Italian Senate

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Senate of the Republic
Senato della Repubblica

Type
Type Upper house
Leadership
President of the Senate Renato Schifani, PdL
since April 29, 2008
Structure
Members 315
6 lifetime senators

Political groups Pdl 146
PD 119
LN 26
Idv 14
UDC - SVP and autonomists 11
Mixed group 6
Election
Last election April 13–14, 2008
Meeting place

Palazzo Madama, Rome
Website
http://www.senato.it

Italian Republic

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Italy

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The Senate of the Republic (Italian: Senato della Repubblica) is the upper house of the Parliament of Italy. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but it existed during the monarchy as Senato del Regno, (the "Senate of the Kingdom"), continuing from the Subalpine Parliament of Piedmont established on 8 May 1848.

The Senate consists of 315 elected members (senatori), elected for a maximum of 5 years, of whom six represent Italians residing overseas. Senators must be 40 years of age or older, and are elected by citizens 25 years of age or over. According to special constitutional provisions, 'life senators' may exist, either former presidents, as ex officio life senators, or those appointed by the president "for outstanding merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field". As of 2010^[update], there are six life senators: Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (former President), Giulio Andreotti (former Prime Minister), Rita Levi Montalcini (Nobel Prize winner for Medicine 1986), Emilio Colombo (former Prime Minister), Sergio Pininfarina (Designer), Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (former President). Giorgio Napolitano (former President of the Chamber of Deputies and former leader of the Communist Party), currently President of the Republic, is no longer a member of the Senate, and will be able to resume his duties as a senator in 2013 at the earliest. The Italian Senate is unusual among Upper Houses in that it has almost the same power as its Lower counterpart: other than the budget, any law can be initiated in either house, and must be approved in the same form by both houses; additionally the Government must have the consent of both to remain in office (this situation is called "perfect bicameralism").

The seat of the senate is Palazzo Madama in Rome.

The Senate may be dissolved before the expiration of its normal term by the President of the Republic, when no government can obtain a majority.

Presidents

Under the current Constitution, the Senate must hold its first sitting no later than 20 days after a general election. That session, presided by the oldest senator, proceeds to elect the President of the Senate for the following parliamentary period. On the first two attempts at voting, an absolute majority of all senators is needed; if a third round is needed, a candidate can be elected by an absolute majority of the senators present and voting. If this third round fails to produce a winner, a final ballot is held between the two senators with the highest votes in the previous ballot. In the case of a tie, the elder senator is deemed the winner.

In addition to overseeing the business of the chamber, chairing and regulating debates, deciding whether motions and bills are admissible, representing the Senate, etc., the President of the Senate stands in for the President of the Republic when the president is unable to perform the duties of the office. The current President of the Senate (since 29 April 2008) is Renato Schifani.

Kingdom of Sardinia (1848-1860)

President From To Notes
1st Legislature
Gaspare Coller 1848 1848
2nd Legislature
Giuseppe Manno 1849 1849
3rd Legislature
Giuseppe Manno 1849 1849
4th Legislature
Giuseppe Manno 1849 1853
5th Legislature
Giuseppe Manno 1853 1855
Cesare Alfieri di Sostegno 1855 1857
6th Legislature
Cesare Alfieri di Sostegno 1857 1860
7th Legislature
Cesare Alfieri di Sostegno 1860 1860

Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946)

President From To Notes
8th Legislature
Ruggero Settimo 1861 1863 Died during mandate
Federico Sclopis 1863 1864
Giuseppe Manno 1864 1865
9th Legislature
Gabrio Casati 1865 1867
10th Legislature
Gabrio Casati 1867 1870
11th Legislature
Vincenzo Fardella di Torrearsa 1870 1874
12th Legislature
Luigi Des Ambrois 1874 1874 Died during mandate
Giuseppe Pasolini 1874 1876
13th Legislature
Sebastiano Tecchio 1876 1880
14th Legislature
Sebastiano Tecchio 1880 1882
15th Legislature
Sebastiano Tecchio 1882 1884
Giacomo Durando 1884 1886
16th Legislature
Giacomo Durando 1886 1887
Domenico Farini 1887 1890
17th Legislature
Domenico Farini 1890 1892
18th Legislature
Domenico Farini 1892 1895
19th Legislature
Domenico Farini 1895 1897
20th Legislature
Domenico Farini 1897 1898
Giuseppe Saracco 1898 1900
21st Legislature
Giuseppe Saracco 1900 1904
22nd Legislature
Tancredi Canonico 1904 1908 Died during mandate
Giuseppe Manfredi 1908 1909
23rd Legislature
Giuseppe Manfredi 1909 1913
24th Legislature
Giuseppe Manfredi 1913 1918 Died during mandate
Adeodato Bonasi 1918 1919
25th Legislature
Tommaso Tittoni 1919 1921
26th Legislature
Tommaso Tittoni 1921 1924
27th Legislature
Tommaso Tittoni 1924 1929
28th Legislature
Luigi Federzoni 1929 1934
29th Legislature
Luigi Federzoni 1934 1939
30th Legislature
Giacomo Suardo 1939 1943
Paolo Thaon di Revel 1943 1944
Pietro Tomasi Della Torretta 1944 1946

Italian Republic (1948-)

President From To Notes
1st Legislature
Ivanoe Bonomi 8 May 1948 20 April 1951 died during mandate
Enrico De Nicola 28 April 1951 24 June 1952 resigned
Giuseppe Paratore 26 June 1952 23 March 1953 resigned
Luigi Gasparotto 24 March 1953 25 March 1953 renounced
Meuccio Ruini 25 March 1953 24 June 1953
2nd Legislature
Cesare Merzagora 25 June 1953 11 June 1958
3rd Legislature
Cesare Merzagora 12 June 1958 15 May 1963
4th Legislature
Cesare Merzagora 16 May 1963 7 November 1967 resigned
Ennio Zelioli-Lanzini 8 November 1967 4 June 1968
5th Legislature
Amintore Fanfani 5 June 1968 24 May 1972
6th Legislature
Amintore Fanfani 25 May 1972 26 June 1973 resigned
Giovanni Spagnolli 27 June 1973 4 July 1976
7th Legislature
Amintore Fanfani 5 July 1976 19 June 1979
8th Legislature
Amintore Fanfani 20 June 1979 1 December 1982 resigned once elected Prime Minister
Tommaso Morlino 9 December 1982 6 May 1983 died during mandate
Vittorino Colombo 12 May 1983 11 July 1983
9th Legislature
Francesco Cossiga 12 July 1983 24 June 1985 elected President of the Italian Republic
Amintore Fanfani 9 July 1985 17 April 1987 resigned once elected Prime Minister
Giovanni Francesco Malagodi 22 April 1987 1 July 1987
10th Legislature
Giovanni Spadolini 2 July 1987 22 April 1992
11th Legislature
Giovanni Spadolini 24 April 1992 14 April 1994
12th Legislature
Carlo Scognamiglio Pasini 16 April 1994 8 May 1996
13th Legislature
Nicola Mancino 9 May 1996 29 May 2001
14th Legislature
Marcello Pera 30 May 2001 27 April 2006
15th Legislature
Franco Marini 29 April 2006 28 April 2008
16th Legislature
Renato Schifani 29 April 2008

Presidency Office

President

• Renato Schifani

Vice Presidents

• Emma Bonino
• Vannino Chiti
• Rosi Mauro
• Domenico Nania

Quaestors

• Benedetto Adragna
• Romano Comincioli
• Paolo Franco

Secretaries

• Silvana Amati
• Emanuela Baio
• Cinzia Bonfrisco
• Alessio Butti
• Lucio Malan
• Colomba Mongiello
• Piergiorgio Stiffoni
• Marco Stradiotto

See also

• Parliament of Italy
• Italian Chamber of Deputies
• Senate
• Roman Senate
• Senato Italiano (TV channel)

References