by Nina Vaclavikova
Eighty years ago, a landmark referendum transformed Italy’s political landscape and marked the first time women voted in a national election.
On June 2, 1946, millions of Italian women entered polling stations across a country still recovering from the devastation of World War II. For many, it was the first opportunity to participate fully in the democratic process, exercising a right denied to previous generations.
Voters were asked to decide whether Italy should remain a monarchy or become a republic. At the same time, they elected a Constituent Assembly charged with drafting a new constitution for the postwar state.
The referendum resulted in the creation of the Italian Republic, ending the reign of the House of Savoy and opening a new chapter in the nation’s history. For women, the vote represented a significant milestone in a decades-long struggle for political inclusion and citizenship.
Women in Friuli Venezia Giulia shared in this historic achievement, although the experience was not uniform across the region. While women throughout most of Italy cast their ballots in the June 1946 referendum, Trieste remained under Allied Military Government administration following the war and was therefore excluded from the vote. Women in the city would have to wait until June 12, 1949, to exercise their right to vote for the first time in local elections.
Today, the referendum is widely regarded as a defining moment in modern Italy, linking the birth of the Republic with the expansion of democratic rights to millions of women. In 2026, Italy marks the 80th anniversary of women’s suffrage and the founding of the Republic, while Friuli Venezia Giulia also remembers the unique path taken by Trieste during the turbulent postwar years.
