List of Presidents of the Italian Republic
Encyclopedia
This is the list of the Presidents of the Italian Republic
with the title since 1948. The Quirinal Palace
(known in Italian
as the ) in Rome
is the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic.
The eleven Presidents came from only five Regions
: three from Campania
(all born in Naples) and Piedmont
, two from Sardinia
(both born in Sassari) and Tuscany
, and one from Liguria
.
Presidents of the Italian Republic
Source: www.quirinale.it
, who was elected as Provisional Head of State by the Constitutional Assembly on June 28, 1946, had an official title and placed his residence in the Quirinal Palace. All the other men took only the powers, but not the title, of Head of State. After the adoption of the Italian Constitution in 1948, the President of the Senate is eligible to take the powers of Head of State in case of absence of the President of the Republic.
President of the Italian Republic
The President of the Italian Republic is the head of state of Italy and, as such, is intended to represent national unity and guarantee that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The president's term of office lasts for seven years....
with the title since 1948. The Quirinal Palace
Quirinal Palace
The Quirinal Palace is a historical building in Rome, Italy, the current official residence of the President of the Italian Republic. It is located on the Quirinal Hill, the tallest of the seven hills of Rome...
(known in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
as the ) in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
is the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic.
The eleven Presidents came from only five Regions
Regions of Italy
The regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state, constituting its first NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....
: three from Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
(all born in Naples) and Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, two from Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
(both born in Sassari) and Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, and one from Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
.
Presidents of the Italian RepublicItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(1946–Present)
| # | Name (Born–Died) | Picture | Birthplace | Took Office | Left Office | Party (at the time of election) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enrico De Nicola Enrico De Nicola Enrico Roberto De Nicola was an Italian jurist, journalist, politician, and the first provisional Head of State of the newborn republic of Italy from 1946 to 1948.-Biography:... (1877–1959) |
 |
Naples Naples Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples... |
July 1, 1946 as Provisional Head of State January 1, 1948 |
May 12, 1948 | Italian Liberal Party Italian Liberal Party The Italian Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Italy.-Origins:The origins of liberalism in Italy came from the so-called "Historical Right", a parliamentary group formed by Camillo Benso di Cavour in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia following the 1848 revolution... |
| 2 | Luigi Einaudi Luigi Einaudi Luigi Einaudi , Cavaliere di Gran Croce decorato di Gran Cordone OMRI was an Italian politician and economist. He served as the second President of the Italian Republic between 1948 and 1955.-Early life:... (1874–1961) |
Carrù Carrù Carrù is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km south of Turin and about 30 km northeast of Cuneo.... , Cuneo Province of Cuneo ayr is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur .... |
May 12, 1948 | May 11, 1955 | Italian Liberal Party Italian Liberal Party The Italian Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Italy.-Origins:The origins of liberalism in Italy came from the so-called "Historical Right", a parliamentary group formed by Camillo Benso di Cavour in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia following the 1848 revolution... |
|
| 3 | Giovanni Gronchi Giovanni Gronchi Giovanni Gronchi was a Christian Democratic Italian politician who became the third President of the Italian Republic in 1955, after Luigi Einaudi... (1887–1978) |
 |
Pontedera Pontedera Pontedera is an Italian industrial town in Tuscany, Italy, in the administrative province of Pisa. It is the headquarters of the Piaggio company, which in the 1930s was a major aircraft manufacturer and which now manufactures motor vehicles such as the Vespa and the Ape... , Pisa Province of Pisa The Province of Pisa is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pisa.It has an area of 2,448 km², and a total population of 394,101 . There are 39 comuni in the province .... |
May 11, 1955 | May 11, 1962 | Christian Democracy Christian Democracy (Italy) Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield .... |
| 4 | Antonio Segni Antonio Segni Antonio Segni was an Italian politician who was the 35th Prime Minister of Italy , and the fourth President of the Italian Republic from 1962 to 1964... (1891–1972) |
 |
Sassari Sassari Sassari is an Italian city. It is the second-largest city of Sardinia in terms of population with about 130,000 inhabitants, or about 300,000 including the greater metropolitan area... |
May 11, 1962 | December 6, 1964 | Christian Democracy Christian Democracy (Italy) Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield .... |
| 5 | Giuseppe Saragat Giuseppe Saragat Giuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents.... (1898–1988) |
 |
Turin Turin Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat... |
December 29, 1964 | December 29, 1971 | Italian Democratic Socialist Party Italian Democratic Socialist Party The Italian Democratic Socialist Party is a minor social-democratic political party in Italy. Mimmo Magistro is the party leader. The PSDI, before the 1990s decline in votes and members, had been an important force in Italian politics, being the longest serving partner in government for Christian... |
| 6 | Giovanni Leone Giovanni Leone Giovanni Leone was an Italian politician. He was the 38th Prime Minister of Italy from 21 June 1963 to 4 December 1963 and again from 24 June 1968 to 12 December 1968. He also served as the sixth President of the Republic from 1971 to 1978.-Biography:... (1908–2001) |
 |
Naples Naples Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples... |
December 29, 1971 | June 15, 1978 | Christian Democracy Christian Democracy (Italy) Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield .... |
| 7 | Alessandro Pertini (1896–1990) |
Stella Stella (SV) The Comune di Stella is a commune of the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria. The municipality has a population of 3,080 and extends over an area of 43.26 km²... , Savona Province of Savona The Province of Savona is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Savona.-Overview:... |
July 9, 1978 | June 29, 1985 | Italian Socialist Party Italian Socialist Party The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II... |
|
| 8 | Francesco Cossiga Francesco Cossiga Francesco Cossiga was an Italian politician, the 43rd Prime Minister and the eighth President of the Italian Republic. He was also a professor of constitutional law at the University of Sassari.... (1928–2010) |
Sassari Sassari Sassari is an Italian city. It is the second-largest city of Sardinia in terms of population with about 130,000 inhabitants, or about 300,000 including the greater metropolitan area... |
July 3, 1985 | April 28, 1992 | Christian Democracy Christian Democracy (Italy) Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield .... |
|
| 9 | Oscar Luigi Scalfaro Oscar Luigi Scalfaro Oscar Luigi Scalfaro , Italian politician and magistrate, was the ninth President of the Italian Republic from 1992 to 1999, and is currently a senator for life... (1918– ) |
 |
Novara Novara Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin... |
May 28, 1992 | May 15, 1999 | Christian Democracy Christian Democracy (Italy) Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield .... |
| 10 | Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Carlo Azeglio Ciampi dr. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi is an Italian politician and banker. He was the 73rd Prime Minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and was the tenth President of the Italian Republic from 1999 to 2006... (1920– ) |
 |
Livorno Livorno Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :... |
May 18, 1999 | May 15, 2006 | No party affiliation |
| 11 | Giorgio Napolitano Giorgio Napolitano Giorgio Napolitano is an Italian politician who has been the 11th President of Italy since 2006. A long-time member of the Italian Communist Party and later the Democrats of the Left, he served as President of the Chamber of Deputies from 1992 to 1994 and as Minister of the Interior from 1996 to... (1925– ) |
 |
Naples Naples Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples... |
May 15, 2006 | Present | Democrats of the Left Democrats of the Left The Democrats of the Left was a social-democratic Italian political party and part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition, which merged with a number of centrist and leftist groups to form the Democratic Party on 14 October 2007... |
Source: www.quirinale.it
Substitution of the Head of State
Sometimes in the Italian republican history, various politicians had to substitute for the Head of State who had dismissed. But only Enrico De NicolaEnrico De Nicola
Enrico Roberto De Nicola was an Italian jurist, journalist, politician, and the first provisional Head of State of the newborn republic of Italy from 1946 to 1948.-Biography:...
, who was elected as Provisional Head of State by the Constitutional Assembly on June 28, 1946, had an official title and placed his residence in the Quirinal Palace. All the other men took only the powers, but not the title, of Head of State. After the adoption of the Italian Constitution in 1948, the President of the Senate is eligible to take the powers of Head of State in case of absence of the President of the Republic.
- Alcide De GasperiAlcide De GasperiAlcide De Gasperi was an Italian statesman and politician and founder of the Christian Democratic Party. From 1945 to 1953 he was the prime minister of eight successive coalition governments. His eight-year rule remains a landmark of political longevity for a leader in modern Italian politics...
, born in 1881 and died in 1954, exercised the powers of Provisional Head of State as Prime Minister of ItalyPrime minister of ItalyThe Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...
between the departure of King Humbert IIUmberto II of ItalyUmberto II, occasionally anglicized as Humbert II was the last King of Italy for slightly over a month, from 9 May 1946 to 12 June 1946. He was nicknamed the King of May -Biography:...
on June 12, 1946, and the proclamation of Enrico de NicolaEnrico De NicolaEnrico Roberto De Nicola was an Italian jurist, journalist, politician, and the first provisional Head of State of the newborn republic of Italy from 1946 to 1948.-Biography:...
as Head of State by the Constitutional Assembly on July 1, 1946.
- Enrico De NicolaEnrico De NicolaEnrico Roberto De Nicola was an Italian jurist, journalist, politician, and the first provisional Head of State of the newborn republic of Italy from 1946 to 1948.-Biography:...
, born in 1877 and died in 1959, was the only man who had the title, and not only the powers, of Provisional Head of State. He assumed the office on July 1, 1946, and became officially the President of the Republic on January 1, 1948, as ordered by the new Constitution.
- Cesare MerzagoraCesare MerzagoraCesare Merzagora was an Italian politician from Milan. He was President of the Italian Senate from 1953 to 1967, and was also temporarily acting as President of Italy in 1964, in the period between the resignation of Antonio Segni and the election of Giuseppe Saragat...
, born in 1898 and died in 1991, being the President of the Senate, took the provisional substitution of President Segni after his mental ictus of August 10,1964, and the ordinary substitution after his resignation of December 6. He exercised the powers until December 29, 1964.
- Amintore FanfaniAmintore FanfaniAmintore Fanfani was an Italian career politician and the 33rd man to serve the office of Prime Minister of the State. He was one of the well-known Italian politicians after the Second World War, and a historical figure of the Christian Democracy .Fanfani and Giovanni Giolitti are still actually...
, born in 1908 and died in 1999, being the President of the Senate, took the substitution of President Leone after his resignation for a bribery scandal on June 15, 1978. He exercised the powers until July 9, 1978.
- Francesco CossigaFrancesco CossigaFrancesco Cossiga was an Italian politician, the 43rd Prime Minister and the eighth President of the Italian Republic. He was also a professor of constitutional law at the University of Sassari....
, born in 1928 died in 2010, being the President of the Senate, took the substitution of President Pertini on June 29, 1985, just four days before assuming the office of President of the Republic.
- Giovanni SpadoliniGiovanni SpadoliniGiovanni Spadolini was a liberal Italian politician, the 45th Prime Minister of Italy, newspaper editor, journalist and a noted historian.-Biography:Spadolini was born in Florence....
, born in 1925 and died in 1994, being the President of the Senate, took the substitution of President Cossiga on April 28, 1992. He exercised the powers until May 28, 1992.
- Nicola MancinoNicola MancinoNicola Mancino is an Italian politician. He was President of the Italian Senate from 1996 to 2001. He was also Minister of the Interior from 1992 to 1994.Mancino was born in Montefalcione, province of Avellino...
, born in 1931, being the President of the Senate, took the substitution of President Scalfaro on May 15, 1999. He exercised the powers until May 18, 1999.
See also
- List of Italian Monarchs for previous Italian Heads of State between 1861 and 1946
- Politics of ItalyPolitics of ItalyThe politics of Italy is conducted through a parliamentary, democratic republic with a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised collectively by the Council of Ministers, which is led by the President of the Council of Ministers, referred to as "Presidente del Consiglio" in Italian...
- Prime Minister of ItalyPrime minister of ItalyThe Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...
- List of Prime Ministers of Italy
- Lists of incumbents