2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division explained

The 2006 Italian general election was the first in the country's history in which Italian and dual citizens living outside the country could vote by postal ballot in international electoral districts.[1] Twelve members of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and six members of the Italian Senate were elected in this way.

Italian and dual citizens in North America and Central America (including the Caribbean) elected two members of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. The winning candidates were Gino Bucchino of Romano Prodi's election coalition, The Union, and Salvatore Ferrigno of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.[2]

The process

All electors could vote for a political list and also cast a first preference vote for a specific candidate. Parties were allotted seats via proportional representation, and the candidates that led the electoral slates that won seats were declared elected.

The parties

Seven electoral lists contested the North and Central American Senate division. The same lists also fielded candidates for the Chamber of Deputies and North and Central America.

Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing Forza Italia party ran its own slate. Two other parties aligned with Berlusconi's government ran separate lists: the moderate conservative Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and Mirko Tremaglia's right-wing For Italy in the World, which was specifically focused on diaspora issues. (Another party in Berlusconi's coalition, the Northern League, also appeared on the ballot, although this seems to have been due to a technical error).

The main opposition group from the previous parliament, Romano Prodi's centre-left Union party, ran a united slate. One of the Union candidates noted that the state of the party lists favoured his group's chances of election.[3]

The centrist Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad also fielded a list, as did the far-right Tricolour Flame party.

Each of the party lists comprised four candidates, except for the Northern League, which fielded three, and the Tricolour Flame, which fielded two.

The results

Romano Prodi's Union received the most votes and won the first seat. Forza Italia finished second and was awarded the second seat.

Detailed results by country

More than 93 per cent of the total votes were cast in the United States of America or Canada. Forza Italia won a narrow victory in America, while the Union won a significant victory in Canada.

Antigua and Barbuda

PartyVotes%
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia00.00
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats00.00
  Forza Italia00.00
  The Union00.00
  Tricolour Flame00.00
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad00.00
  Northern League00.00
Total valid votes00.00

Bahamas

PartyVotes%
  Forza Italia2353.49
  The Union1227.91
  Northern League24.65
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats24.65
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad24.65
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia24.65
  Tricolour Flame00.00
Total valid votes430.05

Barbados

PartyVotes%
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia00.00
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats00.00
  Forza Italia00.00
  The Union00.00
  Tricolour Flame00.00
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad00.00
  Northern League00.00
Total valid votes00.00

Belize

PartyVotes%
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia00.00
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats00.00
  Forza Italia00.00
  The Union00.00
  Tricolour Flame00.00
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad00.00
  Northern League00.00
Total valid votes00.00

Canada

PartyVotes%
  The Union17,09948.21
  Forza Italia8,80224.82
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats4,29312.10
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia3,75110.58
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad7612.15
  Northern League4991.41
  Tricolour Flame2640.74
Total valid votes35,46940.53

Costa Rica

PartyVotes%
  Forza Italia32839.95
  The Union23929.11
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia759.14
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad657.92
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats485.85
  Tricolour Flame485.85
  Northern League182.19
Total valid votes8210.94

Dominican Republic

PartyVotes%
  Forza Italia47424.25
  The Union30837.32
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia25620.16
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats866.77
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad433.39
  Tricolour Flame534.17
  Northern League503.94
Total valid votes1,2701.45

El Salvador

PartyVotes%
  Forza Italia16848.98
  The Union8925.95
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats308.75
  Tricolour Flame247.00
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia164.66
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad144.08
  Northern League20.58
Total valid votes3430.39

Grenada

PartyVotes%
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia00.00
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats00.00
  Forza Italia00.00
  The Union00.00
  Tricolour Flame00.00
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad00.00
  Northern League00.00
Total valid votes00.00

Guatemala

PartyVotes%
  Forza Italia46253.66
  The Union20223.46
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad606.97
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia485.57
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats455.23
  Northern League222.56
  Tricolour Flame222.56
Total valid votes8610.98

Haiti

PartyVotes%
  The Union950.00
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats738.89
  Forza Italia15.56
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia15.56
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad00.00
  Tricolour Flame00.00
  Northern League00.00
Total valid votes180.02

Honduras

PartyVotes%
  Forza Italia5548.25
  The Union2219.30
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia97.89
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats97.89
  Tricolour Flame87.02
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad76.14
  Northern League43.51
Total valid votes1140.13

Mexico

PartyVotes%
  The Union73437.76
  Forza Italia57329.48
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats1929.88
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad1789.16
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia1457.46
  Northern League683.50
  Tricolour Flame542.78
Total valid votes1,9442.22

Nicaragua

PartyVotes%
  The Union8846.07
  Forza Italia5830.37
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats189.42
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia178.90
  Tricolour Flame84.19
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad21.05
  Northern League00.00
Total valid votes1910.22

Panama

PartyVotes%
  Forza Italia9446.08
  The Union5426.47
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia3517.16
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad83.92
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats62.94
  Tricolour Flame62.94
  Northern League10.49
Total valid votes2040.23

United States of America

PartyVotes%
  Forza Italia15,80534.19
  The Union15,02532.50
  For Italy in the World with Tremaglia6,54214.15
  Union of Christian and Centre Democrats4,75810.29
  Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad2,5925.61
  Northern League7951.72
  Tricolour Flame7101.54
Total valid votes46,22752.83

Source: ARCHIVIO STORICO DELLE ELEZIONI - Consultazione dati: Camera 09/04/2006, Area ESTERO, Ripartizione AMERICA SETTENTRIONALE E CENTRALE, Ministerio dell'Interno, Government of Italy, accessed 27 July 2011.

References

  1. "Chicago-Area Businessman Runs For Italian Senate," Italian Voice, 23 February 2006, p. 5; Mike Roberts, "Rocco's Roman empire," CanWest News, 28 February 2006, p. 1.
  2. Peter Goodspeed, "Torontonian wins seat in Rome," National Post, 12 April 2006, A14.
  3. Mike Roberts, "Rocco's Roman empire," CanWest News, 28 February 2006, p. 1.

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