Italy: Regions and Politics
Overview of state and administration
The republic of Italy is divided into 20 regions, which consist of 109 provinces. 5 of these regions- Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, Aostatal Vally and Friuli-Venezia Giulia – enjoy a special autonomic status, which is based on the long history of the foundation of the state. Similar to Germany and Austria the president is the head of state, but it is the prime minister who pulls the strings in the country. The political landscape of Italy is highly fragmented and consists of numerous small parties that court for political power in the country.
State and form of governance
Since 1st January 1946, Italyis a parliamentary democracy. The country is a founding member of the European Union since 1st January 1952 and also a member of NATO and the United Nations. Head of State in Italy is the president, who has mainly ceremonial functions, as it is the case in Germany and Austria. The fate of the country is actually driven by the prime minister, who leads the current government. Italy's Parliament has two chambers: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate - both have equal rights and are responsible for the legislature.
The national flag consists of three vertical stripes: green, white, red. It was officially introduced in 1946 with the founding of the republic and is traced back to the French tricolour and the occupation by Napoleon.
Policyand political landscape
The political landscape in Italy and its regions is much fissured. Many smalland micro parties struggle for supremacy in the country and the ruling coalition usually consists of a pool of parties who have established a strategic alliance until the next election. Since the economic boom in the 1960s, the country has suffered continuously under corruption, the mafia and helpless governments whose only concern was mostly its own good. Tensions and disappointments therefore characterize the political climate in Italy and still allow the governing of strong, populist and power-hungry politicians like Silvio Berlusconi. One has to watch with tension, into whichdirection the country and its political system will move in the future.
Italy: Regions and administration
Italy is divided into 20 regions and 109 provinces, each region with its own government. Five regions enjoy a special autonomic status, which is usually based on their special situation or because of their bilingualism due to a different ethnic group living in Italy. These are the bilingual regions Trentino Alto Adige and the Aostatal Vally and the linguistically independent regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Sardinia, as well as Italy's largest island Sicily. Except for these five autonomous regions, the parliaments of the other regions have only a limited legislative power, since they lack fiscal sovereignty and financial autonomy.
