1996 Italian general election

21 April 1996

All 630 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
316 seats needed for a majority
315 seats in the Senate
163 seats needed for a majority[lower-alpha 1]
Registered48,744,846 (C) · 42,889,825 (S)
Turnout40,401,774 (C) · 82.9% (Decrease3.4 pp)
35,260,803 (S) · 82.2% (Decrease3.6 pp)
  First party Second party
 
Romano_Prodi_96.jpg
Silvio Berlusconi 1996.jpg
Leader Romano Prodi Silvio Berlusconi
Party Independent Forza Italia
Alliance The Olive Tree Pole for Freedoms
Leader since 6 March 1995 18 January 1994
Leader's seat Bologna (C) Milan (C)
Seats won 285 (C) / 157 (S) 246 (C) / 116 (S)
Seat change Increase20 (C) / Increase4 (S) Decrease26 (C) / Decrease40 (S)
Popular vote 15,747,455 (C)
13,434,607 (S)
15,027,030 (C)
12,185,020 (S)
Percentage 42.0% (C)
41.2% (S)
40.1% (C)
37.3% (S)

  Third party Fourth party
 
Umberto Bossi 1996 (cropped).jpg
Fausto Bertinotti 1996.jpg
Leader Umberto Bossi Fausto Bertinotti
Party Lega Nord Communist Refoundation[lower-alpha 2]
Alliance Progressives
Leader since 4 December 1989 22 January 1994
Leader's seat Lombardy (C)[lower-alpha 3] Piedmont (C)
Seats won 59 (C) / 27 (S) 35 (C) / 10 (S)
Seat change Decrease58 (C) / Decrease33 (S) Decrease3 (C) / Decrease8 (S)
Popular vote 3,776,354 (C)
3,394,733 (S)
3,213,748 (C)
934,974 (S)
Percentage 10.1% (C)
10.4% (S)
8.5% (C)
2.8% (S)

Results of the single-member constituencies in the Chamber of Deputies (left) and Senate (right)

Prime Minister before election

Lamberto Dini
Independent

Prime Minister after the election

Romano Prodi
The Olive Tree

The 1996 Italian general election was held on 21 April 1996 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. Romano Prodi, leader of the centre-left The Olive Tree, won the election, narrowly defeating Silvio Berlusconi, who led the centre-right Pole for Freedoms.

For the election, the Northern League of Umberto Bossi ran alone after having left the Berlusconi I Cabinet in 1994, causing a crisis which drove President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro to appoint a technocratic cabinet led by Lamberto Dini, which in turn lost its parliamentary support in 1995, forcing Scalfaro to dissolve the Italian Parliament. The Communist Refoundation Party, led by Fausto Bertinotti, made a pre-electoral alliance with The Olive Tree, presenting its own candidates, supported by Prodi's coalition, mainly in some safe leftist constituencies, in exchange for supporting Olive Tree candidates on the other ones, and ensuring external support for a Prodi government.

Electoral system

The intricate electoral system of Italy, nicknamed as Mattarellum after Sergio Mattarella, who was the official proponent, provided a 75% of the seats on the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house) as elected by a plurality voting system, whereas the remaining 25% was assigned by proportional representation with a minimum threshold of 4%. If possible, the method associate on 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.

General election

Background

In December 1994, following the communication of a new investigation from Milan magistrates that was leaked to the press, Umberto Bossi, leader of the Northern League, left the coalition claiming that the electoral pact had not been respected, forcing Berlusconi to resign from office and shifting the majority's weight to the centre-left side. The Northern League also resented the fact that many of its MPs had switched to Forza Italia, allegedly lured by promises of more prestigious portfolios.

Berlusconi remained as caretaker prime minister for a little over a month until his replacement by a technocratic government headed by Lamberto Dini. Dini had been a key minister in the Berlusconi cabinet, and Berlusconi said the only way he would support a technocratic government would be if Dini headed it. In the end, Dini was only supported by most opposition parties and not by Forza Italia and Northern League.

In December 1995, Dini resigned as Prime Minister and President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro decided to begin consultations to form a government, supported by all the parties in the Italian Parliament to make constitutional reforms. In a TV debate on 19 January 1996, both Silvio Berlusconi and Democratic Party of the Left leader Massimo D'Alema supported constitutional reforms; however, there were many problems on this theme in both coalition, as Gianfranco Fini and Romano Prodi wanted a snap election, not sure that the reforms would be helpful for the country. On 16 February 1996, a snap election was called.

Campaign

On 19 February 1996, the outgoing Prime Minister Lamberto Dini announced that he would run in the election with a new party allied with The Olive Tree rather than Berlusconi's Pole of Freedoms. Shortly after, Berlusconi claimed that Dini "copied our electoral programme".[1]

Another important declaration was that of Umberto Bossi, the leader of the regionalist Northern League, which was very important in 1994 to help Berlusconi winning the election. Bossi said that his party would not support Berlusconi anymore and run alone in the election. At the same time, Prodi's coalition made a pre-electoral agreement with Communist Refoundation Party in which Fausto Bertinotti's party undertook to support Prodi's government after the election in case of no parliamentary majority.

On 25 March 1996, Berlusconi organised a manifestation in Milan against taxes (The Tax Day) attended by many Milanese artisans; on the same day in Turin, Prodi was heavily contested during his electoral speech and accused of not wanting to lower taxes.[2]

Main coalitions and parties

Coalition Party Main ideology Party leader Coalition leader
The Olive Tree Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) Democratic socialism Massimo D'Alema Romano Prodi
Populars for Prodi (PPIUDPRISVP) Christian democracy Franco Marini
Italian Renewal (RI) Liberalism Lamberto Dini
Federation of the Greens (FdV) Green politics Franco Corleone
Labour Federation (FL) Social democracy Valdo Spini
Italian Socialists (SI) Social democracy Enrico Boselli
The Network (LR) Anti-corruption politics Leoluca Orlando
Segni Pact (PS) Christian liberalism Mario Segni
Pole for Freedoms Forza Italia (FI) Liberal conservatism Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi
National Alliance (AN) National conservatism Gianfranco Fini
Christian Democratic Centre (CCD) Christian democracy Pier Ferdinando Casini
United Christian Democrats (CDU) Christian democracy Rocco Buttiglione
Northern League (LN) Regionalism Umberto Bossi
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) Communism Fausto Bertinotti
Pannella–Sgarbi List (LPS) Liberalism Marco Pannella
Tricolour Flame (FT) Neo-fascism Pino Rauti

Results

Chamber of Deputies

Overall results

Summary of the 21 April 1996 Chamber of Deputies election results
Coalition Party Proportional First-past-the-post Total
seats
+/–
Votes % Seats Votes % Seats
The Olive Tree Democratic Party of the Left (PDS)7,894,11821.062615,747,45542.01146172[lower-alpha 4]+48
Populars for Prodi (PPIUDPRISVP)2,554,0726.8146569[lower-alpha 5]+18
Italian Renewal (RI)1,627,3804.3481826[lower-alpha 6]New
Federation of the Greens (FdV)938,6652.5001414+3
The Network (LR)033−5
Ladin Autonomist Union (UAL)011+1
Total seats38247285
Pole for Freedoms Forza Italia (FI)7,712,14920.573715,027,03040.0886123[lower-alpha 7]−9
National Alliance (AN)5,870,49115.66286593−17
CCDCDU2,189,5635.84122830[lower-alpha 8]+3
Total seats77169246
Northern League (LN)3,776,35410.07204,038,23910.773959−59
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)3,213,7488.5720982,5052.621535−3
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)0156,7080.4233±0
Southern Action League (LAM)72,0620.19082,3730.2211±0
Aosta Valley (VdA)037,4310.1011±0
Others1,635,7964.3901,223,3683.7800±0
Total37,484,398100.0015537,295,109100.00475630

Proportional and FPTP results

First-past-the-post
Parties and coalitions Vote % Seats
Pole for Freedoms (PpL) 15,027,030 40.09 169
The Olive Tree (Ulivo) 14,447,548 38.54 228
Northern League (LN) 4,038,239 10.77 39
The Olive TreeVenetian Autonomy League (Ulivo–LAV) 997,534 2.66 14
Progressives 982,505 2.62 15
Tricolour Flame (FT) 624,558 1.67 0
The Olive TreeSardinian Action Party (Ulivo–PSd'Az) 269,047 0.72 4
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) 156,708 0.42 3
Southern Action League (LAM) 82,373 0.22 1
Pannella-Sgarbi List (LPS) 69,406 0.19 0
Clean Hands (MP) 68,443 0.18 0
Socialist Party (PS) 44,786 0.12 0
Sardigna Natzione (SN) 42,246 0.11 0
Aosta Valley (VdA) 37,431 0.10 1
Democracy and Freedom (DL) 33,326 0.09 1
Renovation 28,988 0.08 0
Humanist Party (PU) 27,694 0.07 0
Italian Renaissance Movement (MRI) 24,074 0.06 0
Union for South Tyrol (UfS) 23,032 0.06 0
We Sicilians – Sicilian National Front (NS–FNS) 20,102 0.05 0
Pact for the Agro 18,836 0.05 0
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) 17,996 0.05 0
Greens Greens 12,905 0.03 0
Environmentalists 12,299 0.03 0
Liberal Federalists (FL) 11,563 0.03 0
Aosta Valley for the Olive Tree 11,526 0.03 0
Social Democracy (DS) 9,760 0.03 0
North-East Union (UNE) 9,669 0.03 0
Independent Group Freedom (GIL) 8,805 0.02 0
Natural Law Party (PLN) 7,708 0.02 0
Moderates 6,208 0.02 0
New Energies 5,627 0.02 0
New Democracy (ND) 5,333 0.01 0
Development and Legality 5,275 0.01 0
For Marche 4,317 0.01 0
Resurgence of the South 4,291 0.01 0
Free North Autonomy 4,013 0.01 0
New Ways 3,904 0.01 0
State of Friuli 3,345 0.01 0
Liberist Solidary Alliance 3,219 0.01 0
Ingenuity and Audacity 2,805 0.01 0
Venetian Solidarity 2,655 0.01 0
South Pole Movement 2,310 0.01 0
Federalist Italian League (LIF) 2,268 0.01 0
Trieste Women's Pact 2,121 0.01 0
Others 71,281 0.19 0
Total 37,295,109 100.00 475
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Proportional
Party Votes % Seats
Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) 7,894,118 21.06 26
Forza Italia (FI) 7,712,149 20.57 37
National Alliance (AN) 5,870,491 15.66 28
Northern League (LN) 3,776,354 10.07 20
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) 3,213,748 8.57 20
Populars for Prodi (PPIUDPRISVP) 2,554,072 6.81 4
CCDCDU 2,189,563 5.84 12
Italian Renewal (RI) 1,627,380 4.34 8
Federation of the Greens (FdV) 938,665 2.50 0
Pannella-Sgarbi List (LPS) 702,988 1.88 0
Tricolour Flame (FT) 339,351 0.91 0
Socialist Party (PS) 149,441 0.40 0
Southern Action League (LAM) 72,062 0.19 0
North-East Union (UNE) 63,934 0.17 0
Union for South Tyrol (UfS) 55,548 0.15 0
Clean Hands (MP) 44,935 0.12 0
We Sicilians – Sicilian National Front (NS–FNS) 41,001 0.11 0
Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az) 38,002 0.10 0
Greens Greens 25,788 0.07 0
Sardigna Natzione (SN) 23,355 0.06 0
Independent Group Freedom 17,451 0.05 0
Environmentalists 15,560 0.04 0
Humanist Party (PU) 14,601 0.04 0
Renovation 13,677 0.04 0
Pact for the Agro 12,297 0.03 0
Social Democracy 9,319 0.02 0
Italian Renaissance Movement (MRI) 8,886 0.02 0
Tuscan Autonomist Movement (MAT) 8,627 0.02 0
Natural Law Party (PLN) 8,298 0.02 0
New Democracy 8,185 0.02 0
Liberal Federalists (FL) 6,475 0.02 0
For Marche 5,545 0.01 0
New Energies 5,393 0.01 0
Development and Legality 5,347 0.01 0
Free North Autonomy 4,965 0.01 0
Federalist Party (PF) 3,743 0.01 0
Resurgence of the South 3,084 0.01 0
Total 100.00 37,484,398 155
Invalid/blank/unassigned votes2,917,376
Total40,401,774
Registered voters/turnout82.88%48,744,846
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote (Proportional)
PDS
21.06%
FI
20.57%
AN
15.66%
LN
10.07%
PRC
8.57%
Popolari
6.81%
CCD-CDU
5.84%
RI
4.34%
FdV
2.50%
LPS
1.88%
Others
2.68%
Popular vote (First-past-the-post)
Ulivo
41.92%
PpL
40.09%
LN
10.77%
PRC
2.62%
FT
1.67%
Others
3.65%

Senate of the Republic

Summary of the 21 April 1996 Senate of the Republic election results
Coalition Party First-past-the-post Proportional
Seats
Total
seats
+/–
Votes % Seats
The Olive Tree Democratic Party of the Left (PDS)13,444,97841.2113423102[lower-alpha 9]+26
Italian People's Party (PPI)27−4
Federation of the Greens (FdV)14+7
Italian Renewal (RI)11[lower-alpha 10]New
The Network (LR)1−5
Venetian Autonomy League (LAV)1+1
Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az)1+1
Total seats157
Pole for Freedoms Forza Italia (FI)12,185,02037.35674948[lower-alpha 11]+13
National Alliance (AN)43−4
Christian Democratic Centre (CCD)15+3
United Christian Democrats (CDU)10New
Total seats116
Northern League (LN)3,394,73310.4118927−33
Progressives934,9742.8710010−8
Tricolour Flame (FT)747,4872.29011New
Pannella-Sgarbi List (LPS)509,8261.56011±0
Socialist Party (PS)286,4260.88000New
The Fir – South Tyrolean People's PartyPATT178,4250.55202−1
Clean Hands109,1130.33000New
League for Autonomy – Lombard Alliance106,3130.33000New
North-East Union (UNE)72,5410.22000New
We Sicilians – Sicilian National Front (NS–FNS)71,8410.22000New
Southern Action League (LAM)66,7500.20000±0
Greens Greens61,4340.19000±0
Pensioners' Party (PP)60,6400.19000±0
Social Democracy60,0160.18000New
Federation of Italian Civic Lists55,7930.17000New
Sardigna Natzione (SN)44,7130.14000New
Aosta Valley (VdA)27,4930.08101±0
Piedmont Nation of Europe26,9510.08000±0
Environmentalists26,7560.08000New
Independent Group Freedom (GIL)23,3010.07000New
Union for South Tyrol (UfS)19,3300.06000New
Tuscan Autonomist Movement (MAT)18,6910.06000±0
Pact for the Agro17,9800.06000New
Renovation16,2160.05000New
Right of the People6,7100.02000New
Natural Law Party (PLN)10,3710.03000New
Democrats for Progress5,6880.02000New
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)5,6810.02000
Popular Movement of Moralization (MPM)5,2970.02000New
Azure Alps5,1440.02000New
Democratic Alternative for the Roman Castles4,5240.01000New
Progressive People's Party (PPP)4,4500.01000±0
For a Normal Country3,9760.01000New
European Dolomite Region2,8980.01000New
Free North Autonomy2,4110.01000New
Hit the Center2,1780.01000New
Total32,624,584100.0023283315
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote
Ulivo
41.21%
PpL
37.35%
LN
10.41%
Prog.
2.87%
FT
2.29%
LPS
1.56%
Others
5.63%

Notes

  1. taking into account the Senators for life, which accounted for 10 seats at the time the election took place
  2. The PRC signed an agreement to desist with The Olive Tree in the single-member constituencies. In the colleges of Aosta and Mirabella Eclano, it ran as the Progressives, competing with the candidates of Democracy and Freedom.
  3. Bossi ran also in the single-member constituency of Milan but he lost to Berlusconi.
  4. Including eight deputies of the Movement of Unitarian Communists (MCU), six deputies of the Labour Federation (FL), five deputies of the Social Christians (CS), one deputy of the Republican Left (SR) and one deputy of the Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI)
  5. Including five deputies of the Democratic Union (UD) and two deputies of the Italian Republican Party (PRI)
  6. Including eight deputies of Segni Pact (Patto), seven deputies of the Italian Socialists (SI) and one deputy of the Democratic Italian Movement (MID)
  7. Including 3 deputies of the Union of the Centre (UdC)
  8. Including 19 deputies of CCD and 11 deputies of CDU
  9. Including five senators of the Labour Federation (FL) and four senators of the Social Christians (CS)
  10. Including five senators of the Italian Socialists (SI), one senator of Segni Pact (PS) and one senator of the Democratic Italian Movement (MID)
  11. Including two senators of the Union of the Centre (UdC)

References

  1. "ANNO 1996 MESE DI FEBBRAIO". Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  2. ANNO 1996 MESE DI MARZO
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