Voters received both a ballot for the choice between Republic or Monarchy, and one for the election of the deputies of the new Constituent Assembly; the latter would have the task to write a new constitutional chart, as established by a decree of 16 March 1946.

Its first act, on 28 June, was the election of Enrico De Nicola as the Italian Republic's provisional president.

On 504 voters, De Nicola (a member of the Italian Liberal Party) obtained 396 votes, followed by Cipriano Facchinetti (Italian Republican Party) with 40, Ottavia Penna Buscemi (Common Man's Front) with 32, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (liberal) with 12, Carlo Sforza (PRI) with 2, Alcide De Gasperi and Alfredo Proja (both from Christian Democracy, or DC) with 2.

Aside from the creation of the new constitution, the assembly was entrusted the approval of governments and of their budgets, and the ratification of the international treaties.

The Constitutional Commission ended its work on 12 January 1947 and on 4 March the assembly started its debate about the text.