A DAY AT MONTECITORIO Camera dei deputati Dear Guests, Welcome to Palazzo Montecitorio. Today you will be visiting a very special build- A democracy is nourished by its past and by its present, but most of all by its fu- ing: the seat of the Chamber of Deputies, one of the most important venues of ture. Your presence here is a sign of attachment to democratic values and it is al- Italian democracy. This is where the laws that govern the life of our society are pro- so through a better knowledge of the workings of parliamentary institutions that duced. Each law is the result of the exchange of opinions between the women and one can prepare for tomorrow’s democracy. men chosen by the people every five years as their representatives in Parliament. Palazzo Montecitorio is a solemn, but also an open, free and fascinating place. I hope that it will arouse your curiosity and interest as well. This place belongs to the history of Italy and its democracy. It is important to un- derstand how it works. I am sure that you will be impressed and surprised by many features and that this will allow you to make useful comparisons with your own parliamentary institutions and help you to gain a more comprehensive understanding of our country. Gianfranco Fini The heart of the building is the Plenary Hall, which is where the sessions involving The President of the Chamber of Deputies all the Deputies are held. The Deputies’ benches are arranged in the form of a hemicycle. This place is especially evocative because it represents one of the his- toric symbols of the politics of our country. But the visit does not end there, be- cause Montecitorio contains many other meeting venues, where the preparatory work is conducted. The Chamber of Deputies performs a broad and complex range of activities, which is not limited to producing laws, but also includes debating and voting on confi- dence for governments, addressing parliamentary questions and all the other busi- ness which is part and parcel of the workings of a representative assembly in a modern democracy. An important role in this activity is also carried out by Parlia- mentary Committees and you will be able to read something about the way they work in practice. The building is also of great historical and cultural value, not only because of its architecture and the works of art it houses, but also because it bears witness to the past history of our country and the passions and ideas that have marked it in recent and earlier decades. The halls and corridors of Montecitorio witnessed crucial moments in our nation- al history as well as dramatic events that have left their mark on our country. These memories remind us of the way Italy’s representative institutions have developed through history and the process through which they have become a central part of the nation’s life. PARLIAMENT INTRODUCES ITSELF First things first The Houses: basics PARLIAMENT The Italian Constitution, which is the basis of the Italian State, The Chamber of Deputies meets in Rome at Palazzo Mon- ARLIAMENT P establishes that sovereignty is vested in the people, meaning tecitorio. Members of the Chamber are elected for 5 years all citizens, who exercise it according to the forms and within unless Parliament is dissolved before the end of its term (the the bounds laid down by the Constitution itself. One of the same applies to Members of the Senate). There are 630 most important ways in which the people’s sovereignty is Deputies, elected by citizens who are 18 and over. To be eli- expressed is the election of Parliament, where all Italian cit- gible for election, the minimum age is 25. A day at Montecitorio izens are represented. The Senate also meets in Rome, at Palazzo Madama. 315 Senators are elected by citizens who are 25 A job for two or over. To be eligible for election, Senators must ZOOM The Italian Parliament is made up of two Houses: the be at least 40. There are also a few Senators As of 2006, 12 Deputies Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. who are not elected but who have been appointed and 6 Senators are The system they operate in is termed “perfect bicameralism”, Senators for Life. They are former Presidents of elected by Italian citizens because the two Chambers have equal powers and identical the Republic or citizens of outstanding merit in who are resident abroad. tasks, although they differ in the number of members they have the social, scientific, artistic or literary fields. and in the mechanism by which their members are elected. elects 2/3Higher Council chaired byPresident of appoints Judiciary of the Judiciary the Republic can dissolve appoints 1/3 elects 1/3 elects elects 1/3 votes confidence Constitutional Court elects 1/3 Parliament Government elect Parliament A view of the Plenary Hall and the powers People of the Chamber of Deputies, designed by Ernesto Basile. of the State 4 5 WHAT PARLIAMENT DOES Democracy lives here Parliament is the very symbol of democracy, the place where those who have been chosen by citizens through free elec- tions engage in debate to settle the country’s problems. The Italian Parliament thus serves an essential function in the political management of the State. Its main tasks are to enact laws and to provide guidance and exercise scrutiny over Government action. The legislative function Bills can be introduced by individual Members, by the Gov- ernment or by other entities which are recognized as hav- ing the power of legislative initiative under the Consti- tution (Regional Councils and CNEL – the National Coun- cil for Economy and Labour). Citizens can also introduce bills as long as they are signed by at least 50,000 electors. The legislative function is exercised collectively by both Hous- es. This means that bills become laws only if they have been passed by both Houses. The Chamber of Deputies can generally approve a law by a majority of Members present on the Floor of the House, as long as one half of all Mem- bers plus one are present. On Wednesdays, with direct TV coverage, question time is held, when the Government Views of exterior and façade provides immediate answers of Palazzo Montecitorio. to questions from Deputies. 6 7 WHAT PARLIAMENT DOES Confidence and No Confidence PARLIAMENT Parliament has a function of guidance with regard to Government which is first and foremost exercised through the instrument of political confidence. Before beginning its activity, every Government needs to secure the confi- dence of Parliament, which decides whether to grant it or not by voting on a confidence motion. A day at Montecitorio Confidence must be granted by both Houses. This is a par- ticularly important moment in the political life of the coun- The velarium covering try. For this reason, the vote is conducted in a particularly the Plenary Hall of the Chamber of Deputies, solemn manner with the Members of Parliament pro- an Art Nouveau work nouncing an aye or a nay vote as they proceed one by one by Giovanni Beltrami. before the President’s bench. If it fails to secure the confi- dence of Parliament, the Government must resign. Parliamentary Committees and which possess the same pow- If the Houses fail to express a majority which can support ers and are subject to the same constraints as the judiciary. a Government, the President of the Republic can dissolve them before the end of their term and call new elec- Amendments to the Constitution tions. Deputies and Senators can at any time propose a Amendments to the Constitution are so sensitive and im- no-confidence vote in the Government. The no-confi- portant, in view of the consequences they may have on the dence vote must be signed by at least a tenth of the Mem- very structure of democracy, that Parliament can decide on bers of one of the two Houses. them only through procedures which guarantee the broad- est possible support. They are therefore required Scrutiny over Government to be approved – in the same text – twice by In order to exercise its function of scrutiny over Govern- each House. An interval of at least three months ZOOM ment, Parliament has a number of instruments available to it: must elapse between the first and second approval, Every seven years, the • Questions are written requests for information addressed and the second approval requires, as a minimum, two Houses of Parliament to the Government on the part of Members of Parliament that an absolute majority of Deputies and Sen- meet in joint session to elect the President of the in order to seek information on specific facts and the in- ators vote in favour. It is also possible to submit Republic. In addition to tended action in response thereto. amendments to a referendum if at least 500,000 Members of Parliament, • Interpellations are written questions seeking clarifica- electors or a fifth of the Members of a House or three delegates from each Region (Valle tion on the reasons for Government policy. five Regional Councils request one. A referendum d’Aosta only has one) One of the powers vested in Parliament is its right to con- cannot however be sought if the second approval also take part in the duct investigations into issues of public interest, by estab- of the amendment received a two-thirds majority vote. lishing Inquiry Committees, which can also be bicameral in both Houses. 8 9 THE HISTORY OF THE ITALIAN PARLIAMENT Before the establishment of the Italian Parliament United Italy PARLIAMENT The forerunner of the Italian Parliament was the one es- On 14 March 1861, after the unification of the country, tablished by King Charles Albert in 1848 with the Statu- the first Italian Parliament proclaimed the birth of the King- to Albertino or Albertine Statute.