2001 Italian general election
The 2001 Italian general election was held in Italy on 13 May 2001 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The election was won by the centre-right coalition House of Freedoms led by Silvio Berlusconi, defeating Francesco Rutelli, former mayor of Rome, and leader of the centre-left coalition The Olive Tree, and rising back to power after Berlusconi's first victory in the 1994 Italian general election.
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All 630 seats in the Chamber of Deputies 316 seats needed for a majority 315 seats in the Senate 163 seats needed for a majority[lower-alpha 1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Registered | 49,256,295 (C) · 44,499,794 (S) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 40,085,397 (C) · 81.4% (1.5 pp) 36,189,394 (S) · 81.3% (0.9 pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results of the single-member constituencies in the Chamber of Deputies (left) and Senate (right). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Electoral system
The election was regulated by the Mattarella law of 1993, also known as "Mattarellum".
The intricate electoral system, called scorporo, provided 75% of the seats on the Chamber of Deputies (the Lower House) as elected by first-past-the-post system, whereas the remaining 25% was assigned on proportional representation with a minimum threshold of 4%.
The method used for the Senate was even more complicated: 75% of seats by uninominal method, and 25% by a special proportional method that assigned the remaining seats to minority parties. Formally, these were examples of additional member systems.
General election
Campaign
For this election Berlusconi ran again for Prime Minister as leader of the centre-right House of Freedoms (Italian: La Casa delle Libertà), which included the Forza Italia, National Alliance, Northern League, Christian Democratic Centre, United Christian Democrats and other minor parties. The candidate for Prime Minister of the centre-left Olive Tree (Italian: L'Ulivo) was Francesco Rutelli, former mayor of Rome.
On the television interviews programme Porta a Porta, during the last days of the electoral campaign, Berlusconi created a powerful impression on the public by undertaking to sign a so-called Contratto con gli Italiani (English: Contract with the Italians), an idea copied outright by his advisor Luigi Crespi from the Newt Gingrich's Contract with America introduced six weeks before the 1994 US Congressional election,[1] which was widely considered to be a creative masterstroke in his 2001 campaign bid for prime ministership. In this solemn agreement, Berlusconi claimed his commitment on improving several aspects of the Italian economy and life. Firstly, he undertook to simplify the complex tax system by introducing just two tax rates (33% for those earning over 100,000 euros, and 23% for anyone earning less than that figure: anyone earning less than 11,000 euros a year would not be taxed); secondly, he promised to halve the unemployment rate; thirdly, he undertook to finance and develop a massive new public works programme. Fourthly, he promised to raise the minimum monthly pension rate to 516 euros; and fifthly, he would suppress the crime wave by introducing police officers to patrol all local zones and areas in Italy's major cities.[2] Berlusconi undertook to refrain from putting himself up for re-election in 2006 if he failed to honour at least four of these five promises.
Main coalitions and parties
- taking into account the Senators for life, which accounted for 9 seats at the time the election took place
- An electoral alliance composed of the Italian People's Party, Democrats, Italian Renewal and UDEUR.
Results
Overall results
Coalition | Party | Proportional | First-past-the-post | Total seats |
+/– | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | ||||||
House of Freedoms | Forza Italia (FI) | 10,923,431 | 29.43 | 62 | 16,915,513 | 45.57 | 132 | 194[3] | +71 | ||
National Alliance (AN) | 4,463,205 | 12.02 | 24 | 75 | 99 | +6 | |||||
Northern League (LN) | 1,464,301 | 3.94 | 0 | 30 | 30 | −29 | |||||
White Flower (CCD–CDU) | 1,194,040 | 3.22 | 0 | 40 | 40 | +10 | |||||
New Italian Socialist Party (NPSI) | 353,269 | 0.95 | 0 | 3 | 3 | New | |||||
Sardinian Reformers (RS) | — | — | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | |||||
New Sicily (NS) | — | — | 0 | 1 | 1 | New | |||||
Total seats | 86 | 282 | 368 | – | |||||||
The Olive Tree | Democrats of the Left (DS) | 6,151,154 | 16.57 | 31 | 16,019,388 | 43.15 | 105 | 136 | −36 | ||
Democracy is Freedom (DL) | 5,391,827 | 14.52 | 27 | 56 | 83 | −12 | |||||
The Sunflower (FdV–SDI) | 805,340 | 2.17 | 0 | 17 | 17 | – | |||||
Party of Italian Communists (PdCI) | 620,859 | 1.67 | 0 | 10 | 10 | New | |||||
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) | 200,059 | 0.54 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ±0 | |||||
With Illy for Trieste | 78,284 | 0.21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | New | |||||
Total seats | 58 | 192 | 250 | – | |||||||
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) | 1,868,659 | 5.03 | 11 | — | — | 0 | 11 | −24 | |||
Aosta Valley (VdA) | — | — | 0 | 25,577 | 0.07 | 1 | 1 | ±0 | |||
Others | 3,745,277 | 9.73 | 0 | 4,162,298 | 11.21 | 0 | 0 | −1 | |||
Total | 37,259,705 | 100.00 | 155 | 37,122,776 | 100.00 | 475 | 630 | — |
Proportional and FPTP results
In 2001 the proportional list exhausted before all the deputies – which the winning party was entitled to – were declared elected.[4]
Party or coalition | Votes | % | Seats | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
House of Freedoms (CdL) | 16,915,513 | 45.57 | 282 | |||
The Olive Tree (Ulivo) | 16,019,388 | 43.15 | 183 | |||
Italy of Values (IdV) | 1,487,287 | 4.01 | 0 | |||
European Democracy (DE) | 1,310,119 | 3.53 | 0 | |||
Bonino List (LB) | 457,117 | 1.23 | 0 | |||
South Tyrolean People's Party–The Olive Tree | 190,556 | 0.51 | 5 | |||
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) | 173,735 | 0.47 | 3 | |||
Venetian Front League (LFV) | 173,618 | 0.47 | 0 | |||
Tricolour Flame (FT) | 121,527 | 0.33 | 0 | |||
With Illy for Trieste | 78,284 | 0.21 | 1 | |||
La Bassa in the Parliament | 26,151 | 0.07 | 0 | |||
Aosta Valley (VdA) | 25,577 | 0.07 | 1 | |||
Autonomist Socialists | 24,341 | 0.07 | 0 | |||
Democrats of the Left (Aosta Valley) | 20,452 | 0.06 | 0 | |||
Southern Action League (LAM) | 19,366 | 0.05 | 0 | |||
Buonanno | 19,046 | 0.05 | 0 | |||
National Social Front (FSN) | 16,202 | 0.04 | 0 | |||
Forza Italia – Northern League (Aosta Valley) | 16,049 | 0.04 | 0 | |||
European Republicans Movement (MRE) | 15,600 | 0.04 | 0 | |||
European Populars | 13,447 | 0.04 | 0 | |||
Greens Greens | 13,220 | 0.04 | 0 | |||
Amadu List | 12,233 | 0.03 | 0 | |||
New Italian Socialist Party (NPSI) | 9,663 | 0.03 | 0 | |||
Movement of Freedoms | 9,006 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
Camonica Valley – Basta! | 8,257 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
People's List | 8,091 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
Movement for the Confederation of the Communists | 6,777 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
Alternative List | 6,612 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
New Force (FN) | 6,294 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
We Sicilians | 6,121 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
National Alliance (Aosta Valley) | 4,464 | 0.01 | 0 | |||
Third Pole for Autonomy | 3,491 | 0.01 | 0 | |||
Upper Milanese People | 1,409 | 0.00 | 0 | |||
Total | 37,259,705 | 100.00 | 475 | |||
Source: Ministry of the Interior |
Party | Votes | % | Seats | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Forza Italia (FI) | 10,923,431 | 29.43 | 62 | |||
Democrats of the Left (DS) | 6,151,154 | 16.57 | 31 | |||
Democracy is Freedom (DL) | 5,391,827 | 14.52 | 27 | |||
National Alliance (AN) | 4,463,205 | 12.02 | 24 | |||
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) | 1,868,659 | 5.03 | 11 | |||
Northern League (LN) | 1,464,301 | 3.94 | 0 | |||
Italy of Values (IdV) | 1,443,725 | 3.89 | 0 | |||
White Flower (CCD–CDU) | 1,194,040 | 3.22 | 0 | |||
European Democracy (DE) | 888,269 | 2.39 | 0 | |||
Bonino List (LB) | 832,213 | 2.24 | 0 | |||
The Sunflower (FdV–SDI) | 805,340 | 2.17 | 0 | |||
Party of Italian Communists (PdCI) | 620,859 | 1.67 | 0 | |||
New Italian Socialist Party (NPSI) | 353,269 | 0.95 | 0 | |||
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) | 200,059 | 0.54 | 0 | |||
Tricolour Flame (FT) | 143,963 | 0.39 | 0 | |||
Venetian Front League (LFV) | 74,353 | 0.20 | 0 | |||
Pensioners' Party (PP) | 68,349 | 0.18 | 0 | |||
Sardinian Action Party–Sardigna Natzione (PSd'Az–SN) | 34,412 | 0.09 | 0 | |||
New Country | 34,193 | 0.09 | 0 | |||
Abolizione Scorporo | 26,917 | 0.07 | 0 | |||
Southern Action League (LAM) | 23,779 | 0.06 | 0 | |||
National Social Front (FSN) | 22,985 | 0.06 | 0 | |||
Greens Greens | 18,262 | 0.05 | 0 | |||
New Force (FN) | 13,622 | 0.04 | 0 | |||
Amadu List | 11,517 | 0.03 | 0 | |||
European Republicans Movement (MRE) | 7,997 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
We Sicilians (NS) | 7,637 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
Movement of Freedoms | 6,754 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
Free and Strong | 6,722 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
Autonomist Socialists | 6,492 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
Basta! | 6,332 | 0.02 | 0 | |||
Movement for the Confederation of the Communists | 5,244 | 0.01 | 0 | |||
Third Pole for Autonomy | 2,915 | 0.01 | 0 | |||
Total | 37,122,776 | 100.00 | 155 | |||
Invalid/blank/unassigned votes | 2,962,621 | – | – | |||
Total | 40,085,397 | – | – | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 49,256,295 | 81.38 | – | |||
Source: Ministry of the Interior |
FPTP and proportional results by constituency
Constituency | Total seats |
Seats won | |
---|---|---|---|
CdL | Ulivo | ||
Abruzzo | 11 | 5 | 6 |
Aosta Valley | 1 | 1 | |
Apulia | 34 | 22 | 12 |
Basilicata | 5 | 5 | |
Calabria | 17 | 11 | 6 |
Campania 1 | 25 | 15 | 10 |
Campania 2 | 22 | 14 | 8 |
Emilia-Romagna | 32 | 2 | 30 |
Friuli-Venezia Giulia | 10 | 8 | 2 |
Lazio 1 | 32 | 13 | 19 |
Lazio 2 | 11 | 11 | |
Liguria | 14 | 5 | 9 |
Lombardy 1 | 31 | 29 | 2 |
Lombardy 2 | 32 | 32 | |
Lombardy 3 | 11 | 9 | 2 |
Marche | 12 | 2 | 10 |
Molise | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Piedmont 1 | 19 | 4 | 15 |
Piedmont 2 | 17 | 16 | 1 |
Sardinia | 14 | 9 | 5 |
Sicily 1 | 20 | 20 | |
Sicily 2 | 21 | 21 | |
Trentino-Alto Adige | 8 | 8 | |
Tuscany | 29 | 2 | 27 |
Umbria | 7 | 7 | |
Veneto 1 | 22 | 20 | 2 |
Veneto 2 | 15 | 10 | 5 |
Total | 475 | 282 | 193 |
Constituency | Total seats |
Seats won | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
CdL | Ulivo | PRC | ||
Abruzzo | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
Apulia | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
Basilicata | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
Calabria | 6 | 3 | 3 | |
Campania 1 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
Campania 2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Emilia-Romagna | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
Friuli-Venezia Giulia | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
Lazio 1 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
Lazio 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | |
Liguria | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Lombardy 1 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Lombardy 2 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Lombardy 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | |
Marche | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
Molise | 1 | 1 | ||
Piedmont 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Piedmont 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | |
Sardinia | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
Sicily 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | |
Sicily 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
Trentino-Alto Adige | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
Tuscany | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Umbria | 2 | 2 | ||
Veneto 1 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Veneto 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | |
Total | 155 | 86 | 58 | 11 |
Overall results
Coalition | Party | First-past-the-post | Proportional (Seats) |
Total seats |
+/– | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Seats | |||||||
House of Freedoms | Forza Italia (FI) | 14.406.519 | 42.57 | 152 | 24 | 82 | +40 | ||
National Alliance (AN) | 45 | +2 | |||||||
White Flower (CCD–CDU) | 29 | +4 | |||||||
Northern League (LN) | 17 | −10 | |||||||
Italian Republican Party (PRI) | 1 | +1 | |||||||
New Italian Socialist Party (NPSI) | 1 | New | |||||||
Tricolour Flame (FT)[5] | 1 | – | |||||||
Total seats | 176 | – | |||||||
The Olive Tree[6] | Democrats of the Left (DS) | 13,282,495[7] | 39.22[8] | 72 | 51 | 64 | −38 | ||
Democracy is Freedom (DL) | 43 | −5 | |||||||
Federation of the Greens (FdV) | 8 | −6 | |||||||
Italian Democratic Socialists (SDI) | 6 | – | |||||||
Party of Italian Communists (PdCI) | 2 | New | |||||||
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) | 1 | – | |||||||
Independent candidates | 4 | – | |||||||
Total seats | 128 | – | |||||||
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) | 1,708,707 | 5.04 | 0 | 4 | 4 | −6 | |||
European Democracy (DE) | 1,066,908 | 3.15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | New | |||
Italy of Values (IdV) | 1,140,489 | 3.37 | 0 | 1 | 1 | New | |||
Bonino List (LB) | 677,725 | 2.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | |||
League for Autonomy – Lombard League (LAL) | 308,559 | 0.91 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | |||
Tricolour Flame (FT) | 340,221 | 1.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | |||
Venetian Front League (LFV) | 138,134 | 0.41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) | 126.177 | 0.37 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ±0 | |||
Va' pensiero Padania | 119,058 | 0.35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
National Social Front (FSN) | 98,132 | 0.29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Autonomist Socialists – European Democracy (SA–DE) | 79,002 | 0.23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Pensioners' Party (PP) | 39,545 | 0.12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ±0 | |||
New Force (FN) | 78,572 | 0.23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Greens Greens | 35,743 | 0.11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ±0 | |||
Sardinian Action Party – Sardigna Natzione (PSd'Az–SN) | 32,822 | 0.10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | |||
Aosta Valley (VdA) | 32,429 | 0.10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ±0 | |||
Filograna List for Salento | 21,857 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
We Sicilians (NS) | 20,761 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ±0 | |||
Southern Action League (LAM) | 19,914 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ±0 | |||
Basta! | 19,913 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Liberal Popular Party | 10,301 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Amadu List | 9,203 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Alternative List | 7,704 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
Forza Chiappetta | 6,932 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Die Freiheitlichen (dF) | 5,354 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
Franco Greco List | 4,284 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Movement of Freedoms | 4,023 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Third Pole for Autonomy | 2,392 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Movement for the Confederation of the Communists | 2.159 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Justice and Progress | 950 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Grand Ducal Tuscany | 625 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Italian Constitutional Party (PACI) | 175 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Independents | 4,975 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | |||
Total | 32,624,584 | 100.00 | 232 | 83 | 315 | ±0 | |||
Source: Ministry of the Interior |
FPTP and proportional results by constituency
Constituency | Total seats |
Seats won | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
CdL | Ulivo | Others | ||
Piedmont | 17 | 12 | 5 | |
Aosta Valley | 1 | 1 | ||
Lombardy | 35 | 33 | 2 | |
Trentino-Alto Adige | 6 | 1 | 5 | |
Veneto | 17 | 16 | 1 | |
Friuli-Venezia Giulia | 5 | 5 | ||
Liguria | 6 | 2 | 4 | |
Emilia-Romagna | 15 | 1 | 14 | |
Tuscany | 14 | 1 | 13 | |
Umbria | 5 | 5 | ||
Marche | 6 | 2 | 4 | |
Lazio | 21 | 15 | 6 | |
Abruzzo | 5 | 4 | 1 | |
Molise | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
Campania | 22 | 14 | 8 | |
Apulia | 16 | 15 | 1 | |
Basilicata | 5 | 5 | ||
Calabria | 8 | 6 | 2 | |
Sicily | 20 | 20 | ||
Sardinia | 6 | 4 | 2 | |
Total | 232 | 152 | 79 | 1 |
Constituency | Total seats |
Seats won | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ulivo | CdL | PRC | Others | ||
Piedmont | 6 | 4 | 2 | ||
Lombardy | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | |
Trentino-Alto Adige | 1 | 1 | |||
Veneto | 6 | 6 | |||
Friuli-Venezia Giulia | 2 | 2 | |||
Liguria | 3 | 1 | 2 | ||
Emilia-Romagna | 6 | 5 | 1 | ||
Tuscany | 5 | 4 | 1 | ||
Umbria | 2 | 2 | |||
Marche | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
Lazio | 7 | 5 | 2 | ||
Abruzzo | 2 | 2 | |||
Campania | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Apulia | 6 | 6 | |||
Basilicata | 2 | 2 | |||
Calabria | 3 | 3 | |||
Sicily | 7 | 6 | 1 | ||
Sardinia | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
Total | 83 | 51 | 24 | 4 | 4 |
Leaders' races
2001 Italian general election (C): Milan Centre | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Coalition | Party | Votes | % | |
Silvio Berlusconi | House of Freedoms | FI | 42,098 | 53.66 | |
Gianni Rivera | The Olive Tree | Dem | 28,651 | 36.52 | |
Benedetto Della Vedova | LB | 4,874 | 6.21 | ||
Adriano Ciccioni | IdV | 2,835 | 3.61 | ||
Total | 78,458 | 100.0 | |||
Turnout | 81,412 | 80.39 | |||
Centre-right hold | |||||
Source: Ministry of the Interior |
2001 Italian general election (C): Rome – Praenestine | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Coalition | Party | Votes | % | |
Francesco Rutelli | The Olive Tree | DL | 36,457 | 56.73 | |
Elio Vito | House of Freedoms | FI | 25,463 | 39.62 | |
Pietro Tagliatesta | IdV | 2,348 | 3.65 | ||
Total | 64,268 | 100.0 | |||
Turnout | 66,479 | 77.44 | |||
Centre-left hold | |||||
Source: Ministry of the Interior |
References
- Gingrich, Newt; Armey, Dick (1994). Contract With America: The Bold Plan.
- Ricolfi, Luca (2005). Dossier Italia: a che punto è il 'contratto con gli italiani. Il mulino.
- Including one deputy of the Italian Republican Party
- Buonomo, Giampiero (2001). "Cercansi candidati per 14 seggi. La speranza della (lista) civetta". Diritto&Giustizia Edizione Online. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- Tricolour Flame made electoral agreements with the House of Freedoms in some constituencies in Sicily.
- Including the results of SVP and SVP–Olive Tree.
- Including 175,635 votes for the SVP–Olive Tree
- Including 0.52% of the vote for the SVP–Olive Tree.
External links
- Repubblica.it: About 2001 Election (in Italian)
- Corriere della Sera: About 2001 Election (in Italian)
- CNN.com: About 2001 Election
- Minister of Internal Affairs of Italy: 2001 Election Results, Chamber of Deputies (in Italian)
- Minister of Internal Affairs of Italy: 2001 Election Results, Senate of the Republic (in Italian)