Italian general election, 1909

Italian general election, 1909

7-14 March 1909

All 508 seats to the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Italy   Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Giovanni Giolitti Filippo Turati Francesco Saverio Nitti Party Historical Left Socialist Party Radical Party Seats won 329 41 48 Seat change 10 12 11 Popular vote 995,290 347,615 181,242 Percentage 54.4% 19.0% 9.9% Swing 3.5% 2.3% 1.5%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Sidney Sonnino Carlo Sforza Ottorino Gentiloni Party Historical Right Republican Party Catholic Electoral Union Seats won 44 23 18 Seat change 32 1 15 Popular vote 108,029 81,461 73,015 Percentage 5.9% 4.4% 4.0% Swing 8.0% 0.5% 3.5%

Composition of the Parliament

Prime Minister before election Giovanni Giolitti Historical Left Subsequent Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti Historical Left

General elections were held in Italy on 7 March 1909, with a second round of voting on 14 March.^[1] The "ministerial" left-wing bloc remained the largest in Parliament, winning 329 of the 508 seats.^[2]

Electoral system

The election was held using 508 single-member constituencies. However, prior to the election the electoral law was amended so that candidates needed only an absolute majority of votes to win their constituency, abolishing the second requirement of receiving the votes of at least one-sixth of registered voters.^[3]

Historical background

The right-wing leader Sidney Sonnino succeed to Giolitti's protegé Alessandro Fortis as Prime Minister on 1906. But his cabinet had a short lift; anyway Sonnino formed an alliance with France on the colonial espansion in North Africa. His government lasted only few months.

After Sonnino's resignation Giovanni Giolitti returned to power in 1906. Many critics accused Giolitti of manipulating the elections, piling up majorities with the restricted suffrage at the time, using the prefects just as his contenders. However, he did refine the practice in the elections of 1904 and 1909 that gave the liberals secure majorities.

In the election, The Right lost his important position in the Parliament, repleaced by the Radical Party of Francesco Saverio Nitti, who became an ally of Giolitti and the Italian Socialist Party of Filippo Turati, which continued its strong opposition to the Left governments.

Parties and leaders

Results

References

Elections and referendums in Italy General elections 1861 1865 1867 1870 1874 1876 1880 1882 1886 1890 1892 1895 1897 1900 1904 1909 1913 1919 1921 1924 1929 1934 1946 1948 1953 1958 1963 1968 1972 1976 1979 1983 1987 1992 1994 1996 2001 2006 2008 2013 next European elections 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 Regional elections 1947 1949 1951 1953 1954 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 1964 1965 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1973 1974 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1981 1983 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1993 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Local elections 1946 1951 1956 1960 1964 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Referendums 1946 1974 1978 1981 1985 1987 1989 1990 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2000 2001 2003 2005 2006 2009 2011 See also: Elections in Abruzzo Aosta Valley Apulia Basilicata Calabria Campania Emilia–Romagna Friuli-Venezia Giulia Lazio Liguria Lombardy Marche Molise Piedmont Sardinia Sicily Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Tuscany Umbria Veneto