How a government is formed
What happens between the close of polls and a new government being sworn in, and why none of it is automatic.
Does whoever wins the election become Prime Minister?
No. The Italian Prime Minister is not elected by voters: they are appointed by the President of the Republic.
There is no box on the ballot for head of government. Parties name a “leader of the political force”, but that does not bind the President, who appoints whoever they judge able to win the confidence of both chambers.
Source: Art. 92 of the Constitution
How long does it take to form a government?
There is no fixed limit: it took about four weeks in 2022 and almost three months in 2018.
The only constitutional deadline concerns parliament: the new chambers must meet within twenty days of the election. Consultations begin only once they have convened and elected their presiding officers.
Source: Art. 61 of the Constitution
What are the consultations?
They are the meetings through which the President establishes which majority actually exists in parliament.
Parliamentary groups are received at the Quirinale, usually from smallest to largest, along with the presiding officers of both chambers. The President then gives someone a mandate, which they may accept “with reservation” — meaning they will only truly accept if they can assemble a cabinet and count the votes.
What is a confidence vote?
It is the vote by which each chamber approves the new government, and without which the government must resign.
A government takes office when it is sworn in, but must appear before both chambers within ten days and win their confidence. One that fails resigns — as the Fanfani government did in 1954.
Source: Art. 94 of the Constitution
What happens if nobody has a majority?
The President looks for whatever majority is possible, and dissolves parliament only if none exists.
Past routes have included a government backed by a coalition different from any put to voters, or one led by someone from outside party politics. A fresh election is the last resort, not the first.
Source: Art. 88 of the Constitution