1995 Tuscan regional election explained

Election Name:1995 Tuscan regional election
Country:Tuscany
Type:legislative
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1990 Tuscan regional election
Previous Year:1990
Next Election:2000 Tuscan regional election
Next Year:2000
Turnout:85.2% (4.4%)
Seats For Election:All 50 seats to the Regional Council
Election Date:23 April 1995
Leader1:Vannino Chiti
Party1:Democratic Party of the Left
Alliance1:Centre-left coalition (Italy)
Color1:EF3E3E
Seats1:33
Popular Vote1:1,188,995
Percentage1:50.1%
Leader2:Paolo Del Debbio
Party2:Forza Italia
Alliance2:Centre-right coalition (Italy)
Color2:0A6BE1
Seats2:13
Popular Vote2:855,287
Percentage2:36.1%
President of Tuscany
Posttitle:President of Tuscany
Before Election:Vannino Chiti
Before Party:PDS
After Election:Vannino Chiti
After Party:PDS

The Tuscan regional election of 1995 took place on 23 April 1995.

For the first time the President of the Region was directly elected by the people, although the election was not yet binding and the President-elect could have been replaced during the term.

Electoral system

Regional elections in Tuscany were ruled by the "Tatarella law" (approved in 1995), which provided for a mixed electoral system: four fifths of the regional councilors were elected in provincial constituencies by proportional representation, using the largest remainder method with a droop quota and open lists, while the residual votes and the unassigned seats were grouped into a "single regional constituency", where the whole ratios and the highest remainders were divided with the Hare method among the provincial party lists; one fifth of the council seats instead was reserved for regional lists and assigned with a majoritarian system: the leader of the regional list that scored the highest number of votes was elected to the presidency of the Region while the other candidates were elected regional councilors.

A threshold of 3% had been established for the provincial lists, which, however, could still have entered the regional council if the regional list to which they were connected had scored at least 5% of valid votes.

The panachage was also allowed: the voter can indicate a candidate for the presidency but prefer a provincial list connected to another candidate.

Parties and candidates

Political party or allianceConstituent listsPrevious resultCandidate
Votes (%)Seats
Centre-left coalitionDemocratic Party of the Left39.822Vannino Chiti
PopularsDemocratsLiberals26.915
Federation of the Greens3.82
Italian Republican Party3.51
Northern League Tuscany0.8
Labour Federation
Centre-right coalitionNational Alliance3.31Paolo Del Debbio
Forza Italia – The People's Pole
Christian Democratic Centre
Pannella List1.0Vincenzo Donvito
Communist Refoundation PartyLuciano Ghelli

Results

In the context of the profound political changes that invested Italy between 1992 and 1994, Italian Parliament changed the regional electoral law, adapting them to new majoritarian principle now in vogue in the country, trim and tend bipolar politics. The new political geography, however, did not fit properly to Tuscany where, besides a garrison of right, assumed insignificant importance the presence of Umberto Bossi's Northern League, which, instead of the others regions, sustained the centre-left candidate. Another major innovation had originated in Tuscany: Silvio Berlusconi' party, Forza Italia, had collected anti-Communist orphans of deceased traditional parties.

The central political alliances had not been followed up at Tuscany, with the Communist Refoundation Party in sharp contrast with PDS because of the contrast into the old party of PCI. PRC accused the PDS and at the same time the Northern League accused Forza Italia to be the trojan horse for the recycling of the old political class, had led to the arrest of the Northern League's electoral steady ascent, if not also a marked reflux into the consent of the federalist party. Soparadoxically, the Northern League sustained Chiti.

Election on April 23 saw the success of the broad leftist coalition, grouping progressive ex-Christian Democrats, ex-socialist, ex-communist and greens, and led to presidency Vannino Chiti that, with the majority premium, was able to give life to the first council in the history of the region that managed to last the entire legislature.

CandidatesVotes%SeatsPartiesVotes%Seats
Vannino Chiti1,188,99550.1210
Democratic Party of the Left874,46340.9019
PopularsDemocratsLiberals135,8956.352
Federation of the Greens57,6662.701
Labour Federation30,2041.411
Italian Republican Party16,3950.77
Northern League Tuscany15,0490.70
Total1,129,67252.8123
Paolo Del Debbio855,28736.05
Forza Italia – The People's Pole409,26619.137
National Alliance281,29813.155
Christian Democratic Centre53,2912.491
Total743,85534.7713
Luciano Ghelli294,12812.40Communist Refoundation Party237,40511.104
Vincenzo Donvito33,8561.43Pannella List28,2951.32
Total candidates2,372,266100.0010Total parties2,139,227100.0040
Source: Ministry of the Interior – Historical Archive of Elections