Italy on Thursday celebrated the 80th anniversary of the first session of its Constituent Assembly with a ceremony in the Lower House involving President Sergio Mattarella, Premier Giorgia Meloni and lawmakers from both chambers of parliament.
    The Constituent Assembly was the parliamentary chamber that sat from June 1946 to January 1948 to write the Constitution for the Republic after the Italian people voted in a referendum to abolish the monarchy following World War II.
    "I thank the Speakers of the Chambers for taking this initiative to honour the women and men who, in the Constituent Assembly—in this chamber, where its work took place — were able to give shape to the freedom and democracy of the Italian people in the aftermath of the referendum that chose the Republic as the form of government, and were able to guarantee its independence" Mattarella said.
    "Working intensely for 18 months, the 535 men and 21 women called to serve in the Constituent Assembly set out to restore the image of Italy, and the result was a Constitution that has ensured stability for democratic institutions and Italy's international standing over the past decades, and promoted the country's progress".
    He said critics of the assembly who argue it was a largely a big bartering operation between the main parties of the day are wrong.
    "On the contrary, they (the parties involved) adhered to a fundamental principle that has gradually taken root in the common consciousness of (Italy's) citizens: 'the Republic belongs to everyone'," he said.

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