ABSTRACT
In June 1946 the Italian people elected a Constituent Assembly and, at the same time, decided, by referendum, that Italy should become a republic. The Constituent Assembly was elected by universal suffrage and with a system of proportional representation (PR) monarchy. In fact the Monarchist Party in postwar Italy was never a strong force, obtained only 2.7 per cent of the votes in the elections for the Constituent Assembly. Most of the pro-monarchist votes came from the ranks of the Christian Democratic Party (DC). In deference to the wishes of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) that some mention should be made of PR, a motion was passed by members of the Assembly in favour of PR. The electoral system adopted by Italy after 1946 was one of the most proportional in Europe. In the 1980s a debate was started on electoral reform. All debates on electoral reform are conducted as if the intention is to promote a fairer system.
