Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/333

 CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. 297

Constitution and Government.

The present constitution of Italy is an expansion of the ' Statuto fondamentale del Regno,' granted on March 4, 1848, by King Charles Albert to his Sardinian subjects. According to this charter, the executive power of the State belongs exclusively to the sove- reign, and is exercised by him through responsible ministers ; while the legislative authority rests conjointly in the King and Parliament, the latter consisting of two Chambers, an upper one, the Senato, and a lower one, called the ' Camera de' Deputati.' The Senate is com- posed of the princes of the royal house who are of age, and of an unlimited number of members, above forty years old, who are nominated by the King for life ; a condition of the nomination being that the person should either fill a high office, or have acquired fame in science, literature, or any other pursuit tending to the benefit of the nation, or, finally, should pay taxes to the annual amount of 3,000 lire, or 120^. The number of senators, in the session of 18G9, was 283. The deputies of the lower house are elected by a majority of all citizens who are twenty-five years of age, and pay taxes to the amount of 40 lire, or 1/. 12s. For this purpose the whole of the population is divided into electoral colleges, or districts. No deputy can be returned to Parliament unless at least one-third of the inscribed electors appear at the poll. A deputy must be thirty years old, and have the requisites demanded by the electoral law, among them a slight property qualification. Incapable of being elected are all salaried government officials below a certain rank, as well as all persons ordained for the priesthood and filling clerical charges, or receiving pay from the state. Officers in the army and navy, ministers, under-secretaries of state, and various other classes of functionaries high in office, may be elected, but their number must never be above one-fifth that of the total number of members of the chamber of deputies. Neither senators nor deputies receive any salary or other indemnity.

The duration of Parliaments is five years ; but the King has the power to dissolve the lower house at any time, being bound only to order new elections, and' convoke a new meeting within four months. It is incumbent upon the executive to call the Parliament together annually. Each of the Chambers has the right of introducing new bills, the same as the Government ; but all money bills must originate in the House of Depiities. The ministers have the right to attend the debates of both the upper and the lower house; but they have no vote unless they are members. The sittings of both Chambers are public ; and no sitting is valid unless an absolute majority of the members are present. The Camera de' Deputati, in the session of 1870, numbered 493 members, being the