Chamber of Deputies

The Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Italy is the lower house of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy, which serves as the primary force behind the government. Together with the Senate of the Kingdom, it constitutes one of the chambers of the parliament. There are 535 seats in the chamber, each occupied by a deputy who represents a constituency somewhere in the kingdom. The chamber plays a more active role in Italian politics than the senate - it is presided over by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, who takes the function of a Speaker, and is led by the Prime Minister and his ruling party. Elections to the chamber are held every five years.

The Chamber is led by a President, a Vice-President and their secretaries respectively. Upon their election, the President and Vice-President give up their former party affiliation, though they retain their constitutencies. The President and Vice-President do not vote on bills, except to break a tie, which happens in rare and exceptional circumstances. The King has the power to dismiss the President or Vice-President, or any deputy, as well as the power to convene and prorogue the Chamber at will.

Creation and Leadership
Under the Albertine Statue of 1848, which serves as the constitution of the Kingdom of Italy, the members of the Chamber of Deputies are popularly elected according to the will of the people. Deputies are required to be Italian citizens and at least thirty years old. The chamber elects its own President, Vice-President ,and Secretaries at the beginning of a new session following an election. The Prime Minister is, by nature, the leader of the party with the greatest amount of seats in the Chamber. The King can, however, appoint the leader of a minority party as Prime Minister if it is his prerogative. Under these circumstances, a minority government would be formed. If a Deputy ceases, for whatever reason, to fulfill his functions, it is required that a by-election be held in his constituency as soon as possible. No Deputy may be arrested while the chamber is in session, unless he is caught committing a crime. The Chamber has the right to impeach the King's Ministers and take them for trial before the Senate.

Official Requirements and Rules
Before taking office, Deputies take an oath to be loyal to the King, to loyally observe the Statute and the laws of the State, and to exercise their functions with the sole aim of the inseparable good of the King and of the nation. Deputies serve without pay. They cannot be held accountable for opinions expressed and votes given in the chamber. Sittings of the Chamber are public, but they can deliberate in closed session when requested in written form by at least ten members. An absolute majority of Deputies have to be present for the sitting to be legal. Deliberations are taken by majority vote. All bills have to be examined by the committees, and have to be approved article by article by both Chambers before being transmitted to the King for his approval.

If a bill is rejected in either chamber or vetoed by the King, it cannot be reintroduced during the same session. Every citizen over the age of 21 has the right to send petitions to the chamber by way of the proper authorities. The petitions are then examined by the Chamber through their committees to determine if they are worthy of consideration. If they are considered worthy, they are sent to the responsible minister or offices. The Chamber of Deputies can only hear from its own members, the Ministers and the Government's Commissioners. The Chamber has the sole authority to judge the validity and eligibility of its own members,and to establish its own internal rules regarding the exercise of its functions.

Basic Information
The Chamber is currently led by the coalition of the Liberal Union and the People's Party, under Prime Minister Aurelio Sabbatini of the Liberal Union and Deputy Prime Minister Marco Esposito of the People's Party. The current 18th President, Alessandro Ricci, previously served as 17th President of the Chamber of Deputies prior to the General Election of 1921, when he resigned and founded the Conservative National Party. After the Conservatives were defeated, Ricci stood for and won reelection to the Presidency. The current Vice-President, Francesco Colombo, was a member of the Italian Reformists Socialist Party prior to taking up the Vice-Presidency.

Composition by Figures
There are currently no independent deputies in the Chamber. A majority of 268 Deputies is required to form a working, majority government. No party currently has this figure - the Italian Reformists Socialist Party form a government in coalition with the Italian Workers' Revolutionary Party. The following lists the number of Deputies based on their party affiliation:
 * Italian Reformists Socialist Party (Dark Red): 223 seats of 535 total.
 * Liberal Union (Dark Blue): 93 seats of 535 total.
 * National Fascist Party (Dark Grey): 75 seats of 535 total.
 * People's Party (Light Blue): 70 seats of 535 total.
 * Italian Workers' Revolutionary Party (Light Red): 47 seats of 535 total.
 * Conservative National Party (Bright Blue): 25 seats of 535 total.
 * President and Vice-President of the Chamber (White): 2 seats of 535 total.