodi 1999 (cropped).jpg
Silvio Berlusconi 1996.jpg
Leader Romano Prodi Silvio Berlusconi
Party Independent Forza Italia
Alliance The Olive Tree Pole for Freedoms
Leader since6 March 199526 January 1994
Leader's seat Bologna (C) Milan (C)
Seats won285 (C) / 157 (S)246 (C) / 116 (S)
Seat changeIncrease2.svg20 (C) / Increase2.svg4 (S)Decrease2.svg26 (C) / Decrease2.svg40 (S)
Constituency vote15,747,455 (C)
13,444,978 (S)
15,027,030 (C)
12,185,020 (S)
% and swing42.0% (C)
42.2% (S)
40.1% (C)
37.4% (S)
Party vote13,014,235 (C)15,772,203 (C)
% and swing34.7% (C)42.1% (C)

 Third partyFourth party
 
Umberto Bossi 1996 (cropped).jpg
Fausto Bertinotti 1996.jpg
Leader Umberto Bossi Fausto Bertinotti
Party Northern League PRC [b]
Alliance
Leader since4 December 198922 January 1994
Leader's seat Lombardy (C) [c] Piedmont (C)
Seats won59 (C) / 27 (S)35 (C) / 10 (S)
Seat changeDecrease2.svg58 (C) / Decrease2.svg33 (S)Decrease2.svg3 (C) / Decrease2.svg8 (S)
Constituency vote4,038,239 (C)
3,394,733 (S)
982,505 (C)
934,974 (S)
% and swing10.8% (C)
10.4% (S)
2.6% (C)
2.9% (S)
Party vote3,776,354 (C)3,213,748 (C)
% and swing10.1% (C)8.6% (C)

1996 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

Lamberto Dini
Independent

Prime Minister after the election

Romano Prodi
The Olive Tree

The 1996 Italian general election was held on 21 April 1996 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. Romano Prodi, leader of the centre-left The Olive Tree, won the election, narrowly defeating Silvio Berlusconi, who led the centre-right Pole for Freedoms.

Contents

For the election, the Northern League of Umberto Bossi ran alone after having left the Berlusconi I Cabinet in 1994, causing a crisis which drove President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro to appoint a technocratic cabinet led by Lamberto Dini, which in turn lost its parliamentary support in 1995, forcing Scalfaro to dissolve the Italian Parliament. The Communist Refoundation Party, led by Fausto Bertinotti, made a pre-electoral alliance with The Olive Tree, presenting its own candidates, supported by Prodi's coalition, mainly in some safe leftist constituencies, in exchange for supporting Olive Tree candidates on the other ones, and ensuring external support for a Prodi government.

Electoral system

The intricate electoral system of Italy, nicknamed as Mattarellum after Sergio Mattarella, who was the official proponent, provided a 75% of the seats on the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house) as elected by a plurality voting system, whereas the remaining 25% was assigned by proportional representation with a minimum threshold of 4%. If possible, the method associate on the Senate was even more complicated: 75% of seats by uninominal method, and 25% by a special proportional method that actually assigned the remaining seats to minority parties.

General election

Background

In December 1994, following the communication of a new investigation from Milan magistrates that was leaked to the press, Umberto Bossi, leader of the Northern League, left the coalition claiming that the electoral pact had not been respected, forcing Berlusconi to resign from office and shifting the majority's weight to the centre-left side. The Northern League also resented the fact that many of its MPs had switched to Forza Italia, allegedly lured by promises of more prestigious portfolios.

Berlusconi remained as caretaker prime minister for a little over a month until his replacement by a technocratic government headed by Lamberto Dini. Dini had been a key minister in the Berlusconi cabinet, and Berlusconi said the only way he would support a technocratic government would be if Dini headed it. In the end, Dini was only supported by most opposition parties and not by Forza Italia and Northern League.

In December 1995, Dini resigned as Prime Minister and President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro decided to begin consultations to form a government, supported by all the parties in the Italian Parliament to make constitutional reforms. In a TV debate on 19 January 1996, both Silvio Berlusconi and Democratic Party of the Left leader Massimo D'Alema supported constitutional reforms; however, there were many problems on this theme in both coalition, as Gianfranco Fini and Romano Prodi wanted a snap election, not sure that the reforms would be helpful for the country. On 16 February 1996, a snap election was called.

Campaign

On 19 February 1996, the outgoing Prime Minister Lamberto Dini announced that he would run in the election with a new party allied with The Olive Tree rather than Berlusconi's Pole of Freedoms. Shortly after, Berlusconi claimed that Dini "copied our electoral programme". [1]

Another important declaration was that of Umberto Bossi, the leader of the regionalist Northern League, which was very important in 1994 to help Berlusconi winning the election. Bossi said that his party would not support Berlusconi anymore and run alone in the election. At the same time, Prodi's coalition made a pre-electoral agreement with Communist Refoundation Party in which Fausto Bertinotti's party undertook to support Prodi's government after the election in case of no parliamentary majority.

On 25 March 1996, Berlusconi organised a manifestation in Milan against taxes (The Tax Day) attended by many Milanese artisans; on the same day in Turin, Prodi was heavily contested during his electoral speech and accused of not wanting to lower taxes. [2]

Main coalitions and parties

CoalitionPartyMain ideologyParty leaderCoalition leader
The Olive Tree Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) Democratic socialism Massimo D'Alema Romano Prodi
Populars for Prodi (PPIUDPRISVP) Christian democracy Franco Marini
Italian Renewal (RI) Liberalism Lamberto Dini
Federation of the Greens (FdV) Green politics Franco Corleone
Labour Federation (FL) Social democracy Valdo Spini
Italian Socialists (SI) Social democracy Enrico Boselli
The Network (LR) Anti-corruption politics Leoluca Orlando
Segni Pact (PS) Christian liberalism Mario Segni
Pole for Freedoms Forza Italia (FI) Liberal conservatism Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi
National Alliance (AN) National conservatism Gianfranco Fini
Christian Democratic Centre (CCD) Christian democracy Pier Ferdinando Casini
United Christian Democrats (CDU) Christian democracy Rocco Buttiglione
Northern League (LN) Regionalism Umberto Bossi
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) Communism Fausto Bertinotti
Pannella–Sgarbi List (LPS) Liberalism Marco Pannella
Tricolour Flame (FT) Neo-fascism Pino Rauti

Results

Chamber of Deputies

Overall results

Summary of the 21 April 1996 Chamber of Deputies election results
Italian Chamber of Deputies, 1996.svg
Italy Chamber of Deputies (Coalition) 1996.svg
CoalitionPartyProportionalFirst-past-the-postTotal
seats
+/–
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
The Olive Tree Democratic Party of the Left (PDS)7,894,11821.062615,747,45542.01146172 [d] +48
Populars for Prodi (PPIUDPRISVP)2,554,0726.8146569 [e] +18
Italian Renewal (RI)1,627,3804.3481826 [f] New
Federation of the Greens (FdV)938,6652.5001414+3
The Network (LR)033−5
Ladin Autonomist Union (UAL)011+1
Total seats38247285
Pole for Freedoms Forza Italia (FI)7,712,14920.573715,027,03040.0886123 [g] −9
National Alliance (AN)5,870,49115.66286593−17
CCDCDU 2,189,5635.84122830 [h] +3
Total seats77169246
Northern League (LN)3,776,35410.07204,038,23910.773959−59
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)3,213,7488.5720982,5052.621535−3
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)0156,7080.4233±0
Southern Action League (LAM)72,0620.19082,3730.2211±0
Aosta Valley (VdA)037,4310.1011±0
Others1,635,7964.3901,223,3683.7800±0
Total37,484,398100.0015537,295,109100.00475630

Proportional and FPTP results

First-past-the-post
Parties and coalitionsVote%Seats
Pole for Freedoms (PpL)15,027,03040.09169
The Olive Tree (Ulivo)14,447,54838.54228
Northern League (LN)4,038,23910.7739
The Olive TreeVenetian Autonomy League (Ulivo–LAV)997,5342.6614
Progressives 982,5052.6215
Tricolour Flame (FT)624,5581.670
The Olive TreeSardinian Action Party (Ulivo–PSd'Az)269,0470.724
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)156,7080.423
Southern Action League (LAM)82,3730.221
Pannella-Sgarbi List (LPS)69,4060.190
Clean Hands (MP)68,4430.180
Socialist Party (PS)44,7860.120
Sardigna Natzione (SN)42,2460.110
Aosta Valley (VdA)37,4310.101
Democracy and Freedom (DL)33,3260.091
Renovation28,9880.080
Humanist Party (PU)27,6940.070
Italian Renaissance Movement (MRI)24,0740.060
Union for South Tyrol (UfS)23,0320.060
We SiciliansSicilian National Front (NS–FNS)20,1020.050
Pact for the Agro18,8360.050
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)17,9960.050
Greens Greens 12,9050.030
Environmentalists12,2990.030
Liberal Federalists (FL)11,5630.030
Aosta Valley for the Olive Tree 11,5260.030
Social Democracy (DS)9,7600.030
North-East Union (UNE)9,6690.030
Independent Group Freedom (GIL)8,8050.020
Natural Law Party (PLN)7,7080.020
Moderates6,2080.020
New Energies5,6270.020
New Democracy (ND)5,3330.010
Development and Legality5,2750.010
For Marche4,3170.010
Resurgence of the South4,2910.010
Free North Autonomy4,0130.010
New Ways3,9040.010
State of Friuli3,3450.010
Liberist Solidary Alliance3,2190.010
Ingenuity and Audacity2,8050.010
Venetian Solidarity2,6550.010
South Pole Movement2,3100.010
Federalist Italian League (LIF)2,2680.010
Trieste Women's Pact2,1210.010
Others71,2810.190
Total37,295,109100.00475
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Proportional
PartyVotes%Seats
Democratic Party of the Left (PDS)7,894,11821.0626
Forza Italia (FI)7,712,14920.5737
National Alliance (AN)5,870,49115.6628
Northern League (LN)3,776,35410.0720
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)3,213,7488.5720
Populars for Prodi (PPIUDPRISVP)2,554,0726.814
CCDCDU 2,189,5635.8412
Italian Renewal (RI)1,627,3804.348
Federation of the Greens (FdV)938,6652.500
Pannella-Sgarbi List (LPS)702,9881.880
Tricolour Flame (FT)339,3510.910
Socialist Party (PS)149,4410.400
Southern Action League (LAM)72,0620.190
North-East Union (UNE)63,9340.170
Union for South Tyrol (UfS)55,5480.150
Clean Hands (MP)44,9350.120
We SiciliansSicilian National Front (NS–FNS)41,0010.110
Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az)38,0020.100
Greens Greens 25,7880.070
Sardigna Natzione (SN)23,3550.060
Independent Group Freedom17,4510.050
Environmentalists15,5600.040
Humanist Party (PU)14,6010.040
Renovation13,6770.040
Pact for the Agro12,2970.030
Social Democracy9,3190.020
Italian Renaissance Movement (MRI)8,8860.020
Tuscan Autonomist Movement (MAT)8,6270.020
Natural Law Party (PLN)8,2980.020
New Democracy8,1850.020
Liberal Federalists (FL)6,4750.020
For Marche5,5450.010
New Energies5,3930.010
Development and Legality5,3470.010
Free North Autonomy4,9650.010
Federalist Party (PF)3,7430.010
Resurgence of the South3,0840.010
Total100.0037,484,398155
Invalid/blank/unassigned votes2,917,376
Total40,401,774
Registered voters/turnout82.88%48,744,846
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote (Proportional)
PDS
21.06%
FI
20.57%
AN
15.66%
LN
10.07%
PRC
8.57%
Popolari
6.81%
CCD-CDU
5.84%
RI
4.34%
FdV
2.50%
LPS
1.88%
Others
2.68%
Popular vote (First-past-the-post)
Ulivo
41.92%
PpL
40.09%
LN
10.77%
PRC
2.62%
FT
1.67%
Others
3.65%

Senate of the Republic

Summary of the 21 April 1996 Senate of the Republic election results
Italian Senate, 1996.svg
Italy Senate (Coalition) 1996.svg
CoalitionPartyFirst-past-the-postProportional
Seats
Total
seats
+/–
Votes%Seats
The Olive Tree Democratic Party of the Left (PDS)13,444,97841.2113423102 [i] +26
Italian People's Party (PPI)27−4
Federation of the Greens (FdV)14+7
Italian Renewal (RI)11 [j] New
The Network (LR)1−5
Venetian Autonomy League (LAV)1+1
Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az)1+1
Total seats157
Pole for Freedoms Forza Italia (FI)12,185,02037.35674948 [k] +13
National Alliance (AN)43−4
Christian Democratic Centre (CCD)15+3
United Christian Democrats (CDU)10New
Total seats116
Northern League (LN)3,394,73310.4118927−33
Progressives 934,9742.8710010−8
Tricolour Flame (FT)747,4872.29011New
Pannella-Sgarbi List (LPS)509,8261.56011±0
Socialist Party (PS)286,4260.88000New
The Fir – South Tyrolean People's PartyPATT 178,4250.55202−1
Clean Hands109,1130.33000New
League for Autonomy – Lombard Alliance 106,3130.33000New
North-East Union (UNE)72,5410.22000New
We SiciliansSicilian National Front (NS–FNS)71,8410.22000New
Southern Action League (LAM)66,7500.20000±0
Greens Greens 61,4340.19000±0
Pensioners' Party (PP)60,6400.19000±0
Social Democracy60,0160.18000New
Federation of Italian Civic Lists55,7930.17000New
Sardigna Natzione (SN)44,7130.14000New
Aosta Valley (VdA)27,4930.08101±0
Piedmont Nation of Europe26,9510.08000±0
Environmentalists26,7560.08000New
Independent Group Freedom (GIL)23,3010.07000New
Union for South Tyrol (UfS)19,3300.06000New
Tuscan Autonomist Movement (MAT)18,6910.06000±0
Pact for the Agro17,9800.06000New
Renovation16,2160.05000New
Right of the People6,7100.02000New
Natural Law Party (PLN)10,3710.03000New
Democrats for Progress5,6880.02000New
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)5,6810.02000
Popular Movement of Moralization (MPM)5,2970.02000New
Azure Alps5,1440.02000New
Democratic Alternative for the Roman Castles4,5240.01000New
Progressive People's Party (PPP)4,4500.01000±0
For a Normal Country3,9760.01000New
European Dolomite Region2,8980.01000New
Free North Autonomy2,4110.01000New
Hit the Center2,1780.01000New
Total32,624,584100.0023283315
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote
Ulivo
41.21%
PpL
37.35%
LN
10.41%
Prog.
2.87%
FT
2.29%
LPS
1.56%
Others
5.63%

Leaders' races

1996 Italian general election (C): Bologna – Mazzini
CandidateCoalitionPartyVotes%
Romano Prodi The Olive Tree Ind 55,83060.82
Filippo Berselli Pole AN 35,97239.18
Total91,802100.0
Turnout95,94892.26
The Olive Tree hold
Source: Ministry of the Interior
1996 Italian general election (C): Milan 1
CandidateCoalitionPartyVotes%
Silvio Berlusconi Pole FI 46,09851.50
Michele Salvati The Olive Tree PDS 32,46436.27
Umberto Bossi None LN 10,17911.37
Others7660.86
Total89,507100.0
Turnout92,96982.64
Pole hold
Source: Ministry of the Interior

Notes

  1. taking into account the Senators for life, which accounted for 10 seats at the time the election took place
  2. The PRC signed an agreement to desist with The Olive Tree in the single-member constituencies. In the colleges of Aosta and Mirabella Eclano, it ran as the Progressives, competing with the candidates of Democracy and Freedom.
  3. Bossi ran also in the single-member constituency of Milan but he lost to Berlusconi.
  4. Including eight deputies of the Movement of Unitarian Communists (MCU), six deputies of the Labour Federation (FL), five deputies of the Social Christians (CS), one deputy of the Republican Left (SR) and one deputy of the Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI)
  5. Including five deputies of the Democratic Union (UD) and two deputies of the Italian Republican Party (PRI)
  6. Including eight deputies of Segni Pact (Patto), seven deputies of the Italian Socialists (SI) and one deputy of the Democratic Italian Movement (MID)
  7. Including 3 deputies of the Union of the Centre (UdC)
  8. Including 19 deputies of CCD and 11 deputies of CDU
  9. Including five senators of the Labour Federation (FL) and four senators of the Social Christians (CS)
  10. Including five senators of the Italian Socialists (SI), one senator of Segni Pact (PS) and one senator of the Democratic Italian Movement (MID)
  11. Including two senators of the Union of the Centre (UdC)

References

  1. "ANNO 1996 MESE DI FEBBRAIO". Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  2. "ANNO 1996 MESE DI MARZO". Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2016-11-01.