1958 Italian general election

General elections were held in Italy on Sunday 25 May 1958, to select the Third Republican Parliament.[1] The number of MPs to be elected was calculated upon the population's size for the last time.

1958 Italian general election

25 May 1958
All 596 seats in the Chamber of Deputies 246 seats in the Senate
Turnout	93.8%
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Amintore Fanfani Palmiro Togliatti Pietro Nenni Party Christian Democracy Communist Party Socialist Party Leader since 1954 1938 1931 Leader's seat Tuscany Lazio Milan Seats won 273 C / 123 S 140 C / 59 S 84 C / 35 S Seat change 17 C / 7 S 3 C /7 S 9 C / 9 S Popular vote 12,520,207 C 10,780,954 S 6,704,454 C 5,700,952 S 4,206,726 C 3,682,945 S Percentage 42.4% (C) 41.2% (S) 22.7% (C) 21.8% (S) 14.2% (C) 14.1% (S) Swing 2.3% C 1.4% S 0.1% C 1.6% S 1.5% C 2.2% S
Results of the election in the Chamber and Senate.
Prime Minister before election Adone Zoli Christian Democracy Elected Prime Minister Amintore Fanfani Christian Democracy

Electoral system

Minor changes were made to the electoral law in 1958, creating a system which would remain unchanged until its abrogation in 1993.

The pure party-list proportional representation was definitely adopted for the Chamber of Deputies. Italian provinces were united in 32 constituencies, each electing a group of candidates. At constituency level, seats were divided between open lists using the largest remainder method with Imperiali quota. Remaining votes and seats were transferred at national level, where they were divided using the Hare quota, and automatically distributed to best losers into the local lists.

For the Senate, 237 single-seat constituencies were established, even if the assembly had 9 more members. The candidates needed a landslide victory of two thirds of votes to be elected: only 5 hoping senators reached this goal. All remained votes and seats were grouped in party lists and regional constituencies, where a D'Hondt method was used: inside the lists, candidates with the best percentages were elected.

Historical background

After De Gasperi's retirement in 1953 Fanfani emerged as the anticipated successor, a role confirmed by his appointment as party secretary from 1954-1959.[2] He reorganized and rejuvenated the national party organization of the Christian Democrats after the dependence on the church and the government which had typified the De Gasperi period.[3]

However, his activist and sometimes authoritarian style, as well as his reputation as an economic reformer, ensured that the moderates within the DC, who opposed the state’s intrusion into the country’s economic life, regarded him with distrust. His indefatigable energy and his passion for efficiency carried him far in politics, but he was rarely able to exploit fully the opportunities that he created. "Fanfani has colleagues, associates, acquaintances and subordinates," one politician once remarked. "But I have never heard much about his friends."

Parties and leaders

Party		Ideology	Leader
	Christian Democracy (DC)	Christian democracy	Amintore Fanfani
	Italian Communist Party (PCI)	Communism	Palmiro Togliatti
	Italian Socialist Party (PSI)	Democratic socialism	Pietro Nenni
	Italian Social Movement (MSI)	Neo-fascism	Arturo Michelini
	Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI)	Social democracy	Giuseppe Saragat
	Italian Liberal Party (PLI)	Conservative liberalism	Giovanni Malagodi
	People's Monarchist Party (PMP)	National conservatism	Achille Lauro
	Monarchist National Party (PNM)	National conservatism	Alfredo Covelli
	Italian Republican Party (PRI)	Social liberalism	Oronzo Reale

Results

Seat distribution by constituency for the Chamber of Deputies (left) and Senate (right).

The election gave similar results of five years before and, consequently, the same problems of political instability of the centrist formula. Christian Democracy was polarized by a fraction which liked more leftist politics, and another one which urged for a rightist route. Party's secretary Amintore Fanfani was in the first field, and called for a dialogue with the Italian Socialist Party, which had frozen its relationships with the Italian Communist Party after the Hungarian Revolution. Fanfani led a year-term government, but the reaction of the conservative fraction gave the power to Antonio Segni, followed by Fernando Tambroni who received a decisive vote of confidence by the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement. The MSI had been banned by any type of political power since its birth under the theory of the Constitutional Arch, which stated that any government or opposition party which had voted the Italian Constitution, had to refuse any relationship with fascist and monarchist forces, seen as anti-constitutional groups. Strikes and revolts causing some casualties erupted through the country, and Tambroni had to resign. Fanfani returned to the premiership, this time with an openly centre-left programme supported by the socialist abstention. The government created the middle school for workers' sons, and the ENEL after the electric energy nationalisation.

Chamber of Deputies

← Summary of the 25 May 1958 Chamber of Deputies election results →

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/−
	Christian Democracy (DC)	12,520,207	42.35	273	+10
	Italian Communist Party (PCI)	6,704,454	22.68	140	−3
	Italian Socialist Party (PSI)	4,206,726	14.23	84	+9
	Italian Social Movement (MSI)	1,407,718	4.76	24	−5
	Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI)	1,345,447	4.55	22	+3
	Italian Liberal Party (PLI)	1,047,081	3.54	17	+4
	People's Monarchist Party (PMP)	776,919	2.63	14	New
	Monarchist National Party (PNM)	659,997	2.23	11	−29
	Italian Republican Party – Radical Party (PRI–PR)	405,782	1.37	6	+1
	Community Movement (MC)	173,227	0.59	1	New
	South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)	135,491	0.46	3	±0
	Movement for Piedmontese Regional Autonomy (MARP)	70,589	0.24	0	New
	Valdostan Union (UV)	30,596	0.10	1	New
	Others	76,035	0.26	0	±0
Invalid/blank votes		874,412	–	–	–
Total		30,434,681	100	596	+6
Registered voters/turnout		32,434,852	93.83	–	–
Source: Ministry of the Interior

Popular vote DC   42.35% PCI   22.68% PSI   14.23% MSI   4.76% PSDI   4.55% PLI   3.54% PMP   2.63% PNM   2.23% PRI–PR   1.37% Others   1.64%

Seats DC   45.81% PCI   23.49% PSI   14.09% MSI   4.03% PSDI   3.69% PLI   2.85% PMP   2.35% PNM   1.85% PRI–PR   1.01% Others   0.84%

Senate of the Republic

← Summary of the 25 May 1958 Senate of the Republic election results →

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/−
	Christian Democracy (DC)	10,780,954	41.23	123	+10
	Italian Communist Party (PCI)	5,700,952	21.80	59	+8
	Italian Socialist Party (PSI)	3,682,945	14.08	35	+9
	Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI)	1,164,280	4.45	5	+1
	Italian Social Movement (MSI)	1,150,051	4.40	8	−1
	Italian Liberal Party (PLI)	1,012,610	3.87	4	+1
	People's Monarchist Party (PMP)	774,242	2.96	5	New
	Monarchist National Party (PNM)	565,045	2.16	2	−14
	Italian Republican Party – Radical Party (PRI–PR)	363,462	1.39	0	±0
	MSI – PNM	291,359	1.11	0	±0
	PCI – PSI	185,557	0.71	2	±0
	Community Movement (MC)	142,897	0.55	0	New
	South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP)	120,068	0.46	2	±0
	Movement for Piedmontese Regional Autonomy (MARP)	61,088	0.23	0	New
	PSI – PSDI	43,191	0.17	0	±0
	Left-wing Independents	28,141	0.11	1	+1
	Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az)	25,923	0.10	0	±0
	Others	57,237	0.22	0	±0
Invalid/blank votes		1,239,240	–	–	–
Total		27,391,239	100	246	+9
Registered voters/turnout		29,174,858	93.9	–	–
Source: Ministry of the Interior

Popular vote DC   41.23% PCI   21.80% PSI   14.08% PSDI   4.45% MSI   4.40% PLI   3.87% PMP   2.96% PNM   2.16% PRI–PR   1.39% Others   3.66%

Seats DC   50.00% PCI   23.98% PSI   14.23% MSI   3.25% PSDI   2.03% PMP   2.03% PLI   1.63% PNM   0.81% Others   2.03%

References

1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1048 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
2. Young Initiative, Time Magazine, 12 July 1954
3. Out for the Big Win, Time Magazine, 26 May 1958