Italian general election, 2001
Encyclopedia
A national general election was held in Italy
on May 13, 2001 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies
and the Senate of the Republic
. The 14th Parliament of the Italian republic was chosen.
Leader of the right-wing House of Freedoms
Silvio Berlusconi
won the election, defeating Francesco Rutelli, former Mayor of Rome
, and premieral candidate of the leftist Olive Tree
coalition, and rising back to power after his first victory, in 1994.
, whereas the remaining 25% was assigned on a proportional way
with a minimum threshold of 4%.
The method used for the Senate was even more complicated: 75% of seats by uninominal method, and 25% by a special proportional method that actually assigned the remaining seats to minority parties.
Formally these were examples of additional member system
s.
. The remaining 155 seats were assigned by proportional representation
with a national D'Hondt method
and a 4% threshold.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on May 13, 2001 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies
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 the Senate of the Republic
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...
. The 14th Parliament of the Italian republic was chosen.
Leader of the right-wing House of Freedoms
House of Freedoms
The House of Freedoms , was a major Italian centre-right political and electoral alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. It was initially composed of several political parties:*Forza Italia *National Alliance...
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
won the election, defeating Francesco Rutelli, former Mayor of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and premieral candidate of the leftist Olive Tree
Olive Tree
The Olive Tree was a denomination used for several successive centre-left Italian political coalitions from 1995 to 2007.The historical leader and ideologue of these coalitions was Romano Prodi, Professor of Economics and former leftist Christian Democrat, who invented the name and the symbol of...
coalition, and rising back to power after his first victory, in 1994.
Electoral system
The intricate electoral system of Italy provided 75% of the seats on the Chamber of Deputies (the Lower House) as elected by first-past-the-post systemFirst-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
, whereas the remaining 25% was assigned on a proportional way
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
with a minimum threshold of 4%.
The method used for the Senate was even more complicated: 75% of seats by uninominal method, and 25% by a special proportional method that actually assigned the remaining seats to minority parties.
Formally these were examples of additional member system
Additional Member System
The Additional Member System is the term used in the United Kingdom for the mixed member proportional representation voting system used in Scotland, Wales and the London Assembly....
s.
Chamber of Deputies
Inside the Chamber of Deputies, 475 were chosen in single-member districts, as it happened in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The remaining 155 seats were assigned by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
with a national 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...
and a 4% threshold.
External links
- Repubblica.it: About 2001 Election (in Italian)
- Corriere della Sera: About 2001 Election (in Italian)
- CNN.com: About 2001 Election
- Minister of Internal Affairs of Italy: 2001 Election Results, Chamber of Deputies (in Italian)
- Minister of Internal Affairs of Italy: 2001 Election Results, Senate of the Republic (in Italian)