MAURIZIO COTTA - LUCA VERZICHELLIIL SISTEMA POLITICO ITALIANO
CHAPTER 4
Elections, political cultures and electoral behavior
Topics of this chapter
The changing “electoral regimes”The Italian voterThe political sub-cultures
The PR during the First Republic
Chamber of Deputies PR with party list 32 large electoral districts No formal threshold, and a very low real
threshold Allocation of the rests on a national basis Multiple preferential voting
Senate of the Republic Uninominal colleges with a 65% threshold for
direct election Basically, PR corrected by the limited dimension
of the Upper House and by the lack of a national second-tier allocation
First Republic, Chamber of
Deputies, the electoral districts
Consequences brought about by the PR
Multiparty systemFractionalized parliamentsCoalition governmentsIntraparty competition and factionalismCentralized candidate selection
Second Republic, the 1993 electoral reform (Mattarellum, 1994-1996-2001)
A related mixed-member system, with: ¾ of the seats allocated by plurality ¼ of the seats allocated by PR, with closed list and a
4% threshold Double ballot for the Chamber, single ballot for the
Senate
Consequences brought about by the Mattarellum
Unrelenting multiparty system(Pre)electoral coalitionsBipolarism
Second Republic, Chamber of
Deputies, electoral districts
Second Republic, the 2005 electoral reform (Porcellum, 2006-2008-2013)
Mixed system characterized by: PR with closed list Electoral thresholds different for the two Houses, and
changing for parties and coalitions Majority reward for the winner
at national level for the Chamber of Deputies at regional level for the Senate
Porcellum, 2006-2013: the ballot (2013)
Voter-party relationships during the First Republic
Three different kinds of electoral behavior Belonging, identified voter Opinion voter Exchange voter
Characteristics of the electoral arena Stability Consistent choices in all elections (included
second-order)
Voters’ behavior during the Second Republic
Growing individual mobility and systemic volatility
Personal voting based on leaders’ evaluationStrategic and divided voting
Referenda in Italy, 1974-2005
Referendum turnout in Italy, 1974-2005
The First RepublicA political
map
The Second RepublicA political map