[1][2] The first officeholder was Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, who was sworn in on 23 March 1861 after the unification of Italy.
[4] During the monarchy period, prime ministers were appointed by the king of Italy, as laid down in the Albertine Statute.
[5] From 1925 until the fall of his regime in 1943, fascist dictator Benito Mussolini formally modified the office title to "Head of Government, Prime Minister and Secretary of State".
The prime minister is appointed by the President of the Republic and must receive a confidence vote by both houses of Parliament: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
[9][10] The current officeholder is Giorgia Meloni, who was appointed on 22 October 2022, becoming the first woman to hold this office.