Italy has undergone through a series of political and economic revolutions that have helped shape the political and economic influence of the country. The political reforms and drastic constitutional amendments have shaped the economic destiny of Italy such that its politics is conducted and run through a constitutional republic. The political structure of Italy is such that it is made up of a multi-party system. Since June 2, 1946, Italy has been declared a democratic republic after the abolishment of the monarchy form of government through the popular referendum. The constitution promulgated on 1 January 1948 was written and implemented by the Constituent Assembly of Italy and the constitution provided guidelines through which the President, as well as council members, can serve the public. The political structure of Italy is such that it has the three arms of the government. The government‘s branches include the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. The Council of Ministers exercised the executive power collectively, and it is headed by the Prime Minister who is regarded as the president of the council. The legislature consists of parliament and the house of the council of ministers. The parliament exercises the primary legislative power vested in it by the constitution, and the Council of Ministers use the legislative power secondarily.
The main function of the Council of Ministers is to introduce bills and holds a majority position in parliament. The judiciary is an independent branch that serves to check the activities of both the executive and the legislature. In addition, the judiciary resolves conflict that arises between the two houses and any other conflict that is of public interest. The High Council of the judiciary heads the judicial arm of government. The president is the head of state, and his position is separate from those of all the branches. Since the introduction of a democratic republic and the abolishment of the monarchy, people who are elected to represent the people are no longer called the owners but rather the servants. Those being led are no longer the subjects but the citizens. Italy is run through popular sovereignty, and this means that the power and ability to make choices is vested on the people. Choices that involve the entire society are made upon in consultation with the people in accordance with the idea and ideals of democracy. The rule of law prescribes the limits and forms through which the power of the state can be exercised. The law indicates that the power should only be exercised to serve the needs of the people and the aspect of power being used arbitrarily.
The president acts as a nexus between the people who elected him and the government. The president represents unity of the nation and undertakes obligations that were previously conferred to the king of Italy. He is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and can declare war at any point in time after the consent of parliament. The president links the three branches of the government. The president presides over the judicial branch after their election by the lawmakers. In addition, the president is vested with the powers of appointing the executives to assist in serving the needs of the public. The presidential term is seven years, and the president is elected to office through a joint session by parliament. The election of the president is conducted together with that of other three representatives of each region. Aosta Valley only has one representative, and the representatives are elected by Regional Councils in order to ensure that the minority groups are fully represented. The election requires a majority of two-thirds that is progressively reduced to one-half plus one vote after the third ballot. Among the first presidents to be elected on the first ballot include Francesco Cossiga and Carlos Azeglio Ciampi. An election conducted on 10 May 2006 saw the replacement of Mr. Ciampi by Giorgio Napolitano.
Although the law does not prohibit re-election of the president into office for the second time, no president had ever been re-elected. However, the trend changed on to 20 April 2013 when Giorgio Napolitano was re-elected the president of Italy for the second term in office. The per-qualification for the presidential election is fifty years, and every individual has political and civil rights to vie for the presidential position if they are fifty years on the day of the election. The constitution stipulates the rights, privileges and the salary of the president and forbids the president from holding office among the three branches of government. The president is capable of dissolving any house of parliament as well as promulgating the laws, decrees and appointing state officials. Moreover, the president can grant pardon, confer honorary distinctions, ratify local and international treaties, and commute sentences among others. The president protects the Constitution of Italy. Therefore, he is allowed to reject and oppose anti-constitutional acts. The president also the head of the Supreme Council of Defence and is not involved in political discussion and debates. A president is not held responsible for any actions conducted in the exercise of their obligation but can be impeached by the parliament in cases involving violation of the constitution and treason.
In the legislative branch, article forty-eight guarantees the right to vote and this power is exercised by the representatives of the citizens in parliament. Italy has a bicameral system of parliament that has the Senate and also the Chamber of deputies who are elected every five years. Voters who are twenty-five years on the day of the election are capable and eligible to become deputies. The chamber of deputies is elected by voters who are eighteen and currently there are approximately six hundred and thirty deputies, twelve of whom are elected and chosen in overseas constituencies. There are 315 senators elected by voters who are twenty-five years of age and six of whom represent overseas constituencies. All voters who turn forty of Election Day qualify for the position of a senator. The law guides judges in the administration of justice, and the constitution stipulates that justices must only be administered in the name of the people. As a result, the judicial system remains autonomous and operates independently from other branches. It checks how power is used or misused by other branches and provides remedies during cases of abuse of power. The Minister of Justice is responsible for overseeing the operations and functioning of the judiciary and has the power to execute disciplinary action against judges.
The Italian judicial system is governed by the Roman law and is based on a mix of inquisitorial civil laws and statutes. A total fifteen judges preside over the constitutional court and one of whom presides as the head as elected from the court itself. The political parties and coalitions that have dominated the Italian political arena are the Olive Tree coalition and House of Freedoms formed as a result coalition of political parties. Majority of the political parties were either abolished or changed following numerous scandals and loss of voter confidence. The present-day Italy is described gerontocracy in numerous Italian debates. The current Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is the youngest Prime Minister, who took office at the age of thirty-nine years. The political organization in Italy influences its economic structure. Agriculture, construction, and services sectors are the main economic activities that dominate Italian economy. The country is rated the third-largest economy in the euro-zone, but it experiences significant high public debt. Politics plays an important role in shaping economic growth and structure of Italy. Due to political powers, corruption, lawlessness, and evasion of tax characterize the government. In 2012, Prime Minister Silvio was sentenced to prison for tax fraud, and this demonstrates the vulnerability of the economic system of Italy to political interference.
The financial and economic sector provides a substantial amount of resources, but it is continuously strained and affected by political interference. As a result, the banking and financial sectors has been exploited by European debt crisis. The general election conducted in 2013 was not true, fair, and independent. It invited a lot of protesters claiming that the government is responsible for organized crimes, the rising level of unemployment, and inequality between the prosperous and industrialized North Italians and the underdeveloped, agricultural South. Despite being rated the eighth-largest economy in the world, the economy of Italy rapidly declined during the Fascist era. Experts argue that Italy’s economic freedom score has remained stagnant over a period of twenty years, and its highest score is in 2014. The fiscal and monetary policies implemented by different government agencies have failed due to corruption, rigidity in the labor market, and increased rates of inflation and taxation. The revenue collected through taxation is meant for a small group of the leaders and does not serve the interest of the public such as service provision. Therefore, political interference has affected the economic activities of Italy to the present day. Despite huge and repeated reforms that attempt to correct the political leadership, the economy still remain burdened by corruption and divisive politics. Recommended legislative reforms and regulatory frameworks have not been effectively implemented.
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