Italian general election, 1968
Encyclopedia
The Italian elections of 1968 were held on May 19. The fifth Parliament of republican Italy was selected, while voters were 35,566,681 for the Chamber of Deputies
and 33,003,249 for the Italian Senate
, with an increment of some 3,000,000 in both elections from 1963.
Democrazia Cristiana
(DC) remained stable around 38% of the votes. They were marked by a victory of the Communist Party
(PCI) passing from 25% of 1963
to c. 30% at the Senate, where it presented jointly with the new Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity
(PSIUP), which included members of Socialist Party
(PSI) which disagreed the latter's alliance with DC. PSIUP gained c. 4.5% at the Chamber. The Socialist Party
and the Democratic Socialist Party
(PSDI) presented together as the Unified Socialist Party
, but gained c. 15%, far less than the sum of what the two parties had obtained separatedly in 1963.
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 list
s 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.
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.
and the governmental social-democratic federation between PSI and PSDI. The polls said that the split of the PSIUP in 1964 had not been a purely parliamentary operation, but the reflex of divisions into the leftist electorate. The result shocked the PSI's leadership, causing the sudden sinking of the social-democratic federation, and an alternance of provisional retirements by the government, firstly led by lifetime senator Giovanni Leone
and then, through two political crisis, by DC's secretary Mariano Rumor
. Unsuccessfully trying to recover its lost leftist electors, the PSI returned to the alliance with the PCI for the regional elections of 1970
, so causing another crisis and a new change of premiership, then led by Emilio Colombo
, but the government coalition had continuous problems of instability. Influent Giulio Andreotti
tried to resurrect the centrist
formula in 1972, but he failed, opening the way to the first early election of the republican history.
Italian Chamber of Deputies
The Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...
and 33,003,249 for the Italian Senate
Italian Senate
The Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...
, with an increment of some 3,000,000 in both elections from 1963.
Democrazia Cristiana
Christian Democracy (Italy)
Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield ....
(DC) remained stable around 38% of the votes. They were marked by a victory of the Communist Party
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played...
(PCI) passing from 25% of 1963
Italian general election, 1963
The Italian elections of 1963 were held on April 28. The fourth Parliament of republican Italy was selected.It was the first election with a fixed number of MPs to be elected, as decided by the second Constitutional Reform in February 1963...
to c. 30% at the Senate, where it presented jointly with the new Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity
Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity
The Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity , was a political party in Italy from 1964 to 1972.-History:...
(PSIUP), which included members of Socialist Party
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
(PSI) which disagreed the latter's alliance with DC. PSIUP gained c. 4.5% at the Chamber. The Socialist Party
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
and the Democratic Socialist Party
Italian Social Democratic Party
The Italian Democratic Social Party was a social-liberal political party in Italy.It was formed for the 1919 general election by the union of the Constitutional Democratic Party with several other parties of the liberal left...
(PSDI) presented together as the Unified Socialist Party
Unified Socialist Party (Italy)
The Unified PSI–PSDI was the name of the federation of parties formed by the Italian Socialist Party and the Italian Democratic Socialist Party from 1966 to 1969...
, but gained c. 15%, far less than the sum of what the two parties had obtained separatedly in 1963.
Electoral system
The pure party-list proportional representationParty-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
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 list
Open list
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...
s using the largest remainder method
Largest remainder method
The largest remainder method is one way of allocating seats proportionally for representative assemblies with party list voting systems...
with Imperiali quota
Imperiali quota
The Imperiali quota is a formula used to calculate the minimum number, or quota, of votes required to capture a seat in some forms of single transferable vote or largest remainder method party-list proportional representation voting systems....
. Remaining votes and seats were transferred at national level, where they was divided using the Hare quota
Hare quota
The Hare quota is a formula used under some forms of the Single Transferable Vote system and the largest remainder method of party-list proportional representation...
, and automatically distributed to best losers into the local lists.
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
D'Hondt method
The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
was used: inside the lists, candidates with the best percentages were elected.
Results
The election was a test for the new organization of the socialist area, which was divided between the new revolutionary and Communist-allied Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian UnityItalian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity
The Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity , was a political party in Italy from 1964 to 1972.-History:...
and the governmental social-democratic federation between PSI and PSDI. The polls said that the split of the PSIUP in 1964 had not been a purely parliamentary operation, but the reflex of divisions into the leftist electorate. The result shocked the PSI's leadership, causing the sudden sinking of the social-democratic federation, and an alternance of provisional retirements by the government, firstly led by lifetime senator Giovanni Leone
Giovanni Leone
Giovanni Leone was an Italian politician. He was the 38th Prime Minister of Italy from 21 June 1963 to 4 December 1963 and again from 24 June 1968 to 12 December 1968. He also served as the sixth President of the Republic from 1971 to 1978.-Biography:...
and then, through two political crisis, by DC's secretary Mariano Rumor
Mariano Rumor
Mariano Rumor was an Italian politician, a member of the Democrazia Cristiana and the 40th Prime Minister of Italy.He was born in Vicenza, Veneto...
. Unsuccessfully trying to recover its lost leftist electors, the PSI returned to the alliance with the PCI for the regional elections of 1970
Italian regional elections, 1970
The Italian regional elections of 1970 were held on June 7. Even if the regional system was conceived by the Italian Constitution in 1948, the five autonomous regions were the sole to be immediately established...
, so causing another crisis and a new change of premiership, then led by Emilio Colombo
Emilio Colombo
Emilio Colombo is an Italian politician who was Prime Minister of Italy from 1970 to 1972. In addition to having held top positions in Italian governments, he was also active in European politics.-Biography:...
, but the government coalition had continuous problems of instability. Influent Giulio Andreotti
Giulio Andreotti
Giulio Andreotti is an Italian politician of the now dissolved centrist Christian Democracy party. He served as the 42nd Prime Minister of Italy from 1972 to 1973, from 1976 to 1979 and from 1989 to 1992. He also served as Minister of the Interior , Defense Minister and Foreign Minister and he...
tried to resurrect the centrist
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
formula in 1972, but he failed, opening the way to the first early election of the republican history.
Chamber of Deputies
| Christian Democracy Christian Democracy (Italy) Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield .... |
39.1% | 266 |  6 |
|
| Italian Communist Party Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played... |
26.9% | 177 | 11 |
|
| Unified Socialist Party Unified Socialist Party (Italy) The Unified PSI–PSDI was the name of the federation of parties formed by the Italian Socialist Party and the Italian Democratic Socialist Party from 1966 to 1969... |
14.5% | 91 |  5 |
|
| Italian Liberal Party | 5.8% | 31 | 8 |
|
| Italian Social Movement Italian Social Movement The Italian Social Movement , and later the Italian Social Movement–National Right , was a neo-fascist and post-fascist political party in Italy. Formed in 1946 by supporters of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, the party became the fourth largest party in Italy by the early 1960s... |
4.5% | 24 | 3 |
|
| Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity The Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity , was a political party in Italy from 1964 to 1972.-History:... |
4.5% | 23 | 1 |
|
| Italian Republican Party Italian Republican Party The Italian Republican Party is a liberal political party in Italy.The PRI is party with old roots that originally took a left-wing position, claiming descent from the political position of Giuseppe Mazzini... |
2.0% | 9 | 3 |
|
| Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity Since 1961 the Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity was the continuation of the Italian Democratic Party , a monarchist party founded in 1959 by the union of the People's Monarchist Party and the National Monarchist Party.The new party, like its predecessors, was hampered by a... |
1.3% | 6 | 2 |
|
| South Tyrolese People's Party | 0.5% | 3 |  |
|
| Others | 0.9% | = | 1 |
Senate
| Christian Democracy Christian Democracy (Italy) Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield .... |
38.4% | 135 | 3 |
|
| Italian Communist Party Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played... joint with PSIUP Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity The Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity , was a political party in Italy from 1964 to 1972.-History:... |
30.0% | 101 | 16 |
|
| Unified Socialist Party Unified Socialist Party (Italy) The Unified PSI–PSDI was the name of the federation of parties formed by the Italian Socialist Party and the Italian Democratic Socialist Party from 1966 to 1969... |
15.2% | 46 | 12 |
|
| Italian Liberal Party | 6.8% | 16 | 3 |
|
| Italian Social Movement Italian Social Movement The Italian Social Movement , and later the Italian Social Movement–National Right , was a neo-fascist and post-fascist political party in Italy. Formed in 1946 by supporters of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, the party became the fourth largest party in Italy by the early 1960s... |
5.6% | 11 | 4 |
|
| Italian Republican Party Italian Republican Party The Italian Republican Party is a liberal political party in Italy.The PRI is party with old roots that originally took a left-wing position, claiming descent from the political position of Giuseppe Mazzini... |
2.2% | 2 | 1 |
|
| Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity Since 1961 the Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity was the continuation of the Italian Democratic Party , a monarchist party founded in 1959 by the union of the People's Monarchist Party and the National Monarchist Party.The new party, like its predecessors, was hampered by a... |
1.1% | 2 | |
|
| South Tyrolese People's Party | 0.5% | 2 | |
|
| Others | 0.2% | = | 1 |