1946 Italian general election

To emphasise the restoration of democracy after the fascist era, a pure party-list proportional representation was chosen. Italian provinces were united in 31 constituencies, each electing a group of candidates.[2] At constituency level, seats were divided between open lists using the largest remainder method with the Imperiali quota. Remaining votes and seats were transferred at national level, where special closed lists of national leaders received the last seats using the Hare quota.

At the end of World War II, Italy was governed under transitional laws as a result of agreements between the National Liberation Committee (CLN) and the royal Lieutenant General of the Realm Umberto II of Italy. As no democratic elections had taken place for more than 20 years, legislative power was given to the government but, after the first election, the Italian Council of Ministers would have to receive a vote of confidence by the new Constituent Assembly.

The three main contestants were Christian Democracy and the Italian Socialist Party, which had both received popular support before the fascist era, and the Italian Communist Party, which had strengthened itself with the armed struggle against Nazism and fascism during the war. The Italian Liberal Party, heir of the pre-fascist and conservative ruling class, proposed an alliance called National Democratic Union. Monarchists groups created the National Bloc of Freedom, while the social liberal Action Party and Labour Democratic Party hoped to maximize the positive image of the governments that they ruled in the National Liberation Committee.

Seat distribution by constituency.

The election gave a large majority to the government formed by the three leaders of the CLN, which were briefly joined by the Republican Party after the exile of Humbert II. The alliance lasted for a year.

← Summary of the 2 June 1946 Constituent Assembly election results →

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Christian Democracy (DC)	8,101,004	35.21	207
	Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity (PSIUP)	4,758,129	20.68	115
	Italian Communist Party (PCI)	4,356,686	18.93	104
	National Democratic Union (UDN)[lower-alpha 1]	1,560,638	6.78	41
	Common Man's Front (FUQ)	1,211,956	5.27	30
	Italian Republican Party (PRI)	1,003,007	4.36	23
	National Bloc of Freedom (BNL)	637,328	2.77	16
	Action Party (PdA)	334,748	1.45	7
	Movement for the Independence of Sicily (MIS)	171,201	0.74	4
	Peasants' Party of Italy (PCdI)	102,393	0.44	1
	Republican Democratic Concentration (CDR)	97,690	0.42	2
	Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az)	78,554	0.34	2
	Italian Unionist Movement (MUI)	71,021	0.31	1
	Social Christian Party (PCS)	51,088	0.22	1
	Labour Democratic Party (PDL)	40,633	0.18	1
	Republican Progressive Democratic Front (FDPR)[lower-alpha 2]	21,853	0.09	1
	Others	412,550	1.79	0
Invalid/blank votes		1,936,708	–	–
Total		24,947,187	100	556
Registered voters/turnout		28,005,449	89.08	–
Source: Ministry of Interior

Together with the election, a constitutional referendum took place. Italian electors had to choose if they wanted to continue the reign of Umberto II of Italy or to turn Italy into a republic. While all regions of Northern Italy as far as Tuscany and Marches gave a majority to the republic, all regions of Southern Italy to Lazio and Abruzzo voted to maintain the monarchy.