Government of Italy
Long Conventional Name
Italian Republic
Short Conventional Name
Italy
Long Local Name
Repubblica Italiana
Short Local Name
Italia
Government Type
Republic
Capital City
Rome
Administrative Divisions
15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions* (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia*, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Sardegna* (Sardinia), Sicilia*, Toscana (Tuscany), Trentino-Alto Adige* (Trentino-South Tyrol), Umbria, Valle d'Aosta* (Aosta Valley), Veneto
Independence Day
Sunday, 17th March 1861
Constitutional History
Passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times
Legal System
Based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)
Executive Branch
Chief of State
President Giorgio Napolitano (since 15 May 2006)
Head of Government
Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the President of the Council of Ministers) Romano Prodi (since 17 May 2006)
Cabinet
Council of Ministers nominated by the Prime Minister and approved by the President
Elections
President elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 10 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2013); Prime Minister appointed by the President and confirmed by parliament .
Legislative Branch
Bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats; members elected by proportional vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region; to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; members elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; to serve five-year terms).
Judical Branch
Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative Supreme Courts) .
Flag Description
Three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green; inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797.
