Topic summary
Prime Minister of Italy
The prime minister of Italy, officially the president of the Council of Ministers (Italian: presidente del Consiglio dei ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is established by articles 92–96 of the Constitution of Italy; the president of the Council of Ministers is appointed by the president of the Italian Republic and must have the confidence of the parliament to stay in office.
Prior to the establishment of the Italian Republic, the position was known as the president of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Italy (Presidente del Consiglio dei ministri del Regno d'Italia). From 1925 to 1943 during the Italian fascist regime, the position was transformed into the dictatorial position as the Head of the Government, Prime Minister, Secretary of State (Capo del Governo, Primo Ministro, Segretario di Stato), held by Benito Mussolini, the Duce of fascism, who officially governed on the behalf of the king of Italy. King Victor Emmanuel III removed Mussolini from office in 1943 and the position was restored with Marshal Pietro Badoglio becoming prime minister in 1943, although the original denomination of president of the Council of Ministers was only restored in 1944, when Ivanoe Bonomi was appointed to the post. Alcide De Gasperi became the first prime minister of the Italian Republic in 1946.
The prime minister is the president of the Council of Ministers, which holds executive power and the position is similar to those in most other parliamentary systems. The formal Italian order of precedence lists the office as being ceremonially the fourth-highest Italian state office after the president and the presiding officers of the two houses of the Italian Parliament. In practice, the prime minister is the country's political leader and de facto chief executive. Giorgia Meloni has been the incumbent prime minister since 22 October 2022 and she is the first woman to hold the office in the history of the Italian Republic.