Italian general election, 1953

  • PCI: 143
  • PSI: 75
  • PSDI: 19
  • PRI: 5
  • Otherwise:. 3
  • DC: 263
  • PLI: 13
  • PNM: 40
  • MSI: 29

The parliamentary elections of 1953, which took place on June 7, was the third after the end of fascism in Italy and after the introduction of the same men and women suffrage. Over 30 million Italians were called upon to elect a new parliament.

Background

In the wake of the Cold War, 1947 ( DC, PSDI, PLI, PRI ) triggered the anti-fascist united front of Christian, communists, socialists and left- liberals ( PdA, PRI) at parliamentary national level, so that the incumbent Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi formed a central government which was confirmed by the elections of 1948. After Socialists and Communists had left the government, they formed in 1948 for a common electoral alliance, the Fronte Popolare Democratico (FDP, who retired from the right wing Socialist and Social Democratic Party as newly constituted ). For 1953 Communists and Socialists were not a common electoral alliance more, but rather a formal alliance was maintained. The government de Gasperi managed the integration into the Western bloc led by the United States. This could be requested funds from the Marshall Plan; this was responsible along with government investment of economic recovery ( miracolo economico ), which lasted until the late 1960s and Italy turned into a prosperous industrial nation. Even in the poor southern Italy, the economic situation improved by a - albeit tentative - land reform, which eased the situation of small farmers and tenants and further social unrest prevented.

For 1953, de Gasperi tried to enforce a choice of law that the Mussolini of 1924 was similar: If a party obtain the absolute majority of seats, it was equal to a two-thirds majority. From his political opponents, this was heavily criticized and called legge truffa ( Fraud Act).

These elections, also because of dissatisfaction about the plans for the election law, losses of the Christian Democrats, who lost the absolute majority of seats, as well as gains for the left parties and the extreme right. A few months after the election de Gasperi resigned and Giuseppe Pella became his successor. The following legislative session, however, was characterized by great instability; a total of six cabinets followed each other.

Results

634047
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