The prime minister of Italy is the head of the Council of Ministers, which holds effective executive power in the Italian government. [1] [2] The first officeholder was Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, who was sworn in on 23 March 1861 after the unification of Italy. [3] Cavour previously served as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia, an office from which the Italian prime minister took most of its powers and duties. [4] During the monarchy period, prime ministers were appointed by the king of Italy, as laid down in the Albertine Statute. [5] From 1925 until the fall of his regime in 1943, fascist dictator Benito Mussolini formally modified the office title to "Head of Government, Prime Minister and Secretary of State". [6] From 1861 to 1946, 30 men served as prime ministers, leading 67 governments in total. [7]
After the abolition of the Kingdom of Italy in 1946 and the proclamation of the Italian Republic, the office was established by Articles 92 through 96 of the Constitution of Italy. Alcide De Gasperi is the only prime minister who has held this position both in the Kingdom of Italy and in the Republic of Italy.
The prime minister is appointed by the President of the Republic and must receive a confidence vote by both houses of Parliament: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. [8] From 1946 to 2022, in the first 76 years after the creation of the Republic, 30 men served as prime ministers. [9] [10] The current officeholder is Giorgia Meloni, who was appointed on 22 October 2022, becoming the first woman to hold this office. [11] [12]
The longest-serving prime minister in the history of Italy was Benito Mussolini, who ruled the country from 1922 until 1943; [13] the longest-serving prime minister of the Italian Republic is Silvio Berlusconi, who held the position for more than nine years between 1994 and 2011. [14] The shortest-serving officeholder was Tommaso Tittoni, who served as prime minister for only 16 days in 1905, [15] while the shortest-serving prime minister of the Italian Republic was Fernando Tambroni, who governed for 123 days in 1960. [16]
Parties: [lower-alpha 1]
Coalitions: [lower-alpha 2]
Symbols:
† Died in office
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Government | Composition | Legislature (Election) | Monarch (Reign) | Ref. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||||
Count Camillo Benso di Cavour (1810–1861) | 23 March 1861 | 6 June 1861† | 75 days | Historical Right | Cavour IV [lower-alpha 3] | Right | VIII [lower-alpha 3] (1861) | Victor Emmanuel II [lower-alpha 3] (1861–1878) | [17] | ||
Baron Bettino Ricasoli (1809–1880) | 12 June 1861 | 3 March 1862 | 264 days | Historical Right | Ricasoli I | Right | [18] | ||||
Urbano Rattazzi (1808–1873) | 3 March 1862 | 8 December 1862 | 280 days | Historical Left | Rattazzi I | Right • Left | [19] | ||||
Luigi Carlo Farini (1812–1866) | 8 December 1862 | 24 March 1863 | 106 days | Historical Right | Farini | Right | [20] | ||||
Marco Minghetti (1818–1886) | 24 March 1863 | 28 September 1864 | 1 year, 188 days | Historical Right | Minghetti I | Right | [21] | ||||
General Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora (1804–1878) | 28 September 1864 | 31 December 1865 | 1 year, 265 days | Military | La Marmora II | Right | [22] [23] | ||||
31 December 1865 | 20 June 1866 | La Marmora III | IX (1865) | ||||||||
Baron Bettino Ricasoli (1809–1880) | 20 June 1866 | 10 April 1867 | 294 days | Historical Right | Ricasoli II | Right • Left | [24] | ||||
Urbano Rattazzi (1808–1873) | 10 April 1867 | 27 October 1867 | 200 days | Historical Left | Rattazzi II | Right • Left | X (1867) | [25] | |||
Count Luigi Federico Menabrea (1809–1896) | 27 October 1867 | 5 January 1868 | 2 years, 48 days | Historical Right | Menabrea I | Right | [26] [27] [28] | ||||
5 January 1868 | 13 May 1869 | Menabrea II | |||||||||
13 May 1869 | 14 December 1869 | Menabrea III | |||||||||
Giovanni Lanza (1810–1882) | 14 December 1869 | 10 July 1873 | 3 years, 208 days | Historical Right | Lanza | Right | XI (1870) | [29] | |||
Marco Minghetti (1818–1886) | 10 July 1873 | 25 March 1876 | 2 years, 259 days | Historical Right | Minghetti II | Right | XII (1874) | [30] | |||
Agostino Depretis (1813–1887) | 25 March 1876 | 25 December 1877 | 1 year, 364 days | Historical Left | Depretis I | Left | XIII (1876) | [31] [32] | |||
26 December 1877 | 24 March 1878 | Depretis II | Umberto I (1878–1900) | ||||||||
Benedetto Cairoli (1825–1889) | 24 March 1878 | 19 December 1878 | 270 days | Historical Left | Cairoli I | Left | [33] | ||||
Agostino Depretis (1813–1887) | 19 December 1878 | 14 July 1879 | 214 days | Historical Left | Depretis III | Left | [34] | ||||
Benedetto Cairoli (1825–1889) | 14 July 1879 | 25 November 1879 | 1 year, 319 days | Historical Left | Cairoli II | Left | [35] [36] | ||||
25 November 1879 | 29 May 1881 | Cairoli III | XIV (1880) | ||||||||
Agostino Depretis (1813–1887) | 29 May 1881 | 25 May 1883 | 6 years, 61 days | Historical Left | Depretis IV | Left | [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] | ||||
25 May 1883 | 30 March 1884 | Depretis V | XV (1882) | ||||||||
30 March 1884 | 29 June 1885 | Depretis VI | |||||||||
29 June 1885 | 4 April 1887 | Depretis VII | XVI (1886) | ||||||||
4 April 1887 | 29 July 1887† | Depretis VIII | |||||||||
Francesco Crispi (1819–1901) | 29 July 1887 | 9 March 1889 | 3 years, 192 days | Historical Left | Crispi I | Left | [42] [43] | ||||
9 March 1889 | 6 February 1891 | Crispi II | XVII (1890) | ||||||||
Marquess Antonio Starabba di Rudinì (1839–1908) | 6 February 1891 | 15 May 1892 | 1 year, 99 days | Historical Right | Di Rudinì I | Left • Right | [44] | ||||
Giovanni Giolitti (1842–1928) | 15 May 1892 | 15 December 1893 | 1 year, 214 days | Historical Left | Giolitti I | Left | XVIII (1892) | [45] | |||
Francesco Crispi (1819–1901) | 15 December 1893 | 14 June 1894 | 2 years, 86 days | Historical Left | Crispi III | Left • Right | [46] [47] | ||||
14 June 1894 | 10 March 1896 | Crispi IV | XIX (1895) | ||||||||
Marquess Antonio Starabba di Rudinì (1839–1908) | 10 March 1896 | 11 July 1896 | 2 years, 111 days | Historical Right | Di Rudinì II | Right with Left's external support | [48] [49] [50] [51] | ||||
11 July 1896 | 14 December 1897 | Di Rudinì III | |||||||||
14 December 1897 | 1 June 1898 | Di Rudinì IV | Left • Right | XX (1897) | |||||||
1 June 1898 | 29 June 1898 | Di Rudinì V | Left • Right | ||||||||
General Luigi Pelloux (1839–1924) | 29 June 1898 | 14 May 1899 | 1 year, 360 days | Military | Pelloux I | Left with Right's external support | [52] [53] | ||||
14 May 1899 | 24 June 1900 | Pelloux II | Left • Right | ||||||||
Giuseppe Saracco (1821–1907) | 24 June 1900 | 15 February 1901 | 236 days | Historical Left | Saracco | Left • Right | XXI (1900) | Victor Emmanuel III (1900–1946) | [54] | ||
Giuseppe Zanardelli (1826–1903) | 15 February 1901 | 3 November 1903 | 2 years, 261 days | Historical Left | Zanardelli | Left • Right | [55] | ||||
Giovanni Giolitti (1842–1928) | 3 November 1903 | 12 March 1905 | 1 year, 129 days | Historical Left | Giolitti II | Left • Right with PSI's external support | XXII (1904) | [56] | |||
Tommaso Tittoni (1855–1931) | 12 March 1905 | 28 March 1905 | 16 days | Historical Right | Tittoni | Left • Right | [57] | ||||
Alessandro Fortis (1842–1909) | 28 March 1905 | 24 December 1905 | 317 days | Historical Left | Fortis I | Left • Right | [58] [59] | ||||
24 December 1905 | 8 February 1906 | Fortis II | Left with Right's external support | ||||||||
Baron Sidney Sonnino (1847–1922) | 8 February 1906 | 29 May 1906 | 110 days | Historical Right | Sonnino I | Left • Right • PR | [60] | ||||
Giovanni Giolitti (1842–1928) | 29 May 1906 | 11 December 1909 | 3 years, 196 days | Historical Left | Giolitti III | Left • Right | [61] | ||||
Baron Sidney Sonnino (1847–1922) | 11 December 1909 | 31 March 1910 | 110 days | Historical Right | Sonnino II | Right with Left's external support | XXIII (1909) | [62] | |||
Luigi Luzzatti (1841–1927) | 31 March 1910 | 30 March 1911 | 364 days | Historical Right | Luzzatti | Left • Right • PR | [63] | ||||
Giovanni Giolitti (1842–1928) | 30 March 1911 | 21 March 1914 | 2 years, 356 days | Liberal Union | Giolitti IV | UL • PR | [64] | ||||
Antonio Salandra (1853–1931) | 21 March 1914 | 5 November 1914 | 2 years, 89 days | Liberal Union | Salandra I | UL | XXIV (1913) | [65] [66] | |||
5 November 1914 | 18 June 1916 | Salandra II | UL • PRI | ||||||||
Paolo Boselli (1838–1932) | 18 June 1916 | 30 October 1917 | 1 year, 134 days | Liberal Union | Boselli | UL • PR • UECI • PSRI | [67] | ||||
Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (1860–1952) | 30 October 1917 | 23 June 1919 | 1 year, 236 days | Liberal Union | Orlando | UL • PR • UECI • PSRI | [68] | ||||
Francesco Saverio Nitti (1868–1953) | 23 June 1919 | 21 May 1920 | 358 days | Italian Radical Party | Nitti I | UL • PLDI • PPI • PR • PSRI | [69] [70] | ||||
21 May 1920 | 15 June 1920 | Nitti II | UL • PLDI • PPI • PR | XXV (1919) | |||||||
Giovanni Giolitti (1842–1928) | 15 June 1920 | 4 July 1921 | 1 year, 19 days | Liberal Union | Giolitti V | UL • PLDI • PPI • PDSI • PR • PSRI | [71] | ||||
Ivanoe Bonomi (1873–1951) | 4 July 1921 | 26 February 1922 | 237 days | Italian Reformist Socialist Party | Bonomi I | PPI • PLI • PLDI • PDSI • PSRI | XXVI (1921) | [72] | |||
Luigi Facta (1861–1930) | 26 February 1922 | 1 August 1922 | 247 days | Liberal Union / Italian Liberal Party | Facta I | PPI • PLI • PLDI • PDSI • PSRI • PA | [73] [74] | ||||
1 August 1922 | 31 October 1922 | Facta II | PPI • PLI • PLDI • PDSI • PSRI | ||||||||
Duce Benito Mussolini (1883–1945) | 31 October 1922 | 25 July 1943 | 20 years, 267 days | National Fascist Party | Mussolini | PPI • PLI • PDSI • PNF • ANI | [75] | ||||
PNF | XXVII (1924) | ||||||||||
XXVIII (1929) | |||||||||||
XXIX (1934) | |||||||||||
XXX (no election) | |||||||||||
Marshal Pietro Badoglio (1871–1956) | 25 July 1943 | 24 April 1944 | 329 days | Military | Badoglio I | Independents • DC • PLI | Parliament abolished | [76] [77] | |||
24 April 1944 | 18 June 1944 | Badoglio II | CLN DC • PCI • PLI • PSIUP • PdA • PDL | ||||||||
Ivanoe Bonomi (1873–1951) | 18 June 1944 | 12 December 1944 | 1 year, 3 days | Labour Democratic Party | Bonomi II | CLN DC • PCI • PLI • PSIUP • PdA • PDL | [78] [79] | ||||
12 December 1944 | 21 June 1945 | Bonomi III | CLN DC • PCI • PLI • PDL | ||||||||
Ferruccio Parri (1890–1981) | 21 June 1945 | 10 December 1945 | 172 days | Action Party | Parri | CLN DC • PCI • PLI • PSIUP • PdA • PDL | National Council | [80] | |||
Alcide De Gasperi (1881–1954) | 10 December 1945 | 13 July 1946 | 212 days | Christian Democracy | De Gasperi I | CLN DC • PCI • PLI • PSIUP • PdA • PDL | Umberto II (1946) | [81] |
Parties: [lower-alpha 1]
Coalitions: [lower-alpha 2]
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