Understanding Italian elections 2018

Italy will go to vote on March 4, 2018, for a new parliament under a new law, Rosatellum bis, in a parallel voting system, which acts as a mixed system.

The Senate of the Republic has 315 elected members

• 116 Directly elected in single-member districts.
• 193 Regional proportional representation.
• 6 are elected by the Italians abroad.
• Senators-for-life includes former presidents of the Republic and several other persons appointed for life by a president of the Republic – no more than 5. The Senate is elected on a single ballot.

The Chamber of Deputies had 630 members

• 232 are directly elected in single-member districts.
• 386 are elected by national proportional representation.
• 12 are elected by the Italians abroad.

Candidates

• Silvio Berlusconi – Forza Italia.
• Matteo Renzi –  Democratic Party (PD)
• Luigi Di Maio – M5S

Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party is in alliance with the Northern League which is led by far-right politician Matteo Salvini other right-wing parties. 

While Berlusconi is barred from running in the elections and cannot become prime minister, owing to a 2013 tax fraud conviction, his party was polling at an average of 36 percent as of the most recent polls. 

Coalition

• Center-right coalition: Forza Italia, Northern League, Brothers of Italy and Us with Italy.
• Center-left coalition: The PD (currently in power), Piu’ Europa (More Europe, a pro-European party), Lista Insieme and Civica Popolare.

• Now, M5S, despite recent allegations of corruption, is even stronger. It’s likely to emerge from this election as the largest party. But it looks unlikely to secure enough of a majority to govern alone and it continues to refuse to form coalitions with other parties