ns last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

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 (Venetia)

Independence:

17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally
unified until 1870)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

Constitution:

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 Silvio BERLUSCONI (referred to in
Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) (since 8 May
2008) note - in Italy the prime minister is referred to as the
president of the Council of Ministers
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
election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth
round of voting; electoral college vote - 543

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)
elections: Senate - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held
April 2010); Chamber of Deputies - last