2006 Italian Senate election, North and Central American division

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The 2006 Italian general election was the first in the country's history in which Italian and dual citizens living outside the country could vote by postal ballot in international electoral districts. [1] Twelve members of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and six members of the Italian Senate were elected in this way.

Contents

Italian and dual citizens in North America and Central America (including the Caribbean) elected one member of the Italian Senate. The winning candidate was Renato Turano of Romano Prodi's election coalition, The Union.

The process

All electors could vote for a political list and also cast a first preference vote for a specific candidate. The party with the highest number of list votes won the Senate seat, and the winning party's candidate with the most first preference votes was declared elected.

The parties

Seven electoral lists contested the North and Central American Senate division. The same lists also fielded candidates for the Chamber of Deputies and North and Central America.

Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing Forza Italia party ran its own slate. Two other parties aligned with Berlusconi's government ran separate lists: the moderate conservative Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and Mirko Tremaglia's right-wing For Italy in the World, which was specifically focused on diaspora issues. (Another party in Berlusconi's coalition, the Lega Nord, also appeared on the ballot, although this seems to have been due to a technical error).

The main opposition group from the previous parliament, Romano Prodi's centre-left Union party, ran a united slate. One of the Union candidates noted that the state of the party lists favoured his group's chances of election. [2]

The centrist Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad also fielded a list, as did the far-right Tricolour Flame party.

Each of the party lists comprised two candidates, except for the Northern League and Tricolour Flame which fielded one apiece.

The candidates

The Union

Forza Italia

For Italy in the World

Union of Christian and Centre Democrats

Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad

Lega Nord

Tricolour Flame

The results

Romano Prodi's Union received the most votes. Renato Turano received the most first preference votes from this list and was declared elected.

PartyVotes%Senators
   The Union 32,03638.031
   Forza Italia 25,55630.33
   For Italy in the World with Tremaglia 11,60413.77
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 9,41211.17
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 3,1913.79
   Northern League 1,3891.65
   Tricolour Flame 1,0611.26
Total valid votes84,249100.00
The Union candidate preference votes
Renato Turano (elected)12,097
Rocco di Trolio7,675
Forza Italia candidate preference votes
Augusto Sorriso8,898
Liborio Zambito 5,387
For Italy in the World with Tremaglia candidate preference votes
Carlo Consiglio5,446
Vincenzo Centofanti2,531
Union of Christian and Centre Democrats candidate preference votes
Vittorio Coco 3,906
Bernardo Paradiso2,885
Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad candidate preference votes
Domenico Serafini detto Dom 1,471
Sonia Marcella Spadoni922
Northern League candidate preference votes
Salvatore Rappa807
Tricolour Flame candidate preference votes
Alfredo Viti415

Source: ARCHIVIO STORICO DELLE ELEZIONI - Consultazione dati: Senato 09/04/2006, Area ESTERO, Ripartizione AMERICA SETTENTRIONALE E CENTRALE, Ministerio dell'Interno, Government of Italy, accessed 27 July 2011. Voters were not required to give a preference vote for any candidate.

Detailed results by country

More than ninety-five per cent of votes cast in this election were from the United States of America or Canada. The American result was a virtual tie between Berlusconi's list and Prodi's list. In Canada, Prodi's list won a significant victory. Renato Turano credited the Canadian turnout as vital for his election. [17]

Antigua and Barbuda

PartyVotes%
   For Italy in the World 00.00
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 00.00
   Forza Italia 00.00
   The Union 00.00
   Tricolour Flame 00.00
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 00.00
   Lega Nord 00.00
Total valid votes00.00

Bahamas

PartyVotes%
   Forza Italia 2460.00
   The Union 1025.00
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 25.00
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 25.00
   For Italy in the World 12.50
   Lega Nord 12.50
   Tricolour Flame 00.00
Total valid votes400.05

Barbados

PartyVotes%
   For Italy in the World 00.00
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 00.00
   Forza Italia 00.00
   The Union 00.00
   Tricolour Flame 00.00
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 00.00
   Lega Nord 00.00
Total valid votes00.00

Belize

PartyVotes%
   For Italy in the World 00.00
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 00.00
   Forza Italia 00.00
   The Union 00.00
   Tricolour Flame 00.00
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 00.00
   Lega Nord 00.00
Total valid votes00.00

Canada

PartyVotes%
   The Union 15,40944.36
   Forza Italia 8,50424.48
   For Italy in the World 4,78613.78
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 4,45412.82
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 8522.45
   Lega Nord 4951.42
   Tricolour Flame 2400.69
Total valid votes34,74041.23

Costa Rica

PartyVotes%
   Forza Italia 28838.50
   The Union 21128.21
   For Italy in the World 8110.83
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 678.96
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 445.88
   Tricolour Flame 425.61
   Lega Nord 152.01
Total valid votes7480.89

Dominican Republic

PartyVotes%
   The Union 4745.63
   Forza Italia 2423.30
   For Italy in the World 1413.59
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 1211.65
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 43.88
   Tricolour Flame 10.97
   Lega Nord 10.97
Total valid votes1030.12

El Salvador

PartyVotes%
   Forza Italia 13846.00
   The Union 8528.33
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 289.33
   Tricolour Flame 227.33
   For Italy in the World 144.67
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 103.33
   Lega Nord 31.00
Total valid votes3000.36

Grenada

PartyVotes%
   For Italy in the World 00.00
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 00.00
   Forza Italia 00.00
   The Union 00.00
   Tricolour Flame 00.00
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 00.00
   Lega Nord 00.00
Total valid votes00.00

Guatemala

PartyVotes%
   Forza Italia 32247.35
   The Union 16123.68
   For Italy in the World 598.68
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 598.68
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 405.88
   Lega Nord 223.24
   Tricolour Flame 172.50
Total valid votes6800.81

Haiti

PartyVotes%
   The Union 1152.38
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 733.33
   Forza Italia 29.52
   For Italy in the World 14.76
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 00.00
   Tricolour Flame 00.00
   Lega Nord 00.00
Total valid votes210.02

Honduras

PartyVotes%
   Forza Italia 5349.07
   The Union 2422.22
   For Italy in the World 98.33
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 87.41
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 76.48
   Tricolour Flame 43.70
   Lega Nord 32.78
Total valid votes1080.13

Mexico

PartyVotes%
   The Union 67137.80
   Forza Italia 50228.28
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 18010.14
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 1729.69
   For Italy in the World 1558.73
   Tricolour Flame 502.82
   Lega Nord 452.54
Total valid votes1,7752.11

Nicaragua

PartyVotes%
   The Union 7846.43
   Forza Italia 5230.95
   For Italy in the World 1810.71
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 137.74
   Tricolour Flame 42.38
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 21.19
   Lega Nord 10.60
Total valid votes1680.20

Panama

PartyVotes%
   Forza Italia 8844.22
   The Union 6231.16
   For Italy in the World 3316.58
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 63.02
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 42.01
   Tricolour Flame 31.51
   Lega Nord 31.51
Total valid votes1990.24

United States of America

PartyVotes%
   Forza Italia 15,55934.30
   The Union 15,26733.65
   For Italy in the World 6,43314.18
   Union of Christian and Centre Democrats 4,62810.20
   Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad 2,0024.41
   Lega Nord 8001.76
   Tricolour Flame 6781.49
Total valid votes45,36753.85

Source: ARCHIVIO STORICO DELLE ELEZIONI - Consultazione dati: Senato 09/04/2006, Area ESTERO, Ripartizione AMERICA SETTENTRIONALE E CENTRALE, Ministerio dell'Interno, Government of Italy, accessed 27 July 2011.

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