Politics of Sicily

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The Politics of Sicily , Italy takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democracy, whereby the President of Regional Government is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the Regional Government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Sicilian Regional Assembly.

Contents

History

The oldest organized party of Sicily was the Sicilian Socialist Party, founded out from the Fasci Siciliani in 1893, but the region was primarily a stronghold of the liberal establishment (see Historical Right, Historical Left and Liberals) that governed Italy for decades. However, by the end of the 19th century, Sicily elected several deputies from left-wing parties, namely the Radical Party, the Italian Republican Party, the Italian Socialist Party and the Italian Reformist Socialist Party. [1]

After Italian Fascism (whose partisan arm, the National Fascist Party was well supported in the region) and the Allied invasion of Sicily during the World War II, Sicily increasingly became a stronghold of Christian Democracy, in opposition to the Italian Communist Party. Sicilians had also a penchant for conservative/nationalist politics, represented mainly by the Monarchist National Party and the Italian Social Movement.

After the dissolution of these parties, in the early 1990s, the region was long governed by a " center-right coalition", notably including the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats, whose regional leader, Salvatore Cuffaro, served as President of Sicily from 2001 to 2008, Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and the post-fascist National Alliance. Cuffaro's Christian Democrats have since been the main party of government in Sicily as they had been part of both of the administrations of Raffaele Lombardo of the Movement for the Autonomies (2008–2012) and that of Rosario Crocetta of the Democratic Party (since 2012). 3

Legislative branch

The Sicilian Regional Assembly is composed of 90 members (or deputies). 80 deputies are elected in provincial constituencies by proportional representation using the largest remainder method with a Droop quota and open lists, while 10 councillors (elected in a general ticket) come from a "regional list", including the President-elect. One seat is reserved for the candidate who comes second.

The Assembly is elected for a five-year term, but, if the President suffers a vote of no confidence, resigns or dies, under the simul stabunt, simul cadent clause introduced in 2001 (literally they will stand together or they will fall together), also the Assembly is dissolved and a snap election is called.

Executive branch

The Regional Cabinet (Giunta Regionale) is presided by the President of the Region (Presidente della Regione), who is elected for a five-year term, and is currently composed by 11 members: the President and 10 regional assessors (Assessori, literally "aldermen"), including a Vice President (Vice Presidente).

Originally appointed by the Sicilian Regional Assembly, since 2001 de jure , he is elected by popular vote every five years under universal suffrage: the candidate who receives a plurality of votes, is elected.

His office is connected to the Regional Assembly (ARS), which is elected contextually: one fifth of the assembly seats are generally reserved to his supporters, which are wholesale elected concurrently with the President. The Assembly and the President are linked by an alleged relationship of confidence: if the President resigns or he is dismissed by the Assembly, a snap election is called for both the legislative and the executive offices, because in no case the two bodies can be chosen separately. The popular election of the President and the relationship of confidence between him and the legislature, allow to identify the Sicilian model of government as a particular form of semi-presidential system.

The President of Sicily promulgates regional laws and regulations. He can receive special administrative functions by the national government. The President is one of the 90 members of the Regional Assembly and, in this capacity, he can propose new laws. He appoints and dismiss the Regional Cabinet (called Giunta Regionale in Italian). The Cabinet is composed by regional assessors (assessori, literally "aldermen" [2] ) who can be members of the Council at the same time. Assessors should not be confused with the ministers: according to Italian administrative law, assessors only receive delegations from the President to rule a bureau or an agency, the Region being a single legal person, not divided in ministries. One assessor can be appointed vice president. The President can also appoint four under-secretaries (sottosegretari) to help the President in his functions.

The Regional Cabinet prepares the budget, appoints the boards of public regional agencies and companies, manages assets, develops projects of governance, and resorts to the Constitutional Court of Italy if it thinks that a national law may violate regional powers. The President and the Cabinet are two different authorities of the Region: in matters within its competence, the Cabinet has the power to vote to give its approval.

List of presidents

The current President of Sicily is Renato Schifani, who is serving for his first term after winning the 2022 regional election.

Elected by the Regional Council (1947–2001)
NameTerm of officePolitical partyLegislature
1 Giuseppe Alessi 30 May 194713 June 1949 DC I (1947)
2 Franco Restivo 13 June 194920 July 1951 DC
20 July 19514 June 1955II (1951)
(1) Giuseppe Alessi 4 June 19554 April 1956 DC III (1955)
3 Giuseppe La Loggia 4 April 195613 May 1958 DC
4 Silvio Milazzo 13 May 195812 August 1959 DC
12 August 195923 February 1960IV (1959)
5 Benedetto della Nicchiara 23 February 19608 September 1961 DC
6 Giuseppe D'Angelo  [ it ]8 September 196125 July 1963 DC
25 July 19634 August 1964V (1963)
7 Francesco Coniglio  [ it ]4 August 196411 August 1967 DC
8 Vincenzo Carollo 11 August 196720 September 1969 DC VI (1967)
9 Mario Fasino 20 September 196910 August 1971 DC
10 August 197122 December 1972VII (1971)
10 Vincenzo Giummarra  [ it ]22 December 197226 March 1974 DC
11 Angelo Bonfiglio  [ it ]26 March 197413 August 1976 DC
13 August 197620 March 1978VIII (1976)
12 Piersanti Mattarella 20 March 19786 January 1980 DC
13 Mario D'Acquisto  [ it ]6 January 19807 August 1981 DC
7 August 198123 December 1982IX (1981)
14 Calogero Lo Giudice 23 December 198219 October 1983 DC
15 Santi Nicita  [ it ]19 October 198321 March 1984 DC
16 Modesto Sardo  [ it ]21 March 19841 February 1985 DC
17 Rino Nicolosi  [ it ]1 February 198512 August 1986 DC
12 August 198612 August 1991X (1986)
18 Vincenzo Leanza  [ it ]12 August 199116 July 1992 DC XI (1991)
19 Giuseppe Campione  [ it ]16 July 199221 December 1993 DC
20 Francesco Martino 21 December 199316 May 1995 PLI
21 Matteo Graziano  [ it ]16 May 199518 July 1996 PPI
22 Giuseppe Provenzano 18 July 199620 January 1998 FI XII (1996)
23 Giuseppe Drago 20 January 199821 November 1998 CCD
24 Angelo Capodicasa  [ it ]21 November 199826 July 2000 DS
(18) Vincenzo Leanza  [ it ]26 July 200017 July 2001 FI
Directly-elected presidents (since 2001)
N.PresidentTerm of officeTenure
(Years and days)
PartyCoalitionLegislature
25 Cuffaro foto del18 sett.2006 044.jpg Salvatore Cuffaro
(1958– )
17 July
2001
15 June
2006
6 years, 193 days CCD / UDC FIANCDCCDUNPSI XIII
(2001)
15 June
2006
26 January
2008 [lower-alpha 1]
FIUDCMpAAN XIV
(2006)
26 Raffaele Lombardo (cropped).jpg Raffaele Lombardo
(1950– )
28 April
2008
10 November
2012 [lower-alpha 2]
4 years, 196 days MpA PdLMpAUDC XV
(2008)
27 Rosario Crocetta crop.jpeg Rosario Crocetta
(1951– )
10 November
2012
18 November
2017
5 years, 7 days PD PDUDCIMSFCpS XVI
(2012)
28 Nello Musumeci stampa estera.jpg Nello Musumeci
(1955– )
18 November
2017
13 October
2022
4 years, 329 days DB FIMpAUDCDBFdI XVI
(2017)
29 Renato Schifani crop.jpg Renato Schifani
(1950– )
13 October
2022
Incumbent1 year, 33 days FI FdIFILegaMpADC XVII
(2022)
  1. Resigned after being sentenced five years in prison for aiding and abetting the Mafia. His deputy Nicola Leanza (UDC) held the office till a new regional election was called.
  2. Resigned on 31 July 2012 after being under investigation for external contribution with Mafia and pork-barrelling. Remained in office as Acting President till a new regional election was called.

Local government

Provinces

Sicily was divided in nine provinces, which were a traditional form of local administration in the region. Socialist and Christian-democratic ideas had an early diffusion in quite all the provinces around World War I. After the Fascist parenthesis, left-wing parties found their strongholds in central agricultural provinces, especially in the Province of Enna, but they didn't succeed in local elections, while Christian Democracy obtained high scores in others parts of the Region.

On 19 March 2013 the Sicilian Regional Assembly decided to turn them into Free Associations of Municipalities (Liberi consorzi tra comuni). Finally, on 30 July 2015 the Regional Assembly approved a law which put into force the Free Associations of Municipalities, regulating their functions and abolishing definitively the nine historical provinces. The same law created the new Metropolitan Cities of Palermo, Messina and Catania. [3]

ProvinceInhabitantsestablishedcurrent status [4]
Palermo 1,250,2961860Metropolitan City
Catania 1,167,0061860Metropolitan City
Messina 651,9211860Metropolitan City
Agrigento 453,4161860Free Association of Municipalities
Trapani 436,4591860Free Association of Municipalities
Syracuse 404,2711860Free Association of Municipalities
Ragusa 320,0031927Free Association of Municipalities
Caltanissetta 270,1021927Free Association of Municipalities
Enna 171,9211927Free Association of Municipalities

Municipalities

Sicily is also divided in 390 comuni (municipalities), which have even more history, having been established in the Middle Ages when they were the main places of government.

Provincial capitals

MunicipalityInhabitantsMayorPartyElection
Agrigento 58,323 Francesco Miccichè Independent (Centre-right coalition)2020
Caltanissetta 61,711 Roberto Gambino Five Star Movement 2019
Catania 293,902 Salvo Pogliese Brothers of Italy 2018
Enna 27,894 Maurizio Dipietro Italia Viva 2020
Messina 243,262 Cateno De Luca Independent (centre)2018
Palermo 657,651 Roberto Lagalla Union of the Centre 2022
Ragusa 73,543 Giuseppe Cassì Independent (right-wing)2018
Syracuse 118,385 Francesco Italia Action 2018
Trapani 69,241 Giacomo Tranchida Democratic Party 2018

Others with 50,000+ inhabitants

MunicipalityInhabitantsMayorPartyElection
Marsala80,218Massimo Grillo Union of the Centre 2020
Gela75,668Lucio Greco Independent (centre-left)2019
Vittoria63,002Giovanni Moscato [5] Independent (centre-right)2016
Modica54,324Ignazio Abbate Union of the Centre 2018
Bagheria54,257Patrizio Cinque Five Star Movement 2014
Acireale51,456Stefano Alì Five Star Movement 2018

Parties and elections

Latest regional election

Sicilian Regional Assembly 2022.svg
CandidatesVotes %SeatsPartiesVotes %Seats
Renato Schifani 887,21542.057
Brothers of Italy 282,34515.1011
Forza Italia 275,73614.7511
Italy First – League 127,4546.804
Populars and Autonomists 127,0966.803
Christian Democracy 121,6916.514
Total934,32249.9633
Cateno De Luca 505,38623.951
South calls North 254,45313.617
Sicilia Vera 50,8772.72
Sicilian Pride18,1650.97
Land of Love3,3900.18
Young Sicilians3,0420.16
Sicilian Autonomy3,0420.16
Sicily Feat2,7020.14
Work in Sicily1,7930.10
Enough Mafias1,3560.07
Total336,39018.117
Caterina Chinnici 341,25216.17
Democratic Party 238,76112.7711
One Hundred Steps for Sicily55,5992.97
Total294,36015.7411
Nuccio di Paola321,14215.22 Five Star Movement 254,97413.6411
Gaetano Armao43,8352.08 Action – Italia Viva 39,7882.13
Eliana Esposito10,9730.52 Free Sicilians 7,6540.41
Blank and invalid votes140,5966.25
Total candidates2,250,399100.008Total parties1,869,863100.0062
Registered voters/turnout4,609,98448.82
Source: Regione Sicilia

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References

  1. Piergiorgio Corbetta; Maria Serena Piretti, Atlante storico-elettorale d'Italia, Zanichelli, Bologna 2009
  2. According to Google Translate
  3. "La Sicilia approva la riforma delle province". www.ansa.it (in Italian). ansa. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  4. After 2015 reform.
  5. Removed from office on 31 July 2018.