Italy is an independent country located in the Southern part of Europe. Italy is a parliamentary Constitutional Republic founded in 1946 after the first universal suffrage election during which the population has opted to constitute the Republic, replacing the monarchy that ruled the country since its unification happened in 1861.

The head of state is the President of the Republic, who is elected by the Parliament and holds its power for 7 years. The President of the Republic can be re-elected without any limitation.

The Parliament is made of two chambers; the upper chamber is the Senate and it is made of 321 members, while the lower chamber is the Deputy chamber made of 630 members.

Both chambers’ members are elected by the Italian population in general elections. Voters need to be 18 years of age to elect members in the Chamber of Deputies, whilst 25 years is the minimum age requirement to elect members of the Senate.

The Senate has 6 seats assigned to life peers, who do not run for any election and they are appointed by the President of the Republic.

The government of Italy is made of a cabinet, and the President of the cabinet is the chief of the government. The President of the cabinet is appointed by the President of the Republic, and the cabinet members will then swear in front of the President of the Republic to accept the mandate.

Any government must be supported by the majority of the members of Parliament in each chamber; failure to receive such support will result in a government crisis and the President of the Republic needs to run the consultation among the parties in the Parliament to evaluate a possible new government. Alternatively, the President of the Republic dissolves the Parliament and calls for snap elections.