1963 Italian general election

The 1963 Italian general election was held on Sunday April 28.[1] It was the first election with a fixed number of MPs to be elected, as decided by the second Constitutional Reform in February 1963.[2] It was also the first election which saw the Secretary of Christian Democracy to refuse the office of Prime Minister after the vote, at least for six months, preferring to provisionally maintain his more influent post at the head of the party: this fact confirmed the transformation of Italian political system into a particracy, the secretaries of the parties having become more powerful than the Parliament and the Government.[3]

1963 Italian general election

← 1958 28 April 1963 1968 →

All 630 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
316 seats needed for a majority
All 315 elective seats in the Senate
161 seats needed for a majority[a]
Registered34,199,184 (C· 31,019,23 (S)
Turnout31,766,009 (C· 92.9% (Decrease0.9 pp)
28,872,052 (S· 93.1% (Decrease0.9 pp)
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Aldo Moro 1968.jpg
Palmiro Togliatti Official (cropped).jpg
Pietro Nenni 1963.jpg
Leader Aldo Moro Palmiro Togliatti Pietro Nenni
Party DC PCI PSI
Leader since 16 March 1959 15 May 1943[b] 16 May 1949[c]
Leader's seat Bari (C) Rome (S) Milan (C)
Seats won 260 (C) / 129 (S) 166 (C) / 84 (S) 87 (C) / 44 (S)
Seat change Decrease13 (C) / Increase6 (S) Increase26 (C) / Increase25 (S) Increase3 (C) / Increase9 (S)
Popular vote 11,773,182 (C)
10,017,975 (S)
7,767,601 (C)
6,461,616 (S)
4,255,836 (C)
3,849,440 (S)
Percentage 38.3% (C)
36.5% (S)
25.3% (C)
23.5% (S)
13.8% (C)
14.0% (S)
Swing Decrease4.1 pp (C)
Decrease4.7 pp (S)
Increase2.6 pp (C)
Increase1.7 pp (S)
Decrease0.4 pp (C)
Decrease0.1 pp (S)

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Giovanni Malagodi 1972.jpg
Giuseppe Saragat (cropped).jpg
Arturo Michelini (cropped).jpg
Leader Giovanni Malagodi Giuseppe Saragat Arturo Michelini
Party PLI PSDI MSI
Leader since 4 April 1954 11 April 1957[d] 10 October 1954
Leader's seat Milan (C) Turin (C) Rome (C)
Seats won 39 (C) / 18 (S) 33 (C) / 14 (S) 27 (C) / 14 (S)
Seat change Increase22 (C) / Increase14 (S) Increase11 (C) / Increase9 (S) Increase3 (C) / Increase6 (S)
Popular vote 2,144,270 (C)
2,043,323 (S)
1,876,271 (C)
1,743,870 (S)
1,570,282 (C)
1,458,917 (S)
Percentage 7.0% (C)
7.4% (S)
6.1% (C)
6.4% (S)
5.1% (C)
5.3% (S)
Swing Increase3.5 pp (C)
Increase3.5 pp (S)
Increase1.5 pp (C)
Increase1.9 pp (S)
Increase0.3 pp (C)
Increase0.9 pp (S)


Prime Minister before election

Amintore Fanfani
DC

Prime Minister after the election

Giovanni Leone
DC

Electoral system

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The pure party-list proportional representation had traditionally become the electoral system for the Chamber of Deputies. Italian provinces were united in 32 constituencies, each electing a group of candidates. At constituency level, seats were divided between open lists using the largest remainder method with Imperiali quota. Remaining votes and seats were transferred at a national level, where they were divided using the Hare quota, and automatically distributed to best losers into the local lists.

For the Senate, 237 single-seat constituencies were established, even if the assembly had risen to 315 members. The candidates needed a landslide victory of two-thirds of votes to be elected, a goal which could be reached only by the German minorities in South Tirol. All remained votes and seats were grouped in party lists and regional constituencies, where a D'Hondt method was used: inside the lists, candidates with the best percentages were elected.

Historical background

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The DC's leader Aldo Moro with the PSI's one Pietro Nenni.

During the First Republic, the Christian Democracy slowly but steadily lost support, as society modernised and the traditional values at its ideological core became less appealing to the population. Various options of extending the parliamentary majority were considered, mainly an opening to the left (apertura a sinistra), i.e. to the Socialist party (PSI), which after the 1956 events in Hungary had moved from a position of total subordination to the Communists, to an independent position. Proponents of such a coalition proposed a series much-needed "structural reforms" that would modernize the country and create a modern social-democracy. In 1960, an attempt by the right wing of the Christian Democrats to incorporate the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI) in the Tambroni government led to violent and bloody riots (Genoa, Reggio Emilia), and was defeated.

Up until the Nineties, two types of governmental coalitions characterised the politics of post-war Italy. The first were “centrist” coalitions led by the Christian Democracy party together with smaller parties: the Social Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and the Liberal Party. The first democratic government (1947) excluded both communists and the socialists, which brought about the political period known as “centrist government,” which ruled over Italian politics from 1948 to 1963. The centre-left coalition (DC-PRI-PSDI-PSI) was the second type of coalition that characterised Italian politics, coming about in 1963 when the PSI (formerly the opposition party) went into government with the DC. This coalition lasted in parliament first for 12 years (from 1964 to 1976) and then with a revival in the Eighties that lasted until the start of the Nineties.[4]

The Socialist Party entered government in 1963. During the first year of the new centre-left government, a wide range of measures were carried out which went some way towards the Socialist Party's requirements for governing in coalition with the Christian Democrats. These included taxation of real estate profits and of share dividends (designed to curb speculation), increases in pensions for various categories of workers, a law on school organisation (to provide for a unified secondary school with compulsory attendance up to the age of 14), the nationalisation of the electric-power industry, and significant wage rises for workers (including those in the newly nationalised electric-power industry), which led to a rise in consumer demand. Urged on by the PSI, the government also made brave attempts to tackle issues relating to welfare services, hospitals, the agrarian structure, urban development, education, and overall planning.[5] For instance, during the Centre-Left Government's time in office, social security was extended to previously uncovered categories of the population.[6] In addition, entrance to university by examination was abolished in 1965. Despite these important reforms, however, the reformist drive was soon lost, and the most important problems (including the mafia, social inequalities, inefficient state/social services, North/South imbalance) remained largely untackled.

Parties and leaders

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Party Ideology Leader Seats in 1958
C S Total
Christian Democracy (DC) Christian democracy Aldo Moro
273
123
396
Italian Communist Party (PCI) Communism Palmiro Togliatti
140
60
200
Italian Socialist Party (PSI) Democratic socialism Pietro Nenni
84
36
120
Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity (PDIUM) Monarchism Alfredo Covelli
25
7
32
Italian Social Movement (MSI) Neo-fascism Arturo Michelini
24
8
32
Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI) Social democracy Giuseppe Saragat
22
5
27
Italian Liberal Party (PLI) Conservative liberalism Giovanni Malagodi
17
4
21
Italian Republican Party (PRI) Republicanism Oronzo Reale
6
0
6

Results

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The election fell after the launch of the centre-left formula by the Christian Democracy, a coalition based upon the alliance with the Socialist Party which had left its alignment with the Soviet Union. Some rightist electors abandoned the DC for the Liberal Party, which was asking for a centre-right government and received votes also from the quarrelsome monarchist area. The majority party so decided to replace incumbent Premier Amintore Fanfani with a provisional administration led by impartial Speaker of the House, Giovanni Leone; however, when the congress of the PSI in autumn authorized a full engagement of the party into the government, Leone resigned and Aldo Moro, secretary of the DC and leader of the more leftist wing of the party, became the new Prime Minister and ruled Italy for more than four years, ever passing through two resolved political crisis caused even by the detachment of the left wing of the PSI, which created the PSIUP and returned to the alliance with the Communists, and by disagreements into the governmental coalition.

Chamber of Deputies

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PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Christian Democracy11,773,18238.28260−13
Italian Communist Party7,767,60125.26166+16
Italian Socialist Party4,255,83613.8487+3
Italian Liberal Party2,144,2706.9739+22
Italian Democratic Socialist Party1,876,2716.1033+11
Italian Social Movement1,570,2825.1127+3
Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity536,9481.758−17
Italian Republican Party420,2131.3760
South Tyrolean People's Party135,4570.4430
Concentration of Rural Unity92,2090.3000
Autonomous Party of Italy's Pensioners87,6550.290New
Valdostan Union31,8440.1010
Italian Combatant Movement–National Rebirth Front19,9020.060New
Italian Catholic Political Movement7,2200.020New
Christian Social Party6,8730.020New
National Monarchist Party6,4720.020New
Slovene Unified List5,6790.020New
Movement for the Independence of the Free Territory of Trieste4,2610.010New
National Union of Public Health2,9260.010New
Farmers and Employees Movement2,6850.010New
Social Renewal1,7500.010New
Italian Popular Movement1,6210.010New
National Vanguard9590.000New
Italian Labour Party7550.000New
Total30,752,871100.00630+34
Valid votes30,752,87196.81
Invalid/blank votes1,013,1383.19
Total votes31,766,009100.00
Registered voters/turnout34,199,18492.89
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote
DC
38.28%
PCI
25.26%
PSI
13.84%
PLI
6.97%
PSDI
6.10%
MSI
5.11%
PDIUM
1.75%
PRI
1.37%
Others
1.33%
Seats
DC
41.27%
PCI
26.35%
PSI
13.81%
PLI
6.19%
PSDI
5.24%
MSI
4.29%
PDIUM
1.27%
PRI
0.95%
Others
0.63%

Results by constituency

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Constituency Total
seats
Seats won
DC PCI PSI PLI PSDI MSI PDIUM PRI Others
Turin 33 11 9 5 4 3 1
Cuneo 14 7 3 2 1 1
Genoa 23 8 7 3 2 2 1
Milan 45 15 11 9 5 3 2
Como 17 9 2 4 1 1
Brescia 19 12 2 3 1 1
Mantua 9 4 3 2
Trentino 10 5 1 1 3
Verona 29 17 4 4 2 1 1
Venice 17 9 3 3 1 1
Udine 14 7 2 2 1 2
Bologna 27 6 12 4 1 2 1 1
Parma 19 6 8 3 1 1
Florence 16 5 7 2 1 1
Pisa 15 5 5 3 1 1
Siena 10 3 5 2
Ancona 19 7 6 2 1 1 1 1
Perugia 12 4 5 2 1
Rome 48 16 12 6 4 3 5 1 1
L'Aquila 16 7 4 2 1 1 1
Campobasso 4 3 1
Naples 38 15 10 4 2 2 2 3
Benevento 21 10 4 2 1 2 1 1
Bari 23 10 7 3 1 1 1
Lecce 18 9 4 2 1 2
Potenza 8 4 3 1
Catanzaro 26 12 7 3 1 1 2
Catania 29 12 7 3 3 1 2 1
Palermo 29 12 7 3 2 1 2 1 1
Cagliari 18 8 4 2 1 1 1 1
Aosta Valley 1 1
Trieste 3 2 1
Total 630 260 166 87 39 33 27 8 6 4

Senate of the Republic

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PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Christian Democracy10,017,97536.47129+6
Italian Communist Party6,933,31025.2484+25
Italian Socialist Party3,849,49514.0144+9
Italian Liberal Party2,043,3237.4418+14
Italian Democratic Socialist Party1,743,8706.3514+9
Italian Social Movement1,458,9175.3114+6
Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity429,4121.562−5
Italian Republican Party223,3500.8100
MSIPDIUM212,3810.771+1
DCPRI199,8050.7340
South Tyrolean People's Party112,0230.4120
Concentration of Rural Unity58,0640.210New
Social Christian Autonomist Party43,3550.161New
Sardinian Action Party34,9540.1300
Valdostan Union29,5100.111+1
Right-wing independents24,7720.090New
Catholic independents22,5780.081+1
Left-wing independents15,2240.060–1
Social Christian Sicilian Union13,1870.050New
Combatant Peasants3,7970.010New
Total27,469,302100.00315+69
Valid votes27,469,30292.36
Invalid/blank votes2,273,4067.64
Total votes29,742,708100.00
Registered voters/turnout31,019,23395.88
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote
DC
36.47%
PCI
25.24%
PSI
14.01%
PLI
7.44%
PSDI
6.35%
MSI
5.31%
PDIUM
1.56%
Others
3.62%
Seats
DC
40.95%
PCI
26.67%
PSI
13.97%
PLI
5.71%
PSDI
4.44%
MSI
4.44%
PDIUM
0.63%
Others
3.17%

Results by constituency

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Constituency Total
seats
Seats won
DC PCI PSI PLI PSDI MSI PDIUM Others
Piedmont 24 9 6 4 3 2
Aosta Valley 1 1
Lombardy 45 19 10 8 4 3 1
Trentino-Alto Adige 7 4 1 2
Veneto 23 14 3 4 1 1
Friuli-Venezia Giulia 7 4 1 1 1
Liguria 11 4 3 2 1 1
Emilia-Romagna 22 3 10 3 1 1 4
Tuscany 20 6 8 3 1 1 1
Umbria 7 3 3 1
Marche 8 4 3 1
Lazio 24 8 7 3 2 1 3
Abruzzo and Molise 9 5 2 1 1
Campania 29 11 8 3 2 1 2 1 1
Apulia 21 10 6 2 1 2
Basilicata 7 4 2 1
Calabria 12 5 4 2 1
Sicily 29 11 6 3 3 1 3 1 1
Sardinia 9 5 2 1 1
Total 315 129 84 44 18 14 14 2 10

References

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  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1048 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ^ Constitutional Reform number 2 decided a fixed number of 630 member for the House, under the example of the British House of Commons during that period, and of 315 for the Senate, with a minimum of seven senators for each region excluding Aosta Valley and, later, Molise. This reform is still in force.
  3. ^ Italian electors effectively lost any chance to decide their Prime Minister until the majoritarian reform of 1993.
  4. ^ Naldini, Manuela (2013-01-11). The Family in the Mediterranean Welfare States. Routledge. ISBN 9781135775681.
  5. ^ Italy by Muriel Grindrod
  6. ^ Growth to Limits: The Western European Welfare States Since World War II: Volume 2 edited by Peter Flora
  1. ^ taking into account the Senators for life, which accounted for 6 seats at the time the election took place
  2. ^ Togliatti also served as secretary of the Communist Party of Italy from 1926 to 1934 and from 1938 to 1943.
  3. ^ Nenni also served as secretary from 1933 to 1939 and from 1943 to 1945.
  4. ^ Saragat also served as secretary from 1949 to 1952 and from 1952 to 1954.
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