Italian general election, 1963

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Italian general election, 1963

Flag of Italy.svg


  1958 28 April 1963 1968  

All 630 seats to the Italian Chamber of Deputies
and 315 (of the 321) seats to the Italian Senate
Turnout 92.9%

 Majority partyMinority partyThird party
  Aldo Moro headshot.jpg Palmiro Togliatti Official.jpg Pietro Nenni 2.jpg
Leader Aldo Moro Palmiro Togliatti Pietro Nenni
Party Christian Democracy Communist Party Socialist Party
Leader since195919381931
Leader's seat XXV - North Apulia XX - Latium XXX - Western Sicily
Seats won260 C / 129 S166 C / 84 S87 C / 44 S
Seat changeDecrease2.svg13 C / Increase2.svg6 SIncrease2.svg26 C /Increase2.svg25 SIncrease2.svg11 C /Increase2.svg9 S
Popular vote11,773,182 C
10,017,975 S
7,767,601 C
6,461,616 S
4,255,836 C
3,849,440 S
Percentage38.3% (C)
36.5% (S)
25.3% (C)
23.5% (S)
13.8% (C)
14.0% (S)
SwingDecrease2.svg4.1% C
Decrease2.svg4.7% S
Increase2.svg2.6% C
Increase2.svg1.7% S
Decrease2.svg0.4% C
Decrease2.svg0.1% S

Italian Election 1963 Province.png 1963 Italian Senate election map.png

Election results maps for the Chamber of Deputies (on the left) and for the Senate (on the right). Light Blue denotes provinces with a Christian Democratic plurality, Red denotes those with a Communist plurality, Gray denotes those with an Autonomist plurality.

Prime Minister before election

Amintore Fanfani
Christian Democracy

Elected Prime Minister

Giovanni Leone
Christian Democracy

General elections were held in Italy on 28 April 1963, to select the Fourth Republican Parliament. [1] It was the first election with a fixed number of MPs to be elected, as decided by the second Constitutional Reform in February 1963. [2] It was also the first election which saw the Secretary of Christian Democracy to refuse the office of Prime Minister after the vote, at least for six months, preferring to provisionally maintain his more influent post at the head of the party: this fact confirmed the transformation of Italian political system into a particracy, the secretaries of the parties having become more powerful than the Parliament and the Government. [3]

Italy republic in Southern Europe

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates San Marino and Vatican City. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous country in Southern Europe.

Particracy is a de facto form of government where one or more political parties dominate the political process, rather than citizens and/or individual politicians. As argued by Italian political scientist Mauro Calise in 1994, the term is often derogatory, implying that parties have too much power—in a similar vein, in premodern times it was often argued that democracy was merely rule by the demos, or a poorly educated and easily misled mob. Efforts to turn "particracy" into a more precise scholarly concept so far merely appear partly successful.

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.

Party-list proportional representation family of voting systems

Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation (PR) in elections in which multiple candidates are elected through allocations to an electoral list. They can also be used as part of mixed additional member systems.

Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected. This as opposed to closed list, which allows only active members, party officials, or consultants to determine the order of its candidates and gives the general voter no influence at all on the position of the candidates placed on the party list. Additionally, an open list system allows voters to select individuals rather than parties. Different systems give voter different amounts of influence. Voter's choice is usually called preference vote.

The largest remainder method is one way of allocating seats proportionally for representative assemblies with party list voting systems. It contrasts with various divisor methods.

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.

The D'Hondt method or the Jefferson method is a highest averages method for allocating seats, and is thus a type of party-list proportional representation. The method described is named in the United States after Thomas Jefferson, who introduced the method for proportional allocation of seats in the United States House of Representatives in 1791, and in Europe after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt, who described it in 1878 for proportional allocation of parliamentary seats to the parties. There are two forms: closed list and an open list.

Historical background

During the First Republic, the Christian Democracy slowly but steadily lost support, as society modernised and the traditional values at its ideological core became less appealing to the population. Various options of extending the parliamentary majority were considered, mainly an opening to the left (apertura a sinistra), i.e. to the Socialist party (PSI), which after the 1956 events in Hungary had moved from a position of total subordination to the Communists, to an independent position. Proponents of such a coalition proposed a series much-needed "structural reforms" that would modernize the country and create a modern social-democracy. In 1960, an attempt by the right wing of the Christian Democrats to incorporate the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI) in the Tambroni government led to violent and bloody riots (Genoa, Reggio Emilia), and was defeated.

Italian Socialist Party former Italian political party (1892–1994)

The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy. Founded in Genoa in 1892, the PSI dominated the Italian left until after World War II, when it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party. The Socialists came to special prominence in the 1980s, when their leader Bettino Craxi, who had severed the residual ties with the Soviet Union and re-branded the party as liberal-socialist, served as Prime Minister (1983–1987). The PSI was disbanded in 1994 as a result of the Tangentopoli scandals. Prior to World War I, future dictator Benito Mussolini was a member of the PSI.

Italian Social Movement neo-fascist and post-fascist political party in Italy

The Italian Social Movement, renamed in 1972 Italian Social Movement – National Right, was a neo-fascist and post-fascist political party in Italy.

Fernando Tambroni Prime Minister of Italy

Fernando Tambroni Armaroli was a right-wing Italian politician of the Christian Democratic Party. He was a lawyer, a prominent supporter of law and order policies, and for a brief time in 1960, the 36th Prime Minister of Italy. His role as prime minister is best remembered for the riots which resulted from the possibility that he might look to the Movimento Sociale Italiano for support against the parliamentary left.

The Christian Democratic leader Aldo Moro with the Socialist one Pietro Nenni. Aldo Moro and Pietro Nenni.JPG
The Christian Democratic leader Aldo Moro with the Socialist one Pietro Nenni.

Up until the Nineties, two types of governmental coalitions characterised the politics of post-war Italy. The first were “centrist” coalitions led by the Christian Democracy party together with smaller parties: the Social Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and the Liberal Party. The first democratic government (1947) excluded both communists and the socialists, which brought about the political period known as “centrist government,” which ruled over Italian politics from 1948 to 1963. The centre-left coalition (DC-PRI-PSDI-PSI) was the second type of coalition that characterised Italian politics, coming about in 1963 when the PSI (formerly the opposition party) went into government with the DC. This coalition lasted in parliament first for 12 years (from 1964 to 1976) and then with a revival in the Eighties that lasted until the start of the Nineties. [4]

Italian Social Democratic Party

The Italian Social Democratic Party, or simply Social Democracy, was a social-liberal political party in Italy.

Italian Republican Party political party

The Italian Republican Party is a liberal and social-liberal political party in Italy. Founded in 1895, the PRI is the oldest political party still active in Italy.

Italian Liberal Party Italian political party founded in 1922 and dissolved in 1994

The Italian Liberal Party was a liberal and conservative political party in Italy.

The Socialist Party entered government in 1963. During the first year of the new centre-left government, a wide range of measures were carried out which went some way towards the Socialist Party's requirements for governing in coalition with the Christian Democrats. These included taxation of real estate profits and of share dividends (designed to curb speculation), increases in pensions for various categories of workers, a law on school organisation (to provide for a unified secondary school with compulsory attendance up to the age of 14), the nationalisation of the electric-power industry, and significant wage rises for workers (including those in the newly nationalised electric-power industry), which led to a rise in consumer demand. Urged on by the PSI, the government also made brave attempts to tackle issues relating to welfare services, hospitals, the agrarian structure, urban development, education, and overall planning. [5] For instance, during the Centre-Left Government's time in office, social security was extended to previously uncovered categories of the population. [6] In addition, entrance to university by examination was abolished in 1965. Despite these important reforms, however, the reformist drive was soon lost, and the most important problems (including the mafia, social inequalities, inefficient state/social services, North/South imbalance) remained largely untackled.

The Organic Centre-left, was a coalition of four Italian political parties that formed governments throughout the 1960s and the middle 1970s.

Parties and leaders

PartyIdeologyLeader
Christian Democracy (DC) Christian democracy Aldo Moro
Italian Communist Party (PCI) Communism Palmiro Togliatti
Italian Socialist Party (PSI) Democratic socialism Pietro Nenni
Italian Liberal Party (PLI) Conservative liberalism Giovanni Malagodi
Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI) Social democracy Giuseppe Saragat
Italian Social Movement (MSI) Neo-fascism Arturo Michelini
Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity (PDIUM) Conservatism Alfredo Covelli
Italian Republican Party (PRI) Social liberalism Oronzo Reale

Results

The election fell after the launch of the centre-left formula by the Christian Democracy, a coalition based upon the alliance with the Socialist Party which had left its alignment with the Soviet Union. Some rightist electors abandoned the DC for the Liberal Party, which was asking for a centre-right government and received votes also from the quarrelsome monarchist area. The majority party so decided to replace incumbent Premier Amintore Fanfani with a provisional administration led by impartial Speaker of the House, Giovanni Leone; however, when the congress of the PSI in autumn authorized a full engagement of the party into the government, Leone resigned and Aldo Moro, secretary of the DC and leader of the more leftist wing of the party, became the new Prime Minister and ruled Italy for more than four years, ever passing through two resolved political crisis caused even by the detachment of the left wing of the PSI, which created the PSIUP and returned to the alliance with the Communists, and by disagreements into the governmental coalition.

Chamber of Deputies

Summary of the 28 April 1963 Chamber of Deputies election results
Italian Chamber of Deputies 1963.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/−
Christian Democracy 11,773,18238.28260−13
Italian Communist Party 7,767,60125.26166+16
Italian Socialist Party 4,255,83613.8487+3
Italian Liberal Party 2,144,2706.9739+22
Italian Democratic Socialist Party 1,876,2716.1033+11
Italian Social Movement 1,570,2825.1127+3
Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity 536,9481.758−17
Italian Republican Party 420,2131.376±0
South Tyrolean People's Party 135,4570.443±0
Concentration Rural Unity92,2090.300±0
Autonomous Party of Pensioners of Italy87,6550.290New
Valdostan Union 31,8440.101±0
Others61,1030.190±0
Invalid/blank votes1,013,138
Total31,766,009100630+34
Registered voters/turnout34,199,18492.89
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote
DC
38.28%
PCI
25.26%
PSI
13.84%
PLI
6.97%
PSDI
6.10%
MSI
5.11%
PDIUM
1.75%
PRI
1.37%
Others
1.33%
Seats
DC
41.27%
PCI
26.35%
PSI
13.81%
PLI
6.19%
PSDI
5.24%
MSI
4.29%
PDIUM
1.27%
PRI
0.95%
Others
0.63%

Senate of the Republic

Summary of the 28 April 1963 Senate of the Republic election results
Italian Senate 1963.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/−
Christian Democracy 10,017,97536.47129+6
Italian Communist Party 6,933,31025.2484+25
Italian Socialist Party 3,849,49514.0144+9
Italian Liberal Party 2,043,3237.4418+14
Italian Democratic Socialist Party 1,743,8706.3514+9
Italian Social Movement 1,458,9175.3114+6
Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity 429,4121.562−5
Italian Republican Party 223,3500.810±0
MSIPDIUM 212,3810.771+1
DCPRI 199,8050.734±0
South Tyrolean People's Party 112,0230.412±0
Concentration Rural Unity58,0640.210New
Social Christian Autonomist Party43,3550.161New
Sardinian Action Party 34,9540.130±0
Valdostan Union 29,5100.111+1
Others79,5580.291+1
Invalid/blank votes2,273,406
Total28,872,052100315+69
Registered voters/turnout31,019,23393.0
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote
DC
36.47%
PCI
25.24%
PSI
14.01%
PLI
7.44%
PSDI
6.35%
MSI
5.31%
PDIUM
1.56%
Others
3.62%
Seats
DC
40.95%
PCI
26.67%
PSI
13.97%
PLI
5.71%
PSDI
4.44%
MSI
4.44%
PDIUM
0.63%
Others
3.17%

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References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1048 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Constitutional Reform number 2 decided a fixed number of 630 member for the House, under the example of the British House of Commons during that period, and of 315 for the Senate, with a minimum of seven senators for each region excluding Aosta Valley and, later, Molise. This reform is still in force.
  3. Italian electors effectively lost any chance to decide their Prime Minister until the majoritarian reform of 1993.
  4. Naldini, Manuela (2013-01-11). "Family in the Mediterranean Welfare States". ISBN   9781135775681.
  5. Italy by Muriel Grindrod
  6. Growth to Limits: The Western European Welfare States Since World War II: Volume 2 edited by Peter Flora