1867 Italian general election

Bettino Ricasoli resigned as Prime Minister of Italy on 10 March 1867, due to a recalcitrant Italian Chamber. The chamber disapproved of his agreements with the Vatican regarding the repatriation of certain religious properties. Subsequent to his resignation, general elections were held in Italy on 10 March 1867; with the second round of voting on 17 March 1867.[1] These snap elections resulted in Urbano Rattazzi being elected once again to office.[2]

1867 Italian general election

10 and 17 March 1867
All 493 seats to the Italian Chamber of Deputies
Leader Urbano Rattazzi Bettino Ricasoli Party Historical Left Historical Right Leader's seat Alessandria Florence Seats won 225 151 Seat change 69 32 Popular vote 126,202 84,685 Percentage 45.6% 30.6%
Prime Minister before election Bettino Ricasoli Historical Right Elected Prime Minister Urbano Rattazzi Historical Left

Due to the restrictive Italian electoral laws of the time, only 504,265 Italian men, out of a total population of around 26 million, were entitled to vote. The voters were largely aristocrats, rentiers, and capitalists, who tended to hold moderate political views, including loyalty to the crown and low government spending.[3]

Electoral campaign

The opposition to Ricasoli was mainly organized by former Prime Minister Rattazzi, a moderate member of the Historical Left, who had entered into a coalition with the Historical Right in Piedmont fifteen years earlier. Even though Italian elections were officially non-partisan, the political conflict was so evident that the election became a match between these two political heavyweights.[4]

The 1867 election was a great defeat for Ricasoli, who thereafter retired to private life. However, while Ricasoli lost, Rattazzi did not receive a clear mandate, especially during the second part of the traditional two-round system. Many Independent candidates, who were ready to support any government that would support their local interests, were lukewarm supporters at best. Ultimately, Rattazzi was charged by the king to form a new government, but the fickle leftist faction abandoned him, forcing Rattazzi to form a new coalition.[5] This was typical of Italian politics of the day, which were officially non-partisan with no structured parties. Voters instead were influenced more by localism and corruption, rather than loyalty to any leader or party.[6]

Rattazzi tried to form a centrist government consisting of his centre-left moderate faction, some Independents, and the Historical Right. These groups agreed to the coalition in order to later regain control. However, despite his efforts, Rattazzi's victory was ephemeral, similar to his first term as Prime Minister in 1862: barely six months later he was unable to stop an armed attack by a national hero, Giuseppe Garibaldi, upon the Papal State. The King, seeing that Rattazzi was ineffective, quickly forced his resignation. Senator Federico Luigi Menabrea then took over as Prime Minister, with the Historical Right regaining full control of the government.[7]

Parties and leaders

Party		Ideology	Leader
	Historical Left	Liberalism, Centrism	Urbano Rattazzi
	Historical Right	Conservatism, Monarchism	Bettino Ricasoli

Results

← Summary of March 1867 Chamber of Deputies election results →

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/−
	Historical Left	126,202[lower-alpha 1]	45.6	225	+69
	Historical Right	84,685[lower-alpha 1]	30.6	151	−32
	Independents	65,636[lower-alpha 1]	23.8	74	–
Invalid seats[8]				43	–
Total		276,523	100	493	+50
Registered voters/turnout		504,265	54.8	–	–
Source: "La Stampa", Tuesday, 19 March 1867.

1. Estimate

Parliamentary seats Historical Left   45.6% Historical Right   30.6% Independents   23.8%

References

1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1047 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
2. La Stampa, Sunday, 10 March 1867.
3. Nohlen & Stöver, p1028
4. La Stampa, Saturday, 23 March 1867.
5. La Stampa, Friday, 12 April 1867.
6. La Stampa, Saturday, 13 April 1867.
7. "Federico Menabrea" in Encyclopædia Britannica.
8. The electoral law did not limit the number of constituencies where a candidate could stand, so many political leaders run and won in two or more constituencies, which consequently needed by-elections to fill their seats.