1995 Italian regional elections
The Italian regional elections of 1995 were held on 23 April. These regional elections were the first to be held under the provisions of the new electoral system.
The centre-left coalition won the majority of votes in nine regions, while the centre-right coalition secured victory in only six regions.
A new electoral law for the ordinary Regions of Italy was adopted in February 1995, replacing the original 1970 law, with the aim of abolishing proportional representation and reducing the resulting political instability. Although 80% of seats continued to be allocated under the old PR system through provincial lists, under the new system 20% of seats were now assigned at large through block voting to the most voted coalition of parties. Formally, direct presidential elections were postponed until 2000, pending a constitutional reform. However, the leaders of the winning coalitions in the elections effectively became regional presidents.
Coalitions
After the fall of the Berlusconi I Cabinet and the collapse of the Pole of Freedoms, the Northern League ran as a single party, while a new national centre-right coalition was formed between Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and the post-fascist National Alliance. The Christian-left Italian People's Party, on the other hand, joined the new centre-left coalition, The Olive Tree, which was consequently abandoned in protest by the far-left Communist Refoundation Party.