A referendum,in the Italian legal system is a request directed to the whole electorate to express their view on a determined question. It is the main instrument of direct democracy in Italy.
Salvatore Achille Ettore Lima,often referred to as Salvo Lima,was an Italian politician from Sicily who was associated with,and murdered by,the Sicilian Mafia. According to the pentito Tommaso Buscetta,Lima's father,Vincenzo Lima,was a member of the Mafia but it is not known whether Lima himself was a made member of Cosa Nostra. In the final report of the first Antimafia Commission (1963–1976),Lima was described as one of the pillars of Mafia power in Palermo.
The Piazza Fontana bombing was a terrorist attack that occurred on 12 December 1969 when a bomb exploded at the headquarters of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana in Milan,Italy,killing 17 people and wounding 88. The same afternoon,another bomb exploded in a bank in Rome,and another was found unexploded in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The attack was carried out by the neo-fascist paramilitary terrorist group Ordine Nuovo,and possibly undetermined collaborators.
Trials and allegations involving Silvio Berlusconi (1936-2023) have been extensive and include abuse of office,bribery and corruption of police officers,judges and politicians,collusion,defamation,embezzlement,extortion,false accounting,mafia,money laundering,perjury,tax fraud,underage prostitution influence and witness tampering.
The Maxi Trial was a criminal trial against the Sicilian Mafia that took place in Palermo,Sicily. The trial lasted from 10 February 1986 to 30 January 1992,and was held in a bunker-style courthouse specially constructed for this purpose inside the walls of the Ucciardone prison.
Giuseppe "Pippo" Calò is an Italian mobster and member of the Sicilian Mafia in Porta Nuova. He was referred to as the cassiere di Cosa Nostra because he was heavily involved in the financial side of organized crime,primarily money laundering. He was arrested in 1985 and sentenced to 23 years' imprisonment as part of the 1986/87 Maxi Trial. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1989 for organising the 1984 Train 904 bombing and was given several further life sentences between 1995 and 2002. He was also charged with ordering the murder of Roberto Calvi –nicknamed il banchiere di Dio –of the Banco Ambrosiano in 1982,but was acquitted in 2007 due to "insufficient evidence" in a surprise verdict.
The Italian order of precedence is fixed by Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers (D.P.C.M.) of April 14,2006 and of April 16,2008. It is a hierarchy of officials in the Italian Republic used to direct protocol. The President,being head of state,is first,and the Prime Minister,the head of government,is fourth.
- The President of the Republic
- (Cardinals and princes of reigning dynasties - these officers cannot preside over the ceremony)
- The President of the Senate of the Republic
- The President of the Chamber of Deputies
- The President of the Council of Ministers (Prime-Minister)
- The President of the Constitutional Court
- Former President of the Republic
- Vice Presidents of the Senate of the Republic
- Anna Rossomando
- Gian Marco Centinaio
- Maria Domenica Castellone
- Licia Ronzulli
- Vice Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies
- Sergio Costa
- Fabio Rampelli
- Giorgio Mulé
- Anna Ascani
- Vice Presidents of the Council of Ministers
- Antonio Tajani
- Matteo Salvini
- Vice Presidents of the Constitutional Court
- Franco Modugno
- Giulio Prosperetti
- Giovanni Amoroso
- Ministers of the Republic
- Judges of the Constitutional Court
- Presidents of Regions
- The First President of the Supreme Court of Cassation
- The President of the National Council for Economics and Labour
- Deputy Ministers of the Republic
- Quaestors of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies,in order of seniority
- Presidents of Parliamentary Commissions
- The President of the Council of State
- The President of the Court of Accounts
- The Governor of the Central Bank of Italy
- The General Prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Cassation
- The Attorney General of the Republic
- The Chief of the Defence Staff
- Senators and Deputies,in order of appointment
- The President of the Accademia dei Lincei
- The President of the National Research Council
- The President of the Superior Court of Public Waters
- The Vice President of the Council of Military Courts
- The Vice President of the High Council of the Judiciary
- The Presidents of the Autonomous Provinces of Trentino and South Tyrol
- The Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Cassation
- Prefects,in their provinces
- Mayors,in their cities
- Presidents and General Prosecutors of the Court of Appeals
- Presidents of Provinces,in their cities
- Catholic Bishops,in their dioceses
- The Chief of the Army Staff
- The Chief of the Navy Staff
- The Chief of the Air Staff
- The President of the Permanent conference of Rectors
- Ambassadors,in order of establishment of diplomatic relations with their countries
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Italy significantly advanced in the 21st century,although LGBTQ people still face various challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents,despite public opinion being increasingly liberal and in favor of LGBT rights. According to ILGA-Europe's 2021 report,the status of LGBT rights in Italy is below the standards of other Western European countries –such as still not recognizing same-sex marriage,lacking nationwide discrimination protections for goods and services,as well as not granting to same-sex couples full parental rights,such as joint adoption and IVF. Italy and Japan are the only G7 nations where same-sex marriages are not recognized.
Renato Maria Giuseppe Schifani is an Italian politician who has served as the president of Sicily since 13 October 2022. Schifani was Silvio Berlusconi's chief whip and was a prominent member of the Senate of the Republic from 1996 to 2022. From 29 April 2008 to 14 March 2013,he was the president of the Senate of the Republic.
Salvatore Riina,called Totò,was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia,known for a ruthless murder campaign that reached a peak in the early 1990s with the assassinations of Antimafia Commission prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino,resulting in widespread public outcry,legal change and a major crackdown by the authorities. He was also known by the nicknames la belva and il capo dei capi.
Alessandro Criscuolo was an Italian judge. He was President of the Constitutional Court of Italy between 12 November 2014 and 24 February 2016. He served as a Judge on the Court,between 2008 and 2017.
Giorgio Lattanzi is an Italian judge. He was judge of the Constitutional Court of Italy from 9 December 2010 to 9 December 2019 and president from 8 March 2018 until the end of his mandate.
Marta Cartabia is an Italian jurist and academic who served as Minister of Justice in the government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
Mario Rosario Morelli is an Italian judge. He was Judge of the Constitutional Court of Italy between 12 December 2011 and 12 December 2020,and served as its president from 16 September 2020.
The High Council of the Judiciary is an Italian institution of constitutional importance,entrusted to preside over the organisation of the Italian Judiciary. The High Council sits in the Palazzo dei Marescialli,Piazza Indipendenza 6,Rome.
Luca Antonini is an Italian lawyer,jurist,and constitutional law professor at the University of Padua. He is Judge of the Constitutional Court of Italy since 26 July 2018.
Stefano Petitti is an Italian judge. He has been a Judge of the Constitutional Court of Italy since 10 December 2019.
Gaetano Azzariti was an Italian jurist and politician,who headed the Commission on Race under the Fascist regime,and served as Minister of Justice of Pietro Badoglio's government after the fall of the Italian fascist regime. After the war,from 1957 to 1961,he was president of the Constitutional Court of Italy.
Giovanni Pitruzzella is an Italian jurist and academic who has served as a Judge of the Constitutional Court of Italy since 14 November 2023. He concurrently serves as a Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU),a position he has held since October 2018.
