Government of Italy

[1] Article 1 of the Italian constitution states:[2] "Italy is a democratic Republic founded on labour.

"By stating that Italy is a democratic republic, the article solemnly declares the results of the institutional referendum which took place on 2 June 1946 valid.

The people who are called to temporarily administer the republic are not owners, but servants; and the governed are not subjects, but citizens.

The President of the Republic of Italy is the head of state and represents the unity of the nation (art.

With article 48 of the constitution, which guarantees the right to vote, the people exercise their power through their elected representatives in the parliament.

[2] The Italian Parliament has a bicameral system, and consists of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic, elected every five years.

In any scenario, the government must receive the confidence of both houses,[2] so the executive branch derives its legitimacy from the Italian Parliament and the great number of political parties forces the prime minister to bend to their will.

If the majority coalition no longer supports the government, the Prime Minister can be ousted with a vote of no confidence, at which point the President can either appoint a new Prime Minister capable of forming a government with the support of Parliament, or dissolve parliament and call for new elections.

In the history of the Italian Republic, there have been twenty legislatures (including the Constituent Assembly), forty-five consecutive premierships, and sixty-eight different cabinets.

[2] So the judiciary is a branch that is completely autonomous and independent of all other branches of power, even though the minister of justice is responsible for the organization and functioning of those services involved with justice and has the power to originate disciplinary actions against judges, which are then administered by the High Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the president.

The Constitutional Court was primarily established "for the protection of the legal order and only indirectly as an institution for the vindication of fundamental rights" of individuals.

[5] The court generally only has the power of judicial review over "laws and enactments having force of law issued by the State and Regions" (what is called primary legislation in civil-law systems) and does not have the power to review administration acts and regulations, or parliamentary rules.