List of heads of state of Italy

This is a list of the heads of state of Italy, from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the present day.

From 1861 to 1946 the head of state was the King of Italy, who was the same person as the King of Sardinia according to the Constitution. Italy became a republic under the Constitution of 1948 and the monarch was replaced by a President.

Italian Monarchs

The succession to the throne of Italy was the same as the succession to the throne of the Sardinia.

Monarch			Reign			Position	Royal House
#	Portrait	Name	Reign start	Reign end	Duration
1		Victor Emmanuel II (1820–1878)	17 March 1861	9 January 1878		King of Italy	House of Savoy
2		Umberto I (1844–1900)	9 January 1878	29 July 1900		King of Italy	House of Savoy
3		Victor Emmanuel III (1869–1947)	29 July 1900	9 May 1946 (Abdicated)		King of Italy Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–1941) King of Albania (1939–1943)	House of Savoy
4		Umberto II (1904–1983)	9 May 1946	18 June 1946 (Deposed)		King of Italy	House of Savoy

Provisional Head of State

After the constitutional referendum which took place at the same time as the general election 54.3% voted for a republic. The Constituent Assembly which had the power to rule Italy until a new constitution for the republic was drawn up. The provisional Head of State after Alcide De Gasperi who exercised the powers after the King of Italy left was Enrico De Nicola who was proclaimed in 1946 but he was called Temporary Chief of State because he did not want to be called President of the Republic until the constitution was law.

№	Portrait	Name	Term	Tenure		Election Year Voter Percentage
—		Alcide De Gasperi (1881–1954)	—	12 June 1946	1 July 1946	—
			He exercised the powers of Provisional Head of State as Prime Minister between the departure of King Umberto II on 12 June 1946, and the proclamation of Enrico De Nicola as Head of State by the Constituent Assembly
1	60px	Enrico De Nicola (1877–1959)	1	1 July 1946	25 June 1947	1946 — 78.57% 396
			2	26 June 1947	1 January 1948	1947 — 93.96% 405

Italian Presidents

Under the Constitution, the first constitution of the Republic of Italy, the President replaced the monarch as ceremonial head of state. The President was elected by Parliament and Regional governments for a seven-year term. In the event of a vacancy the President of the Senate served as Acting President.

Parties

Traditionally, Presidents have not been members of any political party during their tenure, in order to be considered above partisan interests. The parties shown are those to which the President belonged at the time they took office.

• 1946–1993:

      Christian Democracy       Democratic Party       Democratic Socialist Party       Liberal Party       Socialist Party

• Since 1994:

      Democrats of the Left       Democratic Party       Independent

Status

  Denotes President of the Senate acting as President

№	Portrait	Name	Term	Tenure		Election Year Voter Percentage
1	60px	Enrico De Nicola (1877–1959)	2	1 January 1948	12 May 1948	1947 — 93.96% 405
2		Luigi Einaudi (1874–1961)	1	12 May 1948	11 May 1955	1948 — 59.40% 518
3		Giovanni Gronchi (1887–1978)	1	11 May 1955	11 May 1962	1955 — 78.90% 658
4		Antonio Segni (1891–1972)	1	11 May 1962	6 December 1964	1962 — 52.60% 443
			Resigned
—		Cesare Merzagora (1898–1991)	—	6 December 1964	29 December 1964	—
			As President of the Senate he acted as President until after the 1964 presidential election
5		Giuseppe Saragat (1898–1988)	1	29 December 1964	29 December 1971	1964 — 68.90% 646
6	60px	Giovanni Leone (1908–2001)	1	29 December 1971	15 June 1978	1971 — 52.00% 518
			Resigned
—		Amintore Fanfani (1908–1999)	—	15 June 1978	9 July 1978	—
			As President of the Senate he acted as President until after the 1978 presidential election
7	60px	Sandro Pertini (1896–1990)	1	9 July 1978	29 June 1985	1978 — 83.61% 832
			Resigned
8		Francesco Cossiga (1928–2010)	—	29 June 1985	3 July 1985	—
			1	3 July 1985	28 April 1992	1985 — 75.20% 754
			As President of the Senate he acted as President until after the 1985 presidential election which he won. Resigned
—		Giovanni Spadolini (1925–1994)	—	28 April 1992	28 May 1992	—
			As President of the Senate he acted as President until after the 1992 presidential election
9		Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (1918–2012)	1	28 May 1992	15 May 1999	1992 — 67.06% 672
			Resigned
align=center rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Italian People's Party (1994)/meta/color;" |—		Nicola Mancino (1931–)	align=center style="background: Template:Italian People's Party (1994)/meta/color;" |—	15 May 1999	18 May 1999	—
As President of the Senate he acted as President until after the 1999 presidential election
10		Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (1920–)	1	18 May 1999	15 May 2006	1999 — 71.41% 707
			Resigned
11		Giorgio Napolitano (1925–)	1	15 May 2006	20 April 2013	2006 — 54.85% 543
			2	20 April 2013	14 January 2015	2013 — 74.10% 738
			Resigned
—		Pietro Grasso (1945–)	—	14 January 2015	3 February 2015	—
			As President of the Senate he acted as President until after the 2015 presidential election
12		Sergio Mattarella (1941–)	1	3 February 2015		2015 — 65.91% 665

Styles of the Heads of State

Country	Years	Title of Head of State
Kingdom	1861	King of Italy Re d'Italia
	1861 - 1936	By the Grace of God and by the Will of the Nation King of Italy Con la grazia di Dio e per la Volontà della Nazione Re d'Italia
	1936 – 1939	By the Grace of God and by the Will of the Nation King of Italy, Emperor of Ethiopia Con la grazia di Dio e per la Volontà della Nazione Re d'Italia, Imperatore d'Etiopia
	1939 – 1943	By the Grace of God and by the Will of the Nation King of Italy and of Albania, Emperor of Ethiopia Con la grazia di Dio e per la Volontà della Nazione Re d'Italia e di Albania, Imperatore d'Etiopia
	1943 - 1946	By the Grace of God and by the Will of the Nation King of Italy Con la grazia di Dio e per la Volontà della Nazione Re d'Italia
	1946	King of Italy Re d'Italia
Republic	1946 – 1948	Temporary Chief of State Capo provvisorio dello Stato
	1948 – Present	President of the Italian Republic Presidente della Repubblica Italiana

Living former heads of state

Name	Term	Office	Date of birth

References

World Statesmen – Italy