First ballot: 2/3 of the entire membership needed to win 400 members, 267 votes needed to win Final (fourth) ballot: a majority of members present needed to win 392 members present, 197 votes needed to win
The election takes place by secret ballot. A two-thirds supermajority of the whole membership is needed to win on the first ballot. On the second and third ballots, a two-thirds supermajority of votes cast (including blank ballots among the totals) suffices. Starting from the fourth ballot, the threshold is further lowered to a simple majority of members present.
History
As required by the assembly's standing orders, the election took place by secret ballot. Ettore Rosato, of Action – Italia Viva (A–IV) (being the most senior member to have served as Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies in the previous Parliament) served as acting presiding officer.[2]
In early October the centre-right coalition, which held 237 seats (a majority of 36) designated Riccardo Molinari, a member of the League, as its official candidate for the Presidency of the Chamber. On the first three ballots, a two-thirds supermajority was required according to the standing orders; as no political coalition had enough seats to reach such a number, party leaders instructed MPs to cast blank ballots. Nonetheless, some members received a few votes on the first three ballots.
Following the election of Ignazio La Russa as President of the Senate and tensions within the centre-right, Lorenzo Fontana replaced Molinari as the official candidate of the conservative coalition shortly after the third ballot took place.[3]
