Legislature VI of Italy

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Legislature VI of Italy

VI legislatura della Repubblica Italiana
6th legislature
Type
Type
Houses Chamber of Deputies
Senate of the Republic
History
Founded25 May 1972 (1972-05-25)
Disbanded4 July 1976 (1976-07-04) (4 years, 40 days)
Preceded by V Legislature
Succeeded by VII Legislature
Leadership
Amintore Fanfani, DC
(25 May 1972 – 26 June 1973)
Giovanni Spagnolli, DC
(27 June 1973 – 4 July 1976)
Structure
Seats630 (C)
315+ (S)
Italian Chamber of Deputies 1972.svg
Chamber of Deputies political groups
  •   DC (266)
  •   PCI (179)
  •   PSI (61)
  •   MSI (56)
  •   PSDI (29)
  •   PLI (20)
  •   PRI (15)
  •   Others (3)
Italian Senate 1972.svg
Senate political groups
Elections
Proportional
Proportional
Last general election
7 May 1972
Meeting place
Palazzo Montecitorio, Rome (C)
Palazzo Madama, Rome (S)
Website
Sixth Legislature – Chamber of Deputies
Sixth Legislature – Senate
Constitution
Constitution of Italy

The Legislature VI of Italy (Italian : VI Legislatura della Repubblica Italiana) was the 6th legislature of the Italian Republic, and lasted from 25 May 1972 until 4 July 1976. [1] [2] Its composition was the one resulting from the general election of 7 May 1972.

Contents

Main chronology

After a short Giulio Andreotti's government, Mariano Rumor returned to the office of prime minister, leading a centre-left coalition composed by DC, PSI, PRI, and PSDI from July 1973 to March 1974. After this government collapsed, Rumor formed a new coalition from March until October 1974. [3] [4]

During Rumor's second term, the Parliament approved a law on 2 March 1974 with which legal minimum for pensions was raised to 27.75% of the average industrial wage for 1973. A law approved on 16 July 1974 extended family allowances to INPS pensioners, in lieu of child supplements. While a bill passed in August 1974 extended hospital assistance to all those not previously covered by any scheme. [5]

Weathering a cabinet resignation in June 1974, Rumor's final cabinet fell in October 1974 after failing to come to an agreement on how to deal with rising economic inflation. [6] [7]

In November 1974, President Giovanni Leone gave Aldo Moro the task of form a new cabinet; Moro was sworn in on 23 November, at the head a cabinet composed by DC and PRI, externally supported by PSI and PSDI. [8] Even during his second term as prime minister, the government implemented a series of important social reforms. [9] A law, approved on 9 June 1975, increased the number of occupational diseases and extended the duration of linked insurance and benefit; while a bill, approved on 3 June 1975, introduced various improvements for pensioners. Moreover, the multiplying coefficient was raised to 2% and it was applied to average earnings of the best 3 years in the last 10 years of work and automatic annual adjustment of minimum pensions. A law approved 27 December 1975 implemented ad hoc upgradings of cash benefits for certain diseases.

Despite the tensions within government's majority, the close relations between Moro and the communist leader, Enrico Berlinguer, guaranteed a certain stability to Moro's governments, allowing them a capacity to act that went beyond the premises that had seen them born. [10]

Moro IV Cabinet, with the republican leader Ugo La Malfa as Deputy Prime Minister, started a first dialogue with the PCI, with the aim of beginning a new phase to strengthen the Italian democratic system. [11] However, in 1976 the PSI secretary, Francesco De Martino, withdrew the external support to the government and Moro was forced to resign. [12]

On 4 May 1976 President Giovanni Leone dismissed the Parliament and called a snap election.

1974 divorce referendum

Amintore Fanfani and Aldo Moro in 1975 Aldo Moro e Amintore Fanfani.jpg
Amintore Fanfani and Aldo Moro in 1975

In June 1973 Amintore Fanfani was elected secretary of the Christian Democracy for a second term, replacing his former protégé Arnaldo Forlani, who was now a supporter of centrist policies. As such, Fanfani led the campaign for the referendum on repealing the law allowing divorce, which was approved by the parliament in 1970. [13] Those voting "yes" wanted to outlaw divorce as had been the case before the law came into effect, and those voting "no" wanted to retain the law and their newly gained right to divorce. The voting method caused significant confusion with many people not understanding that they had to vote "no" to be able to divorce or vote "yes" to outlaw divorce. [14]

The DC and the neo-fascist MSI intensely campaigned for a yes vote to abolish the law and make divorce illegal again. Their main themes were the safeguarding of the traditional nuclear family model and the Roman Catechism; [15] [16] while most left-wing political forces, including PCI and PSI, supported the "no" faction. Fanfani thought that a "no" victory could have given him the control of in his own party again; in fact other key figures like Moro, Rumor, Emilio Colombo and Francesco Cossiga, who believed in the defeat at the referendum, kept a low profile during the campaign. [17]

Despite Fanfani's activism, the "no" front was defeated by margin of 59.3% to 40.7% on a voter turnout of 87.7%, thus allowing the divorce laws to remain in force. [18] The soundly defeat in the divorce referendum forced Fanfani's resignation as party secretary in July 1975. The ideological distances between DC and other allies of the Organic Centre-left coalition emerged during the referendum campaign were one of the main factor that led to the crisis of that political alliance in the mid 1970s. [19]

Government

Prime MinisterPartyTerm of officeGovernmentComposition
Took officeLeft office
Giulio Andreotti 1972.jpg Giulio Andreotti
(1919–2013)
Christian Democracy 26 June 19727 July 1973 Andreotti II DC   PLI   PSDI
(with PRI's external support)
Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F054628-0037, Ludwigshafen, CDU-Bundesparteitag, Rumor.jpg Mariano Rumor
(1915–1990)
Christian Democracy 7 July 197314 March 1974 Rumor IV DC   PSI   PSDI   PRI
( Organic Centre-left )
14 March 197423 November 1974 Rumor V DC   PSI   PSDI
( Organic Centre-left )
Aldo Moro portrait.jpg Aldo Moro
(1916–1978)
Christian Democracy 23 November 197412 February 1976 Moro IV DC   PRI
(with PSI and PSDI's external support)
12 February 197629 July 1976 Moro V DC
(with PSI, PRI and PSDI's external support)

Parliamentary composition

Chamber of Deputies

Sandro Pertini, President of the Chamber of Deputies Sandro Pertini.png
Sandro Pertini, President of the Chamber of Deputies
Parliamentary groups in the Chamber of Deputies
Initial composition [20]
(25 May 1972)
Final composition [20]
(4 July 1976)
Parliamentary groupSeatsParliamentary groupSeatsChange
Christian Democracy 266 Christian Democracy 263Decrease2.svg 3
Italian Communist Party 179 Italian Communist Party 175Decrease2.svg 4
Italian Socialist Party 61 Italian Socialist Party 61Steady2.svg
Italian Social Movement 56 Italian Social Movement 55Decrease2.svg 1
Italian Democratic Socialist Party 29 Italian Democratic Socialist Party 30Increase2.svg 1
Italian Liberal Party 20 Italian Liberal Party 20Steady2.svg
Italian Republican Party 15 Italian Republican Party 15Steady2.svg
Mixed3Mixed10Increase2.svg 7
Südtiroler Volkspartei 3 Südtiroler Volkspartei 3Steady2.svg
Independent–Non inscrits7Increase2.svg 7
Total seats630Total seats630Steady2.svg

    Senate of the Republic

    Amintore Fanfani Senato.jpg
    Giovanni Spagnolli senato.jpg
    Presidents of the Senate: Amintore Fanfani (1972–1973) and Giovanni Spagnolli (1973–1976)
    Parliamentary groups in the Senate of the Republic
    Initial composition [21]
    (25 May 1972)
    Final composition [21]
    (4 July 1976)
    Parliamentary groupSeatsParliamentary groupSeatsChange
    Christian Democracy 136 Christian Democracy 136Steady2.svg
    Italian Communist Party 94 Italian Communist Party 94Steady2.svg
    Italian Socialist Party 33 Italian Socialist Party 33Steady2.svg
    Italian Social Movement 26 Italian Social Movement 26Steady2.svg
    Italian Democratic Socialist Party 11 Italian Democratic Socialist Party 11Steady2.svg
    Italian Liberal Party 8 Italian Liberal Party 8Steady2.svg
    Mixed7Mixed7Steady2.svg
    Italian Republican Party 5 Italian Republican Party 5Steady2.svg
    Südtiroler Volkspartei 2 Südtiroler Volkspartei 2Steady2.svg
    Total seats315Total seats315Steady2.svg

    Senators for Life

    SenatorMotivationAppointed byFromTill
    Giovanni Gronchi Former President of Italy ex officio Previous legislatureNext legislature
    Cesare Merzagora Merits in the social fieldPresident Antonio Segni Previous legislatureNext legislature
    Ferruccio Parri Merits in the social fieldPresident Antonio SegniPrevious legislatureNext legislature
    Antonio Segni Former President of Italy ex officio Previous legislature1 December 1972 (deceased)
    Eugenio Montale Merits in the literary fieldPresident Giuseppe Saragat Previous legislatureNext legislature
    Pietro Nenni Merits in the social fieldPresident Giuseppe SaragatPrevious legislatureNext legislature
    Giuseppe Saragat Former President of Italy ex officio Previous legislatureNext legislature
    Amintore Fanfani Merits in the social fieldPresident Giovanni Leone Previous legislatureNext legislature

    Related Research Articles

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    References

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    11. Compromesso storico, Enciclopedia Treccani
    12. Governo Moro V, governo.it
    13. Legge n. 898 del 1 dicembre 1970, Gazzetta Ufficiale
    14. Referendum divorzio, 45 anni fa il No all'abrogazione della legge
    15. Divorzio, 40 anni fa la “retorica” di Fanfani per fare abrogare la legge
    16. Il "no" che cambiò l'Italia: la storia del referendum sul divorzio, Corriere della Sera
    17. Amintore Fanfani, Il Post
    18. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1048 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
    19. Benigno Zaccagnini nel futuro della politica, Romano Prodi
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    21. 1 2 "senato.it – Composizione dei gruppi parlamentari nella VI Legislatura". www.senato.it (in Italian). Retrieved 13 February 2021.