Hi all. It's been awhile since I've been on the forum and it's nice to be back.
I live in the U.S. and have dual citizenship in Italy. I got a packet from the Italian Consultate in yesterday's mail and would like to vote in the upcoming election. I have very limited Italian language abilities and could use help in understanding how to fill the forms out, particularly puzzling are the red and blue papers with the party names. As you know, the ballots are for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. I am assuming I write the names of the person I want to vote for on the red and blue papers. I could use confirmation here.
Also, I don't see a ballot for the Prime Minister/President. Wondering if I am missing something? Someone on another forum tried to explain, but not sure I get it.
Thanks for any help.
You should have received two ballot papers, one sort of orangy/brown (deputati) the other purple (senate). When you open them, just make a cross on the party that you want to vote for with the surname of the person representing that party. Put both ballot papers into the small envelope provided and seal, cut-off the electoral confirmation...then place the envelope with ballot papers and electoral confirmation into the envelope with the consulate address...then send. Pretty straight forward.
Do you mean Monti's party? On the ballot paper his party is named "con Monti per Italy" I believe. There is plenty of information on the internet as to the candidates that would represent your particular jurisdiction in the US.
Hope this helps
ItalianGirl,
You have two ballots, one is for the Senate and the other for the chamber of deputies. You pick one candidate for Senate and two for the Chamber of Deputies.
You do not vote specifically for the Prime Minister/President as in the United States. You vote more for the party/candidate and whichever party wins the most votes will have to form a coalition with the another party or parties to form a majority. The prime minister is the leader of the winning party (assuming he/she can put together a majority coalition). Does that make sense?
In my jurisdiction, you can only vote for ONE candidate in the Chamber of Deputies and ONE candidate for the Senate.
There's lots more information here.
Thanks Mike. I still find the process of electing the Prime Minister/President to be confusing, so need to learn more about it. However, your reply helped me understand that I don't vote specifically for an official, like we do in the US.
Much appreciated!
I so appreciate everyone's response. Thanks so much! But still curious to know....
In most instances, there are several candiates listed under each of the respective parties. I can vote for a party without voting for any individuals or i can vote for a party and vote for two individuals in the Deputy of Chambers and one in the Senate. So, my question is, if people are voting primarily for the party rather than for individuals, how is the winner determined?
Italy is parliamentary system, meaning that the Parliament, as a representative of the people, is sovereign.
What happens is that after the elections (in which you vote for parties, basically), a parliament is formed. If there is a party or a coalition of parties that has at least 50%+1 of the seats in both houses, the President of the Republic (a different person from the Prime Minister) appoints a person proposed by such party, or such coalition, as Prime Minister (I’ll spare you the details). In his or her operating, this person will always have to respond to the Parliament that has the last word on the Government’s decisions, as the Parliament is, as said, sovereign.
In practical terms the Prime Minister is almost always the secretary (chief) of the biggest party of the winning coalition, so when you vote for a party, you’re also implicitly saying that you want the secretary of that party (or the secretary of the biggest party your party is in a coalition with) as Prime Minister.
But yes, technically speaking we don’t vote for the Prime Minister (very roughly corresponding to the President, in the US system, which is a presidential system) but for the party that will give the PM a Parliamentary majority to operate upon.
Why the laws allow for people who have no idea on Italian politics to have a say on how the country is run, is a subject for another thread.
Nice summary JAP.
Thanks for the explanation. As for the laws, we have them in the US as well. And yes, subject for another thread.
Cheers.
I agree! No offence to the OP but it is especially galling when you have lived here for years and will be effected by the results to hear that people who have no intention of living here and don't know much about the system have more of a say than you do!
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