Factbook of the Italian Confederation [AMW]

by **Great Italy** » Thu Jan 01, 2015 7:44 am

OOC: Factbook under construction. Please do not post.

Confederazione Italiana
Italian Confederation

Flag (left) and Coat of Arms (right)

Location
Motto: "Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno"
("One for all, all for one.")
Anthem: "L'Italia s'è desta" ("Italy has awaken")
Capital: Rome
Demonym: Italian
Lingua Franca: Standard Italian (Tuscan)
Official Religion: Roman Catholicism
Government: multi-party directorial confederation
with elements of direct democracy
Heads of State and Government:
- Federal Council:
Giuliana Scarpa (President)
Franco Scotto (Vice-President)
Alessia Petacci
Lamberto Fiasconaro
Gabriello Marrone
Killian Heinrich Schönborn
Arduino Godescalchi
Corina Federici
Paolo San Martino
- Federal Chancellor:
Bettina Longhena della Vedova
Legislature: Federal Assembly
- Upper House: Council of States
- Lower House: National Assembly
Area: 2,894,277 sq. km.
Population: 130,159,223
Population Density: 44.97 people/sq. km.
GDP: $3,513.96 billion (₤2,635.47 billion)
GDP/capita: $26,997.38 (₤20,248.03)
Currency: lira (₤)
- Valuation: $1 = ₤0.75
HDI: 0.870 (very high)
Time Zone: Italian Standard Time (UTC +1)
TLD: .it
Calling Code: 39

The Italian Confederation, or simply Italy, is a transcontinental nation located in Europe and Africa. Straddling the central Mediterranean Sea, the country is an important crossroads of sea and land routes.

[factbook under construction]

by **Great Italy** » Thu Jan 01, 2015 9:54 am

States of the Confederation

Members of the Confederation. (click to enlarge)

The Italian Confederation is composed of 77 states (stati), which comprise the membership of the Confederation. The Confederation has eight founding members: Genoa, Venice, and the members of the Lombard League (Milan/Insubria, Bergamo, Brescia, Crema, Modena, and Piacenza). Over time the Confederation expanded, taking in states of the Italian Peninsula. At the formation of the modern Confederation in 1946, all of the South Mediterranean colonies and common lordships were admitted as full, sovereign members of the confederation.

Government
Each state has its own government, complete with its own constitutions, legislatures, heads of states, and court systems. While the form of the confederate government is republican, many of the states are constitutional hereditary monarchies, or, in the cases of Helvetia, Latium and Malta, elective constitutional monarchies. The Constitution of the Italian Confederation expressly forbids the admission of states "lacking in a democratic form of government". Direct democracy is also popular throughout the confederation, with almost all of the states (again, except Latium and Malta), allowing citizen initiatives or referenda for certain issues. The federal form of direct democracy (national referendum) affects all states.

The Italian Constitution declares the states to be sovereign to the extent their sovereignty is not limited by federal law.The states also retain all powers and competencies not delegated to the Confederation by the Constitution. These include healthcare, welfare, law enforcement, public education, and certain powers of taxation. The state constitutions determine the degree of autonomy accorded to the municipalities (comuni), which varies but almost always includes the power to levy taxes and pass municipal laws.

List

Flag

State

Italian Name

Capital^a

Official Name

Form^b

Code

Area km²

Population

Density (hab./km²)

Date of Admission

Other Languages

GDP/cap

Italy

Italia

Rome

Italian Confederation

federal republic

IT

2,894,277

130,159,223

44.97

Standard Italian^c

$26,997.38 (£20,248.03)

Abruzzo

L'Aquila

County of Abruzzo

HCM

AB

15,201

2,120,313

139.49

5 IX 1650

Abruzzese

$25,740.62 (£19,305.47)

Amalfi

Republic of Amalfi

REP

AM

4,923

1,242,349

252.36

8 IX 1946

Campanian

$21,663.52 (£16,247.64)

Amazigia

Gelfa^a

State of Amazigia

REP

AZ

118,909

1,871,296

15.74

8 IX 1946

Berber

$9,639.63 (£7,229.72)

Ancona

Republic of Ancona

REP

AN

4,714

1,107,074

234.85

8 IX 1946

Marchigiano

$30,220.03 (£22,665.02)

Apulia

Puglia

Bari

County of Apulia

HCM

AP

12,168

3,407,417

280.03

3 XII 1720

Apulian

$19,974.63 (£14,980.97)

Atlantina

Fez

Province of Atlantina

REP

AT

109,436

2,475,200

22.62

22 VIII 2015

$10,162.51 (£7,621.88)

Aurasia

Vescera^a

Republic of Aurasia

REP

AU

133,417

1,565,567

11.73

8 IX 1946

Berber, Aurasian

$11,263.52 (£8,447.64)

Basel

Basilea

Basel (Basilea)

Republic of Basel

REP

BA

2,725

1,069,718

392.56

10 VII 1789

Chrinthani, Alemannic

$45,502.84 (£34,127.13)

Benevento

Principality of Benevento

HCM

BV

2,071

516,464

249.38

29 VIII 1684

Campanian

$19,523.00 (£14,642.25)

Bergamo

Republic of Bergamo

REP

BE

2,746

1,307,787

476.25

6 IX 1192

Lombard (Eastern)

$41,002.42 (£30,751.82)

Bern

Berna

Bern (Berna)

Republic of Bern

REP

BN

5,825

1,433,951

246.17

27 VI 1530

Alemannic

$39,544.75 (£29,658.56)

Biserta

Biserta^a

Republic of Biserta

REP

BS

3,685

724,128

196.51

8 IX 1946

$12,363.33 (£9,272.50)

Bizacena

Susa Africana^a

State of Bizacena

REP

BZ

35,923

2,887,105

80.37

8 IX 1946

Venetian

$13,220.33 (£9,915.25)

Bologna

Republic of Bologna

REP

BO

3,702

1,200,335

324.24

11 IX 1803

Emilian

$38,952.00 (£29,214.00)

Brescia

Republic of Brescia

REP

BR

4,784

2,147,192

448.83

6 IX 1192

Lombard (Eastern)

$42,652.62 (£31,989.47)

Bruttia

Reggio

County of Bruttia

HCM

BT

15,080

1,954,403

129.60

7 XI 1717

Calabrian

$19,960.52 (£14,970.39)

Bugia

Bugia^a

State of Bugia

REP

BG

7,707

1,410,405

183.00

8 IX 1946

$13,652.65 (£10,239.49)

Cabiglia

Cabese^a

Province of Cabiglia

REP

CB

90,445

1,283,110

14.19

8 IX 1946

Venetian

$16,552.30 (£12,414.23)

Capitanata

Foggia

Catepanate of Capitanata

REP

CA

7,190

938,532

130.53

17 IX 1648

Apulian

$23,237.22 (£17,427.92)

Cartenia

Cartenna^a

Province of Cartenia

REP

CR

21,207

3,071,050

144.81

8 IX 1946

$12,652.10 (£9,489.08)

Cesena

Republic of Cesena

REP

CE

1,117

259,249

232.09

19 VII 1259

Romagnolo

$33,263.37 (£24,947.53)

Constantine

Costantina

Costantina^a

Province of Costantina

REP

CO

6,213

1,947,307

313.42

8 IX 1946

Venetian

$15,620.31 (£11,715.23)

Crema

Commonwealth of Crema

REP

CM

716

228,363

318.94

6 IX 1192

Insubric

$37,561.02 (£28,170.77)

Cremona

Republic of Cremona

REP

CN

1,055

336,796

319.24

8 X 1192

Insubric

$37,226.22 (£27,919.67)

Cyrenaica

Cirenaica

Bengasi^a

Province of Cirenaica

REP

CI

818,690

1,522,480

1.86

8 IX 1946

Venetian

$30,412.30 (£22,809.23)

Fasania

Marzocco^a

Province of Fasania

REP

FA

684,280

413,005

0.60

8 IX 1946

Fasanian

$30,622.30 (£22,966.73)

Ferrara

Republic of Ferrara

REP

FE

2,632

859,351

326.50

2 VI 1199

Emilian

$36,020.33 (£27,015.25)

Florence

Firenze

Florence (Firenze)

Republic of Florence

REP

FI

7,876

1,996,988

253.55

26 VII 1418

Tuscan

$32,948.63 (£24,711.47)

Forlì

Republic of Forlí

REP

FO

1,260

287,984

228.56

8 IX 1946

Romagnolo

$29,563.33 (£22,172.50)

Geneva

Ginevra

Geneva (Ginevra)

Republic of Geneva and Vaud

REP

GN

4,303

1,412,155

328.18

24 V 1782

Arpitan

$42,008.52 (£31,506.39)

Genoa

Genova

Genoa (Genova)

Most Serene Republic of Genoa

REP

GE

5,422

1,787,213

329.62

6 IX 1192

Ligurian

$31,329.52 (£23,497.14)

Gigelia

Gigel^a

Province of Gigelia

REP

GI

22,571

2,560,096

113.42

8 IX 1946

$14,958.20 (£11,218.65)

Grisons

Grigioni

Chur (Coira)

Gray Confederation

REP

GR

6,120

281,353

45.97

16 VIII 1298

Insubric, Romansh

$33,520.52 (£25,140.39)

Helvetia

Elvezia

Sargans (Sargano)

Tribe of Helvetia

ECM

HE

1,409

217,067

154.06

9 IV 1445

Helvetic

$34,225.81 (£25,669.36)

Icosia

Icosio^a

State of Icosia

REP

IC

22,840

4,092,602

179.19

8 IX 1946

Tuscan

$13,664.54 (£10,248.41)

Insubria

Milan (Milano)

Duchy of Insubria

HCM

IN

12,185

7,515,299

616.77

6 IX 1192

Insubric

$40,728.63 (£30,546.47)

Ipponia

Ipponia^a

Republic of Ipponia

REP

IP

4,778

951,833

199.21

8 IX 1946

Ligurian

$15,663.32 (£11,747.49)

Irpinia

Avellino

County of Irpinia

HCM

IR

2,792

527,310

188.86

6 X 1694

Campanian

$19,620.52 (£14,715.39)

Kyburg

Chiborgo

Kyburg (Chiborgo)

County of Kyburg

HCM

KY

3,174

962,245

303.16

7 VI 1403

Helvetic, Alemannic

$34,012.02 (£25,509.02)

Latium

Lazio

Rome

Catholic State of Latium

ECM

LA

8,964

4,648,650

518.59

11 IX 1803

Latin

$35,607.00 (£26,705.25)

Lodi

Republic of Lodi

REP

LO

782

279,095

356.90

7 III 1193

Insubric

$37,542.63 (£28,156.97)

Lucania

Potenza

County of Lucania

HCM

LU

9,995

675,902

67.62

16 VII 1702

Lucanian

$22,081.63 (£16,561.22)

Lucca

Most Serene Republic of Lucca

REP

LC

2,930

698,192

238.29

17 XI 1408

Emilian

$40,526.33 (£30,394.75)

Lucerne

Lucerna

Lucerne (Lucerna)

Republic of Lucerne

REP

LE

2,260

873,518

386.51

18 VIII 1367

Alemannic

$40,711.20 (£30,533.40)

Malta

Valletta

Sovereign Military Order of Malta

ECM

MT

316

416,055

1316.63

15 II 1854

Maltese

$27,022.63 (£20,266.97)

Mantua

Mantova

Mantua

Republic of Mantua

REP

MA

2,339

817,799

349.64

17 VIII 1196

Lombard (Eastern)

$37,226.52 (£27,919.89)

Modena

Republic of Modena

REP

MO

4,982

1,641,107

329.41

6 IX 1192

Emilian

$36,889.20 (£27,666.90)

Montefeltro

Novafeltria

Duchy of Montefeltro

HCM

MO

987

223,031

225.97

9 VI 1627

Romagnolo

$28,699.47 (£21,524.60)

Montferrat

Monferrato

Asti

Marquisate of Montferrat

HCM

MF

5,065

1,651,416

326.04

5 IV 1616

Piedmontese

$33,255.05 (£24,941.29)

Naples

Napoli

Naples

Kingdom of Naples

HCM

NA

9,305

5,009,590

538.38

22 V 1690

Campanian

$22,263.52 (£16,697.64)

Numidia

Cartagine^a

Province of Numidia

REP

NU

41,024

5,233,453

127.57

17 V 1521

Venetian

$20,452.05 (£15,339.04)

Orania

Oran

State of Orania

REP

OR

41,215

1,897,446

46.04

8 IX 1946

$12,630.30 (£9,472.73)

Parma

Republic of Parma

REP

PR

3,449

1,046,223

303.34

14 V 1378

Emilian

$36,263.33 (£27,197.50)

Pavia

Republic of Pavia

REP

PV

2,965

1,052,448

354.96

16 X 1203

Emilian

$37,253.63 (£27,940.22)

Piacenza

Republic of Piacenza

REP

PI

2,589

791,700

305.79

6 IX 1192

Emilian

$37,025.62 (£27,769.22)

Piceno

Fermo

Commonwealth of Picenia

REP

PC

2,012

390,424

194.05

6 IV 1304

Romagnolo

$29,662.33 (£22,246.75)

Piedmont

Piemonte

Turin

Duchy of Piedmont

HCM

PD

13,085

3,874,615

296.11

18 IV 1789

Piedmontese, Arpitan

$35,623.83 (£26,717.87)

Pisa

Republic of Pisa

REP

PS

3,666

1,163,257

317.31

8 IX 1946

Tuscan

$33,451.22 (£25,088.42)

Pomaria

Pomaria^a

Commonwealth of Pomaria

REP

PO

11,438

1,330,090

116.29

8 IX 1946

$11,623.03 (£8,717.27)

Ravenna

Republic of Ravenna

REP

RA

1,858

594,543

319.99

26 VIII 1311

Romagnolo

$36,775.32 (£27,581.49)

Rimini

Republic of Rimini

REP

RI

535

307,018

573.87

8 IX 1946

Romagnolo

$36,203.33 (£27,152.50)

Saluzzo

Marquisate of Saluzzo

HCM

SA

6,903

595,209

86.22

15 VI 1677

Occitan

$33,632.33 (£25,224.25)

Sardinia

Sardegna

Cagliari

Republic and Judgeship of Sardinia

HCM

SR

24,090

1,661,189

68.96

17 V 1521

Sardinian, Corsican

$22,775.41 (£17,081.56)

Schwyz

Svitto

Schwyz (Svitto)

Schwyz Confederation

REP

SV

2,224

408,856

183.84

7 IX 1335

Insubric, Alemannic

$39,610.77 (£29,708.08)

Sicily

Sicilia

Palermo

Kingdom of Sicily

HCM

SC

25,711

5,043,480

196.16

9 X 1748

Sicilian

$22,631.22 (£16,973.42)

Siena

Republic of Siena

REP

SI

3,821

473,305

123.87

8 IX 1946

Tuscan

$30,266.52 (£22,699.89)

Sinai

San Marco^a

Most Serene Republic of the Sinai

REP

SN

74,250

2,826,088

38.06

8 IX 1946

Sinaiese

$18,651.97 (£13,988.98)

Sovana

Grosseto

County of Sovana

HCM

SO

4,504

625,098

138.79

28 XI 1578

Tuscan

$31,002.63 (£23,251.97)

Spoleto

Duchy of Spoleto

HCM

SP

11,205

1,145,205

102.20

6 V 1603

Umbrian

$27,208.66 (£20,406.50)

Tangier

Tangeri

Tangeri^a

State of Tangeri

REP

TA

20,375

4,329,912

212.51

8 IX 1946

Tangerian

$12,626.51 (£9,469.88)

Tripolitania

Tripoli

Province of Tripolitania

REP

TR

272,090

3,542,999

13.02

8 IX 1946

$30,023.51 (£22,517.63)

Urbino

Duchy of Urbino

HCM

UR

2,185

445,605

203.94

18 VI 1597

Romagnolo

$28,656.33 (£21,492.25)

Vallese

Sion (Seduno)

Vallesian Confederation

REP

VS

5,659

375,437

66.34

30 VI 1389

Insubric

$32,415.00 (£24,311.25)

Valtellina

Sondrio

Valtelline Confederation

REP

VA

3,701

289,587

78.25

11 IX 1803

Insubric

$38,695.98 (£29,021.99)

Vandalia

Vandalia^a

Republic of Vandalia

REP

VD

11,677

1,623,082

139.00

22 VIII 2015

Tuscan

$16,562.22 (£12,421.67)

Venice

Most Serene Republic of Venice

REP

VE

39,864

8,208,420

205.91

6 IX 1192

Venetian, Friulian

$39,856.75 (£29,892.56)

Zürich

Zurigo

Zürich (Zurigo)

Republic of Zürich

REP

ZU

2,966

2,058,087

693.89

7 X 1571

Alemannic

$48,244.75 (£36,183.56)

Notes:
a. RL North African Equivalents of Italian Cities: Gelfa - Djelfa, Alg.; Vescera - Biskra, Alg.; Biserta - Bizerte, Tun.; Susa Africana - Sousse, Tun.; Bugia - Béjaïa, Alg; Cabese - Gabès, Tun.; Cartenna - Ténès, Alg.; Costantina - Constantine, Alg; Bengasi - Benghazi, Lib.; Marzocco - Murzuk, Lib; Gigel - Jijel, Alg.; Icosio - Algiers, Alg.; Ipponia - Annaba, Alg.; Cartagine - Tunis, Tun.; Pomaria - Tlemcen, Alg.; San Marco - Port Said, Egy.; Tangeri - Tangiers, Mor.; Vandalia - Al Hoceima, Mor.
b. Code for forms of government: REP - republic; HCM - hereditary constitutional monarchy; ECM - elective constitutional monarchy.
c. Standard Italian (Tuscan-based) is the lingua franca, although each state may have its own other official language/s in which citizens may communicate with the state government.

by **Great Italy** » Fri Jan 02, 2015 12:14 pm

Federal Council
The Federal Council (Consiglio federale) is a nine-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Italy and serves as the collective head of state. While the entire council is responsible for leading the federal administration of Italy, each Councillor heads one of the nine federal executive departments. Observers had likened the Federal Council to a corporate board, managing the different aspects of the government while making decisions as a collegiate body.

Members

Seat No.	Councillor	Party	State	Portfolio
1	Giuliana Scarpa	PC	Venice	Federal Department of Economy Dipartimento federale dell'economia
2	Franco Scotto	PS	Genoa	Federal Department for Home Affairs Dipartimento federale dell'interno
3	Alessia Petacci	PL	Florence	Federal Department of Finance Dipartimento federale delle finanza
4	Lamberto Fiasconaro	PC	Brescia	Federal Department for Defense and Civil Protection Dipartimento federale della difesa e della protezione della popolazione
5	Gabriello Marrone	PS	Tangeri	Federal Department of Public Services Dipartimento federale degli servizi pubblici
6	Killian Heinrich Schönborn	PC	Kyburg	Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Dipartimento federale degli affari esteri
7	Arduino Godescalchi	PC	Saluzzo	Federal Department of Justice and Police Dipartimento federale di giustizia e polizia
8	Corina Federici	PS	Numidia	Federal Department of Public Works Dipartimento federale degli lavori pubblici
9	Paolo San Martino	PV	Insubria	Federal Department of Environment and Natural Resources Dipartimento federale dell'ambiente e risorse naturali

History
Origins
The Federal Council's origins started with the Confederate Directorate, which was a weaker institution dedicated to coordinating the defense policies of the Confederation. The Directorate also acts as the secretariat of the alliance. With the Confederation's beginnings as a tripartite pact between Genoa, Venice, and Milan's Lombard League, the Directorate naturally had members hailing from the three city-states occupying the triumvirate. With the expansion of the Confederation, the membership of the Directorate was increased to five, to give the smaller states a chance to gain a seat in the Directorate. However, Sardinia (Genoa's vassal), Numidia (one of Venice's south Mediterranean provinces), and the Valtellina (Milan's associate) were also admitted so that the three powers can also compete for the newly-created seats. Of the smaller states, representatives from Brescia and Florence served the longest in the Directorate.

The present form of the country's leadership was established in the 1946 Constitution. The old Directorate seen as outdated and ineffectual, a failure in its main role to coordinate the defense of the country. The Federal Council was the product of the trend of representation for all states and increasing federalization of the Confederation. One holdover from the Directorate era, however, was the idea of consensual and coalition politics.

Grand Coalition
At the outset, the Federal Council was a Grand Coalition of the three major parties that had emerged postwar: the Conservative Party, largely seen as rooted in the Venetian and Milanese traditions; the Socialist Party, rooted in the Genoese traditions; and the Liberal Party, rooted in Florentine traditions. During the Reconstruction Era, the nine-member Federal Council was divided equally between the three parties. This unwritten agreement for the division of seats was called the "magic formula".

The collapse of the Liberal vote in the 1980s led to the revision of the "magic formula" to give the Conservatives one seat at the expense of the Liberals. The rise of the Green Party during the turn of the 21st century at the expense of the Liberals led to another redistribution in 2003. The Greens were included in the coalition government. The current distribution roughly represents the vote share of each of the parties; roughly 90% of the electorate's votes and members of the National Assembly are represented in the Federal Council.

Elections
The Federal Council is elected for a term of five years by the Federal Assembly. The Federal Council's term is coterminous with the Federal Assembly that had voted it in. Federal Councillors are elected from members of the National Assembly.

Each councillor is technically nominated individually by the National Assembly (the lower house) by exhaustive ballot. In the first two rounds, anyone can enter their name; but in subsequent rounds, the person receiving the fewest votes is removed from the race until one candidate gains an absolute majority for the seat to fill.

The Council of States (the upper house) then votes to accept or reject the National Assembly's nomination. A nominee for the Federal Council is
deemed elected if a majority of the Council of States votes for the nominee. Approval from the Council of States is generally a given; the last time the Council of States rejected a nominee was in 1983.

Since the seats in the Federal Council has been informally allocated to the parties by unwritten agreement, Federal Council elections are generally unexciting and pleasant affairs. Only members from parties whose seat is being filled are nominated for the particular round; for instance, the election for Seat #7, reserved for the Conservatives, will only have Conservative nominees. Usually the party puts forward the name of their candidate, usually from the mainstream of the party. If there will be a contest, the opponent is usually a member of the same party.

Limitations
The Constitution mandates that no state could have more than one representative on the Federal Council. The basis for determining this is the state the nominee is currently representing in the National Assembly. This does not prevent office-seekers from moving to politically expedient constituencies, such as states with only one representative in the National Assembly.

There are no term limits for Federal Councillors, and Councillors who seek re-election are usually re-nominated and re-elected. Failure to re-elect sitting councillors has only happened twice: to Giangacomo Borghi (L-Pisa) in 1987 and to Raffaele Chigi (L-Siena) in 2003. In practice, therefore, Councillors serve until they decide to resign and retire, usually after three to five terms of office.

Recall
Federal councillors may be recalled by the National Assembly by a two-thirds majority, a form of check-and-balance. This decision to recall a federal councillor must be confirmed by the Council of States, also by a two-thirds majority. The last and only time a councillor was recalled was in 1986, when the National Assembly passed a vote of no confidence on Pietro Pannocchieschi (L-Florence) for the Arms and Munitions Scandal.

Operation
Presidency
Every six months, the presidency and the vice-presidency rotates between the councillors by seat number. The previous six month's vice-president will succeed as the president. The last six-month term will be taken up by the holder of seat #1.

The President of the Confederation is the highest-ranking official, according to the Italian Order of Precedence. S/he presides over Council meetings and carries out certain representative functions that are equivalent to those of a head of state in other countries. In urgent situations where a Council decision cannot be made in time, s/he is empowered to act on behalf of the whole Council. Apart from that, though, s/he is a primus inter pares, having no power above and beyond the other eight Councillors.

However, the President of the Confederation is not the head of state; that function is carried out by the Federal Council in its entirety. For state visits to other countries, it is usually the Federal Councillor responsible for the Foreign Affairs Department who is the face of the country to the world. Visiting heads of state to Italy are received by the Federal Council as a whole.

Meetings
The Federal Council meets twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, at the Palazzo Chigi in Rome. Apart from the Councillors, the Federal Chancellor also attends the meetings, who serves as the secretary of the Council. Usually, the Councillors take lunch together thereafter. The Federal Council may also meet at length during the other days to discuss issues and topics. It also not uncommon for presidents to hold one weeks' worth of meetings in his home state, complete with field trips and tours to attractions in his home state.

Decisions and Departments
Each Councillor heads a government department, just like ministers in governments of other countries. However, as Council members, they are not only responsible for their own department, but also for the business of the departments as well, for the conduct of the government, and of the federal administration as a whole. Decisions to be taken by the Council is prepared by the Councillor in charge of the government department, with inputs from the relevant government agencies and departments. Public consultations can be undertaken also in order to build consensus and identify possible problems and concerns - this step is required when the Federal Council will propose a law to the Federal Assembly.

Conventions
Because the Federal Council is a voluntary grand coalition, constitutional convention dictates collegiality: that Councillors are not supposed to publicly criticize each other, even though they are political opponents. Councillors are expected to publicly support all decisions of the Council, even those that are against their own opinion or their parties'.

So as not to reveal discussions and votes and arguments in the Council, records are sealed for 75 years.

Federal Chancellor
The Chancellor of the Confederation (Cancelliere federale) is a largely technocratic role, assuming the role of the Secretary of the Federal Council. The Federal Chancellor is not a politician but usually a senior civil servant elected by the Federal Assembly. The Federal Chancellor's term is coterminous with the Federal Council and Federal Assembly s/he is serving. His/her deputies are usually appointed by the Federal Council.

The Federal Chancellor's role is to attend the meetings and prepares the reports of the Federal Council for presentation to the Federal Assembly. The Chancellor is also responsible for maintaining the records of the Federal Council and the publication of federal laws, ordinances, and announcements.

The current Federal Chancellor is Bettina Longhena della Vedova of the Valtellina, who was appointed to the position in 2007.

by **Great Italy** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 7:31 am

Federal Assembly
The Federal Assembly (Assemblea federale) is the Italian Confederation's bicameral legislature, composed of the Council of States (Consiglio degli stati) and the National Assembly (Assemblea nazionale). The Council of States serves as the upper house and the National Assembly serves as the lower house.

The Federal Assembly possesses the federal government's legislative power, along with the separate constitutional right of citizen's initiative. For a law to pass, it must be passed by both houses. The Federal Assembly also elects the Federal Council, and the Federal Chancellor.

Groups
The Federal Assembly does not allow grouping of political parties in caucuses. Caucuses are important in the Federal Assembly as it gives the members the right to sit on committees, and those that aren't members can't speak in most debates. To form a caucus, one must have at least ten members across both chambers, with at least two members in each chamber. This meant that only larger political parties were able to maintain caucuses. Prior to 2003, there were only three caucuses: the Conservatives, the Socialists, and Liberals. The election of Green-led governments in the Republic of Forlì and Duchy of Montefeltro in 2003 allowed the election of two Green councilors in the Council of States, allowing them to form a Green caucus with its then-12 representatives in the National Assembly.

This stringent rules in caucus formation and the legislature's mode of election meant that the growth of small parties are stifled. This has the effect of discouraging political fragmentation to more radical parties (such as the Popular Party or Revolutionary Party) and stifling single-issue parties and local or ethnic-based parties (such as the Union of Tsags in Italy or Party of Sicilian Liberty).

Political Parties
There are nine political parties represented in the National Assembly, four of which have their own caucuses:

Political Parties with caucuses in the Federal Assembly

	Party	Abbr.	Leader	Members	Ideology
----	Italian Conservative Party Partito Conservatore Italiano	C	Bartolomeo Gradenigo (Venice)	966,200	Christian democracy, national conservatism
----	Italian Socialist Party Partito Socialista Italiano	S	Franco Scotto (Genoa)	920,500	Social democracy, Christian left
----	Italian Liberal Party Partito Liberale Italiano	L	Alessia Petacci (Florence)	256,330	Social liberalism, libertarianism
----	Italian Green Party Partito Verde Italiano	V	Valentino Incatasciato (Siena)	126,440	Green politics

Each of the parties, while formally established at the turn of the 20^th century, have deep traditions. The Conservative Party arose from the Venetian-Milanese factions in the confederation, and thus remain dominant in the prosperous north Lombard plain and Venetia. The Socialist Party arose from the Genoese factions, particularly those associated with shipbuilding industries. The relatively younger Liberal Party arose from the Florentine faction and those with strong anti-clerical traditions, such as the central Italian states. The Green Party is a modern creation, which split from the Liberal Party to pursue a more leftist course, as the Liberal Party was seen as too conservative economically.

Political Parties with members in the National Assembly but without caucuses in the Federal Assembly

	Party	Abbr.	Leader	Members	Ideology
----	Italian Popular Party Partito Popolare Italiano	P	Briano Colonna (Latium)	62,400	Reactionary, Nationalism, Fascism
----	Italian Revolutionary Party Partito Rivoluzionario Italiano	R	Carlo Maracco (Insubria)	16,200	Communism
----	Union of Tsags in Italy Unione dei Chiaggi in Italia	UCI	Stanislao Joviccio (Abruzzo)	78,300	catch-all party for ethnic Tsags
----	Berber People's Party Partito del Popolo Amazigo	PPA	Abramo Afellato (Amazigia)	11,560	catch-all party for ethnic Berbers
----	Sardinian Independentist Party Partito Sardo Independentista	PSI	Bustianu Caria (Sardinia)	7,950	Sardinian Independence
----	Party of Sicilian Liberty Partito delle Libertà Siciliana	PLS	Gianfranco Pistorio (Sicily)	5,410	Sicilian Independence

Council of States
Consiglio degli Stati
Type: Upper House
Leadership
President: Alberico Comandulli (C-Crema)
Caucus Leaders
█ C: Timotteo Prandelli (Bergamo)
█ S: Andrea Calcagnini (Genoa)
█ L: Fiorenzo del Ponte (Florence)
█ V: Valentino Incatasciato (Siena)
█ P: Bruno Colonna (Latium)
Seats
Seats: 66

Political Parties
Government Parties (76)
█ C: 43
█ S: 19
█ L: 8
█ V: 6
Opposition Parties (1)
█ P: 1
Meeting Place: Palazzo Madama, Rome

Council of States
The Council of States (Consiglio degli stati) is the upper house of the legislature of the Italian Confederation. The Council of States is the direct descendant of the Council of the Confederation (Consiglio di Confederazione), composed of the heads of state or government of each state and their representative. The Council of the Confederation used to be the main decision-making body of the Confederation before the Great War. After the Great War, the Constitution of 1946 transformed the Council of the Confederation to the modern Council of States. Each state has one representative and one vote in the Council of States.

Membership
Each state sends one representative to the Council of States. These representative are sent by the respective state governments, and may be recalled or replaced at the whim of the sending state government. Thus, councillors in this chamber represent their state governments and act upon their instructions. They may also be replaced when elections occur in their home state. Thus, the Council of States is a permanent institution and cannot be dissolved. With this fact in mind, the 1946 Constitution put the President of the Council of States behind the Federal Council in the order of precedence.

The councillors are also members of political parties. Convention states that the largest party in the state legislature earns the right to name the representative to the Council of States.

Powers
The Council of States is relatively weaker than the National Assembly. The Council of States cannot initiate laws or amend bills and proposals under consideration. It can only approve or reject bills and proposals, including budget proposals, passed by the National Assembly. The Council of states merely confirms or rejects all of the decisions made by the National Assembly.

The Council of States, however, effectively serves to safeguard state interests. Because it will have to decide on the proposed legislation as a whole complete package, the National Assembly has to make sure the legislation it passes is palatable to the upper house. Moreover, the Council of States commonly vetoes proposals it deems harmful to states sovereignty.

In addition, the upper chamber has powers that only it can exercise. This include confirmation of the Federal Council's appointments to senior federal positions, judgeships, and ambassadorships.

National Assembly
Assemblea nazionale
Type: Lower House
Leadership
President: Timoleonte Stradivari (C-Cremona)
Seats
Seats: 300

Political Parties
Government Parties (373)
█ C: 178
█ S: 110
█ L: 57
█ V: 28
Opposition Parties (27)
█ P: 19
█ R: 2
█ UCI: 2
█ PPA: 2
█ PSI: 1
█ PSL: 1
Meeting Place: Palazzo Montecitorio, Rome

National Assembly
The National Assembly (Assemblea nazionale) is the lower house of the legislature of the Italian Confederation. The National Assembly is the creation of the 1946 Constitution, instituted in order to provide a nationwide representative democratic forum. The creation of the National Assembly marked a huge step in the federalization of the Confederation.

Powers
Although most legislation is initiated by the Federal Council, the National Assembly considers the legislative function its most important responsibility, concentrating much of its energy on assessing and amending the government's legislative program. The legislative function is shared with the people's sovereignty through citizens' initiatives. The legislative function also extends to passing the budget, which is not covered by the constitutional right of citizen's initiative.

The National Assembly members are the only federal officials directly elected by the public. The National Assembly in turn elects the Federal Council and exercises oversight of the executive branch on issues of both substantive policy and routine administration. This check on executive power can be employed through binding legislation, public debates on government policy, investigations, and direct questioning of the chancellor or cabinet officials.

Membership
Each of the 77 states is a constituency. The number of deputies for each constituency depends on the state's population, but each state has at least one deputy. Each citizen votes for a particular party's candidate list; thus, voters vote for parties, not individuals.

The state's seats are then apportioned depending on the votes a party list has garnered using via the d'Hondt method of proportional representation. However, in single-member constituencies (Cesena, Crema, Cremona, Fasania, Forlì, Grisons, Helvetia, Lodi, Malta, Montefeltro, Piceno, Rimini, Schwyz, Siena, Urbino, Vallese, Valtellina), the election effectively becomes a first-past-the-post contest.

States with more seats have lower threshholds for gaining seats. Fringe parties usually gain seats by winning small percentages of votes in large states. For instance, despite Insubria being known as the quintessential Conservative state, a communist representative has been continuously elected from the state since 1947, even with as little as over 1% of the vote. Thus, smaller constituencies favor the major parties.

Being a federal institution, elections to the National Assembly are regulated by the federal government. State governments have no influence on how representatives to the National Assembly are elected. In 1957, Venice wanted to split itself into three smaller constituencies (Venezia Euganea, Venezia Tridentina, Venezia Giulia) for the purposes of National Assembly elections, but the courts stopped the Venetian plan.

Apportionment of National Assembly Seats

No. of Seats	States
25	Venice
23	Insubria
16	Numidia
15	Naples, Sicily
14	Latium
13	Icosia, Tangier
12	Piedmont
11	Tripolitania
10	Apulia
9	Bizacena, Cartenia, Sinai
8	Atlantina, Gigelia
7	Abruzzo, Brescia
6	Amazigia, Bruttia, Constantine, Florence, Orania, Zürich
5	Aurasia, Cyrenaica, Genoa, Modena, Montferrat, Sardinia, Vandalia
4	Amalfi, Bergamo, Bern, Bologna, Bugia, Cabiglia, Geneva, Pisa, Pomaria, Spoleto
3	Ancona, Basel, Capitanata, Ferrara, Ipponia, Kyburg, Lucerne, Mantua, Parma, Pavia
2	Benevento, Biserta, Irpinia, Lucania, Lucca, Piacenza, Ravenna, Saluzza, Sovana
1	Cesena, Crema, Cremona, Fasania, Forlì, Grisons, Helvetia, Lodi, Malta, Montefeltro, Piceno, Rimini, Schwyz, Siena, Urbino, Vallese, Valtellina

Elections
Members serve four-year terms. Elections are held every four years. There is no provision for the dissolution of the National Assembly or for early elections. Thus, parties are required to build consensus and negotiate. This lack of provision for early elections is cited as one of the reasons for the existence of the grand coalition.

Results of the 2015 National Assembly Election

	Party		Caucus Leader	Votes	Percent	Change	Seats	Change
----	Conservative Party	C	Bartolomeo Gradenigo (Venice)	32,747,313	41.17%	+3.25%	178	+5
----	Socialist Party	S	Salvatore Dattaro (Icosio)	21,474,858	27.00%	+0.15%	110	+1
----	Liberal Party	L	Matteo Filippeschi (Pisa)	10,419,393	13.10%	-5.18%	57	-11
----	Green Party	V	Rosalba Cadorna (Latium)	7,166,127	9.01%	+3.41%	28	+6
----	Popular Party	P	Marcantonio Lombardo (Sicily)	4,781,077	6.01%	-0.90%	19	-1
----	Revolutionary Party	R	Carlo Maracco (Insubria)	1,346,187	1.69%	-0.20%	2	0
----	Union of Tsags in Italy	UCI	Hrvoslav Belostenec (Abruzzo)	538,491	0.68%	-0.02%	2	0
----	Berber People's Party	PPA	Abramo Afellato (Amazigia)	288,397	0.36%	-0.23%	2	0
----	Party of Sicilian Liberty	PLS	Gianfranco Pistorio (Sicily)	265,310	0.33%	-0.10%	1	0
----	Sardinian Independentist Party	PSI	Bustianu Caria (Sardinia)	177,855	0.22%	-0.08%	1	0
	Other Minor Parties			329,808	0.41%	-0.10%	0	0