At stake in this election:

• 630 seats in the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCON
• Assembly: Italy has a bicameral Parliament (Parlamento) consisting of the Senate (Senato della Repubblica) with 322 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) with 630 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by parliament to serve a 7-year term.
• In the Senate (Senato della Repubblica), 315 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms, 5 members are elected by the President and 2 members are filled ex officio. In the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) 630 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms.**

** Party coalitions need to obtain at least 10% of the valid votes to gain seats in the Chamber. Parties running independent of any coalitions must obtain 4% of the valid votes.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Coalition: House of Freedoms / Casa delle Liberta'*
  • Leader: Silvio BERLUSCONI
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 177
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 368
• Party: The Union / L'Unione**
  • Leader: Romano PRODI
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 125
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 242

* The House of Freedoms Coalition includes Go Italy (Forza Italia), the National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale), the Northern League (Lega Nord), the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC), the Socialist Party

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 58,143,979 (2006)
• Registered Voters: 46,997,601 (2006)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 29,867,314 (2006)

·         Is Italy a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Italy ratified CEDAW: Yes (10 June 1985)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 109 (Chamber of Deputies); 44 (Senate) (following the 2006 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 27 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Italy a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Italy ratified CRPD: Yes (15 May 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 8,721,596 (est.)