In the beginning…was the unification
Italy’s notorious political instability can be traced back to the manner in which the modern state came about in 1861 (il Risorgimento) – the fabled unification of a myriad of city states and papal districts into a centralised state, which triggered tensions along the ancient regional lines and that persist (in one form or another) to this day.
Italy’s notorious political instability can be traced back to the manner in which the modern state came about in 1861 (il Risorgimento) – the fabled unification of a myriad of city states and papal districts into a centralised state, which triggered tensions along the ancient regional lines and that persist (in one form or another) to this day.
In fact, the founding fathers resisted early calls for a federation and instead, adopted a highly centralised, unitary model (based on the French system), fearing that the new state would splinter along regional lines.
An interesting modern discussion is whether this regional tension enhances or hinders the Italian polity. Does a dialogue of contrasting voices and demands produce a vibrant, robust outcome, or does it reduce the public debate to an incessant squabble over deep-seated and irreconcilable differences?
Regioni, province e comuni
The republic is divided into regions (regioni), provinces (province), and communes (comuni).
The republic is divided into regions (regioni), provinces (province), and communes (comuni).
There are fifteen (15) ordinary regions and an additional five (5) to which special autonomy has been granted.
The ordinary regions (those with very limited autonomy and centralised governance) are Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria. These modern regions generally line up with the historical territorial divisions and have a very limited degree of autonomy.
The five (5) special regions - Sicily, Sardinia, Trentino–Alto Adige, Friuli–Venezia Giulia, and Valle d’Aosta — have been granted autonomous or semi-autonomous status, with special powers of self government (I'll touch on that a little more below).
The five (5) special regions - Sicily, Sardinia, Trentino–Alto Adige, Friuli–Venezia Giulia, and Valle d’Aosta — have been granted autonomous or semi-autonomous status, with special powers of self government (I'll touch on that a little more below).
The regions (i regioni)
Each region is governed by a regional council (giunte regionale) which are popularly elected every four (4) years under a proportional representation model, analogous to the federal parliament in Rome.
The regional councils function in a parliamentary-like manner, albeit with severely restricted scope as we will see below.
The councils are empowered to choose the two other important instruments of government at the regional level - the regional committee (an executive body elected by the council from amongst its own members) and the committee’s president.
A commissioner in each region represents the federal government.
Unusual fact #1: The regional committee and its president must resign if they fail to retain the confidence of the regional council. Voting in the regional councils is rarely by secret ballot.
Unusual fact #2: Typically, regional councils are dominated by the Christian Democrats and Communists, although various regional movements have made recent progress towards winning representation.One of the principal functions of the regional councils is to participate in national government; regional councils may initiate parliamentary legislation, propose referenda and appoint three (3) delegates to assist in presidential election
Unusual fact #3: The Valle d’Aosta region is only permitted to appoint one (1) delegate to assist with presidential elections.
This model for regional governments is relatively new, having been established in 1970 and with limited revenue-raising and legislative powers, remains essentially an administrative link between the central state and local government.
The regional councils receive funds from the state and their legislative scope remains limited, despite efforts to push for much wider-ranging powers and a more genuine autonomy from the central government.
In fact, the fifteen (15) ordinary regions, with their restricted autonomy come across to the casual observer as the weakest link in the Italian political hierarchy.
Regarding legislative powers, things start to get a bit murky.
The five (5) special regions have exclusive competence in certain fields—such as agriculture, forestry, and town planning; the fifteen (15) ordinary regions have much more limited scope and can only exert competence within the constitutional constraints imposed by the state.
The most important constraint on the legislative powers of both special and ordinary regions is that regional legislation may not conflict with national interests.
Regional laws can have their validity tested in the Constitutional Court, while those considered inexpedient can be challenged in parliament.
State supervisory committees presided over by government-appointed commissioners exercise control over administrative acts.
The regions have the right to acquire property and the right to collect certain revenues and taxes.
The regions can also enact legislation to enforce federal laws, but only when the federal laws include the necessary provisions.
Unusual fact #4: The regions have administrative authority in all areas where
they also have legislative authority. State laws can also delegate additional administrative authority from time to time.
Unusual fact #5: The federal government has the power to dissolve regional councils that have violated the constitution or other laws. Where that happens, elections must be held within three (3) months.
The provinces (i province)
The regions are then divided into 103 provinces which are analogous to the communes. Since 1990 several laws have been passed to modify the structure and functions of provinces, in a trend towards greater decentralization. In fact, since 1993 each province elects its own council and president under proportional representation.
They are also supervised by a prefect appointed by the national government in Rome.
The communes (i communi)
The 8,000+ communes across Italy play a central role as the foundation of local administration and are a settled feature of the political system. A remarkable feature of the communes – townships, cities and towns - is the way in which they co-exist on a more or less equal basis, from the capital Rome down to the smallest village, although it is generally accepted that the mayors of Rome and Milan are prominent national political figures in their own right.
Rome is in fact served by 19 municipal entities (i municipi).
Each commune is governed by a council (consiglio communal) of between 15 and 80 members, elected for four (4) years, which in turn elects a mayor (sindaco) and board of aldermen to administer the commune.
Communes typically enjoy strong allegiance from their local populations which makes their boundaries very stable.
Communes are similar to Australian local governments to the extent that they manage the traditional roads, rubbish and rates but they have additional powers over and above those that we would expect to see in Australia.
- They have the power to levy and collect limited local taxes, issue ordinances, run certain public health services and are responsible for local services including public transportation, garbage collection and street lighting.
- They maintain their own local police forces, athough their powers are inferior to those exercised by the national police.
Unusual fact #6: The regional councils have some control over the activity of the communes. Communal councils may be dissolved for reasons of public order or for continued neglect of their duties.
Local officials and their role in central government
Several central government officials have roles to play in regional and local government. These include: - In each region, a government commissioner supervises the administrative functions performed by the state and coordinates them with those performed by the region
- In each province, a resident prefect is responsible for enforcing the orders of the central government and has powers of control over the organs of the province and communes
- In each province, the questore is the chief of the state-run police
Particular local government officials also have central government duties, including:
- The regional committee president directs the administrative functions that the state delegates to the region
- The commune mayor, in his capacity as an agent of the central government:
- Registers births, deaths, marriages and migrations
- Maintains public order (although this typically falls into the national police's patch)
- In an emergency situation, issues ordinances concerning public health, town planning, and the local police.
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