Legislature II of Italy

ElectionsProportional with majority bonusProportional7 June 1953Meeting placePalazzo Montecitorio, Rome (C)Palazzo Madama, Rome (S)WebsiteSecond Legislature – Chamber of Deputies
Second Legislature – SenateConstitutionConstitution of Italy

The Legislature II of Italy (Italian: II Legislatura della Repubblica Italiana) was the 2nd legislature of the Italian Republic, and lasted from 25 June 1953 until 11 June 1958.^[1][2] Its composition was the one resulting from the general election of 7 June 1953.

Main chronology

The election was characterized by changes in the electoral law. Even if the general structure remained uncorrupted, the government introduced a superbonus of two thirds of seats in the Chamber of Deputies for the coalition which would obtain at-large the absolute majority of votes. The change was hugely opposed by the opposition parties as well as the smaller DC coalition partners, which had no realistic chances of success. The new law was called Scam Law by its detractors, including some dissidents of minor government parties who founded special opposition groups to deny the artificial landslide to the DC.

The complaint campaign of the oppositions against the Scam Law reached its goal. The Centrist coalition (DC, PSDI, PLI, PRI) won 49.9% of the national vote, coming just a few thousand votes short of the threshold for a two-thirds majority. Instead, the election resulted in an ordinary proportional distribution of the seats. Minor dissident parties resulted determinant for the final result, especially the short-lived National Democratic Alliance (ADN). Technically, the government won the election, with a clear working majority of seats in both houses. But frustration at the failure to garner the expected supermajority caused big problems for the leading coalition. De Gasperi was forced to resign and the legislature continued with many weak governments, with minor parties refusing institutional responsibilities. Because of the extreme governmental instability and the consequent absence of considerable reforms proposed by the government, the legislature was later defined by some historians "the lost legislature".

After De Gasperi lost the support of the Parliament, Giuseppe Pella rose to power, but fell after five months only, following strong disputes about the status of the Free Territory of Trieste which Pella was claiming. Amintore Fanfani not receiving a vote of confidence, Mario Scelba and Antonio Segni followed with more traditional centrist coalitions supported by PSDI and PLI: under the administration of the first one, the problem of Trieste was closed ceding Koper to Yugoslavia. The parliamentary term was closed by the minority government chaired by Adone Zoli, finishing a legislature which hugely weakened the office of the Prime Minister, held by six different rulers. Zoli himself governed for more than one year as a care-taker Prime Minister, after having resigned when the neo-fascist MSI resulted decisive in the government's investiture confidence vote. Zoli remained in office after being invited by President Gronchi to govern until the natural dissolution of the legislature in 1958.

Presidential election

On 28 April 1955 the Parliament met to elect the second President of Italy. On 29 April 1955 the President of the Chamber of Deputies Giovanni Gronchi was elected on the fourth ballot with 658 votes out of 843.

Government

Prime Minister			Party	Term of office		Government	Composition
				Took office	Left office
		Alcide De Gasperi (1881–1954)	Christian Democracy	16 July 1953	17 August 1953	De Gasperi VIII	DC
		Giuseppe Pella (1902–1981)	Christian Democracy	17 August 1953	18 January 1954	Pella	DC
		Amintore Fanfani (1908–1999)	Christian Democracy	18 January 1954	10 February 1954	Fanfani I	DC
		Mario Scelba (1901–1991)	Christian Democracy	10 February 1954	6 July 1955	Scelba	DC  • PLI  • PSDI (Centrism)
		Antonio Segni (1891–1972)	Christian Democracy	6 July 1955	19 May 1957	Segni I	DC  • PLI  • PSDI (Centrism)
		Adone Zoli (1887–1960)	Christian Democracy	19 May 1957	1 July 1958	Zoli	DC

Parliamentary composition

Chamber of Deputies

• President:
  • Giovanni Gronchi (DC), elected on 25 June 1953 and resigned on 29 April 1955;
  • Giovanni Leone (DC), elected on 10 May 1955.
• Vice Presidents: Giovanni Leone (DC, until 10 May 1955), Gaetano Martino (PLI, until 10 February 1954), Cino Macrelli (Ind, from 5 March 1954), Edoardo D'Onofrio (PCI), Ferdinando Targetti (PSI), Giuseppe Rapelli (DC, from 27 September 1955)

Parliamentary groups in the Chamber of Deputies

Initial composition[3] (25 June 1953)					Final composition[3] (11 June 1958)
Parliamentary group			Seats		Parliamentary group			Seats	Change
	Christian Democracy		263			Christian Democracy		260	3
	Italian Communist Party		143			Italian Communist Party		142	1
	Italian Socialist Party		75			Italian Socialist Party		75
	Monarchist National Party		40			Monarchist National Party		22	1
						People's Monarchist Party		17
	Italian Social Movement		29			Italian Social Movement		23	6
	Italian Democratic Socialist Party		19			Italian Democratic Socialist Party		18	1
	Italian Liberal Party		13			Italian Liberal Party		14	1
	Mixed		8			Mixed		19	11
		Italian Republican Party	5				Italian Republican Party	5
		Südtiroler Volkspartei	3				Südtiroler Volkspartei	3
							Independents – Non inscrits	11	11
Total seats			590		Total seats			590

Senate of the Republic

• President: Cesare Merzagora (Ind), elected on 25 June 1953
• Vice Presidents: Michele De Pietro (DC, until 17 January 1954 and then from 4 July 1957), Giorgio Bo (DC, until 18 May 1957), Mauro Scoccimarro (PCI), Enrico Molé (PSDI), Mario Cingolani (DC, from 24 February 1954)

Parliamentary groups in the Senate of the Republic

Initial composition[4] (25 June 1953)					Final composition[4] (11 June 1958)
Parliamentary group			Seats		Parliamentary group			Seats	Change
	Christian Democracy		112			Christian Democracy		110	2
	Italian Communist Party		52			Italian Communist Party		49	3
	Italian Socialist Party		26			Italian Socialist Party		27	1
	Monarchist National Party		14			Monarchist National Party		15	1
	Italian Social Movement		9			Italian Social Movement		9
	Social Democratic–Liberal		8			Social Democratic–Liberal		10	2
	Mixed		15			Mixed		16	1
		Südtiroler Volkspartei	2				Südtiroler Volkspartei	2
		Independents – Non inscrits	13				Independents – Non inscrits	14	1
Total seats			237		Total seats			237

Senators for Life

Senator	Motivation	Appointed by	From	Till
Enrico De Nicola	Former President of Italy	ex officio	Previous legislature	Next legislature
Pietro Canonica	Merits in the artistic field	President Luigi Einaudi	Previous legislature	Next legislature
Gaetano De Sanctis	Merits in the social and literary field	President Luigi Einaudi	Previous legislature	9 April 1957 (deceased)
Pasquale Jannaccone	Merits in the social field	President Luigi Einaudi	Previous legislature	Next legislature
Luigi Sturzo	Merits in the social field	President Luigi Einaudi	Previous legislature	Next legislature
Umberto Zanotti Bianco	Merits in the artistic and social field	President Luigi Einaudi	Previous legislature	Next legislature
Luigi Einaudi	Former President of Italy	ex officio	11 May 1955	Next legislature
Giuseppe Paratore	Merits in the social field	President Giovanni Gronchi	9 November 1957	Next legislature

References