Senate of the Republic (Italy)
The Senate of the Republic (Italian: Senato della Repubblica), or simply the Senate (Italian: Senato, [seˈnaːto]), is the upper house of the bicameral Italian Parliament, the lower house being the Chamber of Deputies. The two houses together form a perfect bicameral system, meaning they perform identical functions, but do so separately. Pursuant to the Articles 57, 58, and 59 of the Italian Constitution, the Senate has 200 elective members, of which 196 are elected from Italian constituencies, and 4 from Italian citizens living abroad. Furthermore, there is a small number (currently 5) of senators for life (senatori a vita), either appointed or ex officio. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno (Senate of the Kingdom), itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino (Subalpine Senate) of Sardinia established on 8 May 1848. Members of the Senate are styled Senator or The Honourable Senator (Italian: Onorevole Senatore)[1] and they meet at Palazzo Madama, Rome.
This article is about the Senate of the Italian Republic. For the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy, see Senate of the Kingdom of Italy.
Senate of the Republic
Senato della Repubblica
Gian Marco Centinaio (Lega)
Anna Rossomando (PD)
Maria Domenica Castellone (M5S)
since 19 October 2022
205 (200 elected + 5 senators for life)
Parallel voting: 74 FPTP seats, 126 PR seats with 3% electoral threshold (D'Hondt method)
Reform proposals[edit]
In 2016, the Italian Parliament passed a constitutional law that "effectively abolishes the Senate as an elected chamber and sharply restricts its ability to veto legislation".[4] The law was rejected on 4 December 2016 by a referendum, leaving the Senate unchanged.[5]