2001 Italian general election

The 2001 Italian general election was held in Italy on 13 May 2001 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The election was won by the centre-right coalition House of Freedoms led by Silvio Berlusconi, defeating Francesco Rutelli, former Mayor of Rome, and leader of the centre-left coalition The Olive Tree, and rising back to power after Berlusconi's first victory in the 1994 Italian general election.

2001 Italian general election

13 May 2001

All 630 seats in the Chamber of Deputies · 315 seats in the Senate
Registered49,256,295 (C) · 44,499,794 (S)
Turnout40,085,397 (C) · 81.4% (1.5 pp)
36,189,394 (S) · 81.3% (0.9 pp)
 
Leader Silvio Berlusconi Francesco Rutelli Fausto Bertinotti
Alliance House of Freedoms The Olive Tree Communist Refoundation
Leader since 18 January 1994 25 September 2000 22 January 1994
Leader's seat Milan (C) Rome (C) Piedmont (C)
Seats won 368 (C) / 176 (S) 241 (C) / 128 (S) 11 (C) / 4 (S)
Seat change 96 (C) / 33 (S) 82 (C) / 29 (S) 24 (C) / 6 (S)
Coalition vote 18,398,246 (C)
14,406,519 (S)
13,169,239 (C)
13,106,860 (S)
1,868,659 (C)
1,708,707 (S)
Percentage 49.6% (C)
42.5% (S)
35.5% (C)
38.7% (S)
5.0% (C)
5.0% (S)

Results of the single-member constituencies in the Chamber of Deputies (left) and Senate (right).

Prime Minister before election

Giuliano Amato
The Olive Tree

Prime Minister after the election

Silvio Berlusconi
House of Freedoms

Electoral system

The intricate electoral system, called scorporo, provided 75% of the seats on the Chamber of Deputies (the Lower House) as elected by first-past-the-post system, whereas the remaining 25% was assigned on proportional representation with a minimum threshold of 4%. The method used for the Senate was even more complicated: 75% of seats by uninominal method, and 25% by a special proportional method that assigned the remaining seats to minority parties. Formally, these were examples of additional member systems.

General election

Campaign

For this election Berlusconi again ran as leader of the centre-right coalition the House of Freedoms (Italian: La Casa delle Libertà), which included the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats, the Northern League, the National Alliance and other parties.

On the television interviews programme Porta a Porta, during the last days of the electoral campaign, Berlusconi created a powerful impression on the public by undertaking to sign a so-called Contratto con gli Italiani (English: Contract with the Italians), an idea copied outright by his advisor Luigi Crespi from the Newt Gingrich's Contract with America introduced six weeks before the 1994 US Congressional election,[1] which was widely considered to be a creative masterstroke in his 2001 campaign bid for prime ministership. In this solemn agreement, Berlusconi claimed his commitment on improving several aspects of the Italian economy and life. Firstly, he undertook to simplify the complex tax system by introducing just two tax rates (33% for those earning over 100,000 euros, and 23% for anyone earning less than that figure: anyone earning less than 11,000 euros a year would not be taxed); secondly, he promised to halve the unemployment rate; thirdly, he undertook to finance and develop a massive new public works programme. Fourthly, he promised to raise the minimum monthly pension rate to 516 euros; and fifthly, he would suppress the crime wave by introducing police officers to patrol all local zones and areas in Italy's major cities.[2] Berlusconi undertook to refrain from putting himself up for re-election in 2006 if he failed to honour at least four of these five promises.

Main coalitions and parties

Coalition Party Main ideology Leader
House of Freedoms Forza Italia (FI) Liberal conservatism Silvio Berlusconi
National Alliance (AN) National conservatism Gianfranco Fini
Northern League (LN) Regionalism Umberto Bossi
White Flower (CCDCDU) Christian democracy Pier Ferdinando Casini
New Italian Socialist Party (NPSI) Social democracy Gianni De Michelis
Italian Republican Party (PRI) Liberalism Giorgio La Malfa
Tricolour Flame (FT) Neo-fascism Pino Rauti
The Olive Tree Democrats of the Left (DS) Social democracy Massimo D'Alema
Democracy is Freedom (DL)[lower-alpha 1] Centrism Francesco Rutelli
The Sunflower (FdVSDI) Eco-socialism Enrico Boselli
Party of Italian Communists (PdCI) Communism Oliviero Diliberto
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) Regionalism Luis Durnwalder
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) Communism Fausto Bertinotti
Italy of Values (IdV) Anti-corruption politics Antonio Di Pietro
European Democracy (DE) Christian democracy Sergio D'Antoni
Bonino List (LB) Libertarianism Emma Bonino
  1. An electoral alliance composed of the Italian People's Party, Democrats, Italian Renewal and UDEUR Populars.

Coalitions' leaders

Portrait Name Most recent position Refs
Silvio Berlusconi
(1936– )
Prime Minister of Italy
(1994–1995)
Other positions
[3][4]
Francesco Rutelli
(1954– )
Mayor of Rome
(1993–2001)
Other positions
[5][6]
Fausto Bertinotti
(1940– )
Secretary of the Communist
Refoundation Party

(1994–2006)
Other positions
[7][8]
Antonio Di Pietro
(1950– )
Minister of Public Works
(1996–1996)
Other positions
[9][10]
Sergio D'Antoni
(1946– )
General Secretary of CISL
(1991–2000)
[11][12]
Emma Bonino
(1948– )
European Commissioner for Health
and Consumer Protection

(1995–1999)
Other positions
[13][14]

Results

Overall results

Summary of the 13 May 2001 Chamber of Deputies election results
Coalition Party Proportional First-past-the-post Total
seats
+/–
Votes % Seats Votes % Seats
House of Freedoms Forza Italia (FI)10,923,43129.436216,915,51345.57132194[15]+71
National Alliance (AN)4,463,20512.02247599+6
Northern League (LN)1,464,3013.9403030−29
White Flower (CCDCDU)1,194,0403.2204040+10
New Italian Socialist Party (NPSI)353,2690.95033New
Sardinian Reformers (RS)N/AN/A011+1
New Sicily (NS)N/AN/A011New
Total seats86282368
The Olive Tree Democrats of the Left (DS)6,151,15416.573116,019,38843.15105136−36
Democracy is Freedom (DL)5,391,82714.52275683−12
The Sunflower (FdVSDI)805,3402.1701717
Party of Italian Communists (PdCI)620,8591.6701010New
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)200,0590.54033±0
With Illy for Trieste78,2840.21011New
Aosta Valley (VdA)N/AN/A025,5770.0711±0
Total seats58192251
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)1,868,6595.0311N/AN/A011−24
Total630

Detailed results

In 2001 the proportional list exhausted before all the deputies — which the winning party was entitled to — were declared elected.[16]

First-past-the-post
Party or coalition Votes % Seats
House of Freedoms (CdL) 16,915,513 45.57 282
The Olive Tree (Ulivo) 16,019,388 43.15 183
Italy of Values (IdV) 1,487,287 4.01 0
European Democracy (DE) 1,310,119 3.53 0
Bonino List (LB) 457,117 1.23 0
South Tyrolean People's PartyThe Olive Tree 190,556 0.51 5
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) 173,735 0.47 3
Venetian Front League (LFV) 173,618 0.47 0
Tricolour Flame (FT) 121,527 0.33 0
With Illy for Trieste 78,284 0.21 1
La Bassa in Parliament 26,151 0.07 0
Aosta Valley (VdA) 25,577 0.07 1
Autonomist Socialists 24,341 0.07 0
Democrats of the Left (Aosta Valley) 20,452 0.06 0
Southern Action League (LAM) 19,366 0.05 0
Buonanno 19,046 0.05 0
National Social Front (FSN) 16,202 0.04 0
Forza Italia – Northern League (Aosta Valley) 16,049 0.04 0
European Republicans Movement (MRE) 15,600 0.04 0
European Populars 13,447 0.04 0
Greens Greens (VV) 13,220 0.04 0
Amadu List 12,233 0.03 0
New Italian Socialist Party (NPSI) 9,663 0.03 0
Movement of Freedoms 9,006 0.02 0
Camonica Valley – It's enough! 8,257 0.02 0
People's List 8,091 0.02 0
Communism 6,777 0.02 0
Alternative List 6,612 0.02 0
New Force (FN) 6,294 0.02 0
We Sicilians 6,121 0.02 0
National Alliance (Aosta Valley) 4,464 0.01 0
Third Pole for Autonomy 3,491 0.01 0
Upper Milanese People 1,409 0.00 0
Total 37,259,705 100.00 475
Proportional
Party Votes % Seats
Forza Italia (FI) 10,923,431 29.43 62
Democrats of the Left (DS) 6,151,154 16.57 31
Democracy is Freedom (DL) 5,391,827 14.52 27
National Alliance (AN) 4,463,205 12.02 24
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) 1,868,659 5.03 11
Northern League (LN) 1,464,301 3.94 0
Italy of Values (IdV) 1,443,725 3.89 0
White Flower (CCDCDU) 1,194,040 3.22 0
European Democracy (DE) 888,269 2.39 0
Bonino List (LB) 832,213 2.24 0
The Sunflower (FdVSDI) 805,340 2.17 0
Party of Italian Communists (PdCI) 620,859 1.67 0
New Italian Socialist Party (NPSI) 353,269 0.95 0
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) 200,059 0.54 0
Tricolour Flame (FT) 143,963 0.39 0
Venetian Front League (LFV) 74,353 0.20 0
Pensioners' Party (PP) 68,349 0.18 0
Sardinian Action PartySardigna Natzione (PSd'Az–SN) 34,412 0.09 0
New Country 34,193 0.09 0
Abolizione Scorporo 26,917 0.07 0
Southern Action League (LAM) 23,779 0.06 0
National Social Front (FSN) 22,985 0.06 0
Greens Greens (VV) 18,262 0.05 0
New Force (FN) 13,622 0.04 0
Amadu List 11,517 0.03 0
European Republicans Movement (MRE) 7,997 0.02 0
We Sicilians (NS) 7,637 0.02 0
Movement of Freedoms 6,754 0.02 0
Free and Strong 6,722 0.02 0
Autonomist Socialists 6,492 0.02 0
It's enough! 6,332 0.02 0
Communism 5,244 0.01 0
Third Pole for Autonomy 2,915 0.01 0
Total 37,122,776 100.00 155
Invalid/blank/unassigned votes2,962,621
Total40,085,397
Registered voters/turnout49,256,29581.38
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Popular vote (First-past-the-post)
CdL
45.57%
Olive Tree
43.15%
IdV
4.01%
DE
3.53%
Bonino
1.23%
Others
2.89%
Popular vote (Proportional)
FI
29.43%
DS
16.57%
DL
14.52%
AN
12.02%
PRC
5.03%
LN
3.94%
IdV
3.89%
CCD-CDU
3.22%
DE
2.39%
Bonino
2.24%
FdV-SDI
2.17%
PdCI
1.67%
Others
2.90%

FPTP results by constituency

Constituency Total
seats
Seats won
CdL Ulivo
Abruzzo 11 5 6
Aosta Valley 1 1
Apulia 34 22 12
Basilicata 5 5
Calabria 17 11 6
Campania 1 25 15 10
Campania 2 22 14 8
Emilia-Romagna 32 2 30
Friuli-Venezia Giulia 10 8 2
Lazio 1 32 13 19
Lazio 2 11 11
Liguria 14 5 9
Lombardy 1 31 29 2
Lombardy 2 32 32
Lombardy 3 11 9 2
Marche 12 2 10
Molise 3 2 1
Piedmont 1 19 4 15
Piedmont 2 17 16 1
Sardinia 14 9 5
Sicily 1 20 20
Sicily 2 21 21
Trentino-Alto Adige 8 8
Tuscany 29 2 27
Umbria 7 7
Veneto 1 22 20 2
Veneto 2 15 10 5
Total 475 282 193

PR results by constituency

Constituency Total
seats
Seats won
CdL Ulivo PRC
Abruzzo 3 2 1
Apulia 10 6 3 1
Basilicata 2 1 1
Calabria 6 3 3
Campania 1 9 5 3 1
Campania 2 7 4 2 1
Emilia-Romagna 9 4 4 1
Friuli-Venezia Giulia 3 2 1
Lazio 1 10 4 5 1
Lazio 2 4 3 1
Liguria 6 2 3 1
Lombardy 1 10 5 4 1
Lombardy 2 10 5 4 1
Lombardy 3 4 3 1
Marche 4 2 2
Molise 1 1
Piedmont 1 6 4 1 1
Piedmont 2 6 4 2
Sardinia 4 2 2
Sicily 1 7 5 2
Sicily 2 7 4 3
Trentino-Alto Adige 2 1 1
Tuscany 10 5 4 1
Umbria 2 2
Veneto 1 8 4 3 1
Veneto 2 5 3 2
Total 155 86 58 11

Overall results

Summary of the 13 May 2001 Senate of the Republic election results
Coalition Party First-past-the-post Proportional
(Seats)
Total
seats
+/–
Votes % Seats
House of Freedoms Forza Italia (FI)16,915,51345.571522482+40
National Alliance (AN)45+2
White Flower (CCDCDU)29+4
Northern League (LN)17−10
Italian Republican Party (PRI)1+1
New Italian Socialist Party (NPSI)1New
Tricolour Flame (FT)[17]1±0
Total seats176
The Olive Tree[18] Democrats of the Left (DS)13,408,672[19]39.59[20]745164−38
Democracy is Freedom (DL)43−5
Federation of the Greens (FdV)8−6
Italian Democratic Socialists (SDI)6
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)3+1
Party of Italian Communists (PdCI)2New
Independent candidates4
Total seats130
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)1,708,7075.04044−6
European Democracy (DE)1,066,9083.15022New
Italy of Values (IdV)1,140,4893.37011New
League for Autonomy – Lombard League (LAL)308,5590.91011+1
Aosta Valley (VdA)32,4290.10011±0
Total315

Detailed results

Party or coalition Votes % Seats
FPTP Proportional
House of Freedoms (CdL)14,406,51942.5315224
The Olive Tree (Ulivo)13,106,86038.706951
Communist Refoundation Party (PRC)1,708,7075.0404
European Democracy (DE)1,066,9083.1502
Italy of Values (IdV)1,140,4893.3701
League for Autonomy – Lombard League (LAL)308,5590.9101
Tricolour Flame (FT)340,2211.0000
Bonino List (LB)677,7252.0000
South Tyrolean People's PartyThe Olive Tree (SVP–Ulivo)175.6350.5230
Venetian Front League (LFV)138,1340.4100
South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)126.1770.3720
Va' pensiero Padania119,0580.3500
National Social Front (FSN)98,1320.2900
Autonomist Socialists – European Democracy (SA–DE)79,0020.2300
Pensioners' Party (PP)39,5450.1200
New Force (FN)78,5720.2300
Greens Greens (VV)35,7430.1100
Sardinian Action PartySardigna Natzione (PSd'Az–SN)32,8220.1000
Aosta Valley (VdA)32,4290.1001
Filograna List for Salento21,8570.0600
We Sicilians (NS)20,7610.0600
Southern Action League (LAM)19,9140.0600
It's enough!19,9130.0600
Liberal Popular Party10,3010.0300
Amadu List9,2030.0300
Alternative List7,7040.0200
Forza Chiappetta6,9320.0200
Die Freiheitlichen (dF)5,3540.0200
Franco Greco List4,2840.0100
Movement of Freedoms4,0230.0100
Renato Fiorelli2,9240.0100
Third Pole for Autonomy2,3920.0100
Communism2.1590.0100
Giuseppe Boscolo1,0580.0000
Independent Parliamentarian9930.0000
Justice and Progress9500.0000
Grand Ducal Tuscany6250.0000
Italian Constitutional Party (PACI)1750.0000
Total32,624,584100.0023283
Popular vote
CdL
42.53%
Olive Tree
38.70%
PRC
5.04%
IdV
3.37%
DE
3.15%
Bonino
2.00%
Others
5.21%

FPTP by constituency

Constituency Total
seats
Seats won
CdL Ulivo Others
Piedmont 17 12 5
Aosta Valley 1 1
Lombardy 35 33 2
Trentino-Alto Adige 6 1 5
Veneto 17 16 1
Friuli-Venezia Giulia 5 5
Liguria 6 2 4
Emilia-Romagna 15 1 14
Tuscany 14 1 13
Umbria 5 5
Marche 6 2 4
Lazio 21 15 6
Abruzzo 5 4 1
Molise 2 1 1
Campania 22 14 8
Apulia 16 15 1
Basilicata 5 5
Calabria 8 6 2
Sicily 20 20
Sardinia 6 4 2
Total 232 152 79 1

PR results by constituency

Constituency Total
seats
Seats won
Ulivo CdL PRC Others
Piedmont 6 4 2
Lombardy 12 9 1 2
Trentino-Alto Adige 1 1
Veneto 6 6
Friuli-Venezia Giulia 2 2
Liguria 3 1 2
Emilia-Romagna 6 5 1
Tuscany 5 4 1
Umbria 2 2
Marche 2 1 1
Lazio 7 5 2
Abruzzo 2 2
Campania 8 4 2 1 1
Apulia 6 6
Basilicata 2 2
Calabria 3 3
Sicily 7 6 1
Sardinia 3 2 1
Total 83 51 24 4 4

Maps

Results for the Chamber of Deputies (left) and Senate of the Republic (right) in single-member constituencies. The color corresponds to the party that won more votes in that area. Blue represents the House of Freedoms, red The Olive Tree, and turquois the Aosta Valley coalition.
Composition of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate by coalition

Leaders' races

2001 Italian general election (C): Milan Centre
Candidate Coalition Party Votes %
Silvio Berlusconi House of Freedoms FI 42,098 53.66
Gianni Rivera The Olive Tree Dem 28,651 36.52
Benedetto Della Vedova LB 4,874 6.21
Adriano Ciccioni IdV 2,835 3.61
Total 78,458 100.0
Turnout 81,412 80.39
Centre-right hold
Source: Ministry of the Interior
2001 Italian general election (C): Rome – Praenestine
Candidate Coalition Party Votes %
Francesco Rutelli The Olive Tree DL 36,457 56.73
Elio Vito House of Freedoms FI 25,463 39.62
Pietro Tagliatesta IdV 2,348 3.65
Total 64,268 100.0
Turnout 66,479 77.44
Centre-left hold
Source: Ministry of the Interior

References

  1. Gingrich, Newt; Armey, Dick (1994). Contract With America: The Bold Plan.
  2. Ricolfi, Luca (2005). Dossier Italia: a che punto è il 'contratto con gli italiani. Il mulino.
  3. I manifesti elettorali di Silvio Berlusconi dal 1994 ad oggi
  4. Berlusconi: il contratto del 2001
  5. Rutelli ammette la sconfitta. "Ora opposizione dura"
  6. Politiche 2001: manifestazione di chiusura della campagna elettorale per il nord Italia con Francesco Rutelli
  7. Rutelli non convince Bertinotti. "Da soli alle elezioni"
  8. Elezioni, Bertinotti: "Non ci sarà desistenza con l'Ulivo"
  9. Elezioni 2001, navigando tra i siti della politica
  10. Ministero dell'Interno – Archivio Storico Elezioni
  11. Sergio D'Antoni – Enciclopedia Treccani
  12. Il centrodestra dilaga in Sicilia: 61 collegi su 61
  13. Radicali nelle istituzioni
  14. Emma Bonino – Biografia
  15. Including one deputy of the Italian Republican Party
  16. Buonomo, Giampiero (2001). "Cercansi candidati per 14 seggi. La speranza della (lista) civetta". Diritto&Giustizia Edizione Online. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  17. Tricolour Flame made electoral agreements with the House of Freedoms in some constituencies in Sicily
  18. Including the results of SVP and SVP–Olive Tree
  19. 13,106,860 votes for The Olive Tree, 175,635 votes for the SVP–Olive Tree and 126,177 votes for the SVP
  20. 38.70% of the votes for The Olive Tree, 0.52% of the votes for the SVP–Olive Tree and 0.37% of the votes for the SVP
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