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)

Italicum, since July 2016

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