Turnout: 63.91%

Overview

Italy held snap parliamentary elections on 25 September 2022 following the collapse of Mario Draghi's broad coalition government. The right-wing coalition of Brothers of Italy (FdI), Lega, and Forza Italia won a commanding majority with 235 of 400 Chamber seats and 112 of 200 Senate seats. Brothers of Italy (FdI) became the largest single party with 26.00% of the vote (119 Chamber seats) — its best ever result. FdI leader Giorgia Meloni became Prime Minister on 22 October 2022, Italy's first female prime minister and the first post-fascist party leader to head the Italian government since World War II. The Democratic Party (PD) led the main centre-left opposition with 19.07% (69 seats), while the Five Star Movement under Giuseppe Conte won 15.43% (52 seats) as a third force. Turnout fell to 63.91% — a record low for a post-war Italian general election, reflecting widespread voter disillusionment.

Electoral system

Italy uses a parallel (mixed-member) system for both chambers. Approximately one-third of seats (147 of 400 Chamber seats; 74 of 200 Senate seats) are elected from single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post; the remaining two-thirds are allocated by proportional representation. The 2020 constitutional referendum reduced the Chamber from 630 to 400 seats and the Senate from 315 to 200 seats — the first time Italy's parliament was substantially downsized. Parties must clear a 3% national vote threshold to receive proportional seats; coalitions must clear 10%, with individual member parties needing at least 1% to receive coalition seats. The Senate and Chamber are elected simultaneously, and a government must hold the confidence of both.

Previous election

The March 2018 elections produced a hung parliament: the Five Star Movement (M5S) won the most votes (32.7%), the centre-right coalition led by Lega won the most seats (265), and the PD-led centre-left was reduced to third. After months of negotiations, M5S and Lega formed a populist coalition under PM Giuseppe Conte (June 2018–September 2019). Lega then withdrew to force new elections; instead, M5S and PD formed a coalition also under Conte (September 2019–February 2021). Mario Draghi's technocratic government of national unity followed (2021–2022) before collapsing in July 2022.

Official data source

Italian Ministry of the Interior (Ministero dell'Interno) — elezioni.interno.gov.it.