Governing Structure
The form chosen by the Italian government is the Parliamentary Republic. This is a type of government in which sovereignty belongs to the people who, thanks to this power, can elect the organs of state, in particular Parliament.
The President of the Republic is the highest office of the State and represents its unity.
The fundamental law of the Republic is the Constitution, i.e. the code that sets out the fundamental principles, rights and duties of citizens and establishes its order.
The political system is divided into three distinct organs: Parliament, Government and the Judiciary.
Parliament
Parliament consists of the House and the Senate.
The Italian Parliament has a bicameral structure, consisting of the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies, and is composed of 400 deputies and 200 senators elected by universal suffrage by citizens of legal age.
Together with the Government, it chooses the public purposes and objectives to be achieved in the interest of the community.
Government
Has the task of implementing laws through the public administration (complex of organs and offices), in order to concretely realise public purposes.
In certain cases, it may approve acts having the force of law.
Magistracy
Interprets and applies the law to the concrete case, ascertaining violations of the law and applying the relevant sanctions.
President of the Republic
He is the Head of State who represents national unity and is the guarantor of the Constitution.
Constitutional Court
Judges whether laws and acts having the force of law are in conformity with the Constitution. It resolves conflicts between the organs of the State.
Roles & Processes
Parties are very important, they represent the way citizens can relate to the government and safeguard democracy. Every citizen can choose to be a member of a party or just vote for it. Each party is accountable to the people and its voters. Citizens can therefore exercise the power they hold in two ways: either by voting or by democratically founding a party that reflects their ideals and help determine the politics of the nation.
The Italian political system is organized according to the principle of the separation of powers: legislative power is vested in Parliament, the government has executive power, while the judiciary, independent of the executive and the legislature, exercises judicial power.
All laws ultimately have to be enacted by the President of the Republic, who, by means of a reasoned message to the chambers, can request a new deliberation (the so-called suspensive veto). If, however, the Chambers approve the law again, it must be promulgated.
The Council of Ministers is governed by a parliamentary majority, typically formed from an election among all those entitled to vote.
The President of the Republic is elected by Parliament and is the guarantor of the Constitution. He also represents the unity of the nation. The President’s task is to appoint the Prime Minister, i.e. the head of the government, who in turn appoints the ministers who will form the new government and take charge of the various ministries.