1972 Italian Senate election in Lombardy

Lombardy elected its sixth delegation to the Italian Senate on May 19, 1972. This election was a part of national Italian general election of 1972 even if, according to the Italian Constitution, every senatorial challenge in each Region is a single and independent race.

The election was won by the centrist Christian Democracy, as it happened at national level. Seven Lombard provinces gave a majority or at least a plurality to the winning party, while the agricultural Province of Pavia and Province of Mantua preferred the Italian Communist Party.

Background
This election was quite a copy of the previous one. The Italian Liberal Party was the sole loser, to its left to the Italian Republican Party and to its right to the Italian Social Movement.

Electoral system
The electoral system for the Senate was a strange hybrid which established a form of proportional representation into FPTP-like constituencies. A candidate needed a landslide victory of more than 65% of votes to obtain a direct mandate. All constituencies where this result was not reached entered into an at-large calculation based upon the D'Hondt method to distribute the seats between the parties, and candidates with the best percentages of suffrages inside their party list were elected.

Results
!rowspan="1" align="left" valign="top"|Party !rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top"|votes !rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top"|votes (%) !rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top"|seats !rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top"|swing !align="left" valign="top"|Christian Democracy !align="left" valign="top"|Italian Communist Party & PSIUP !align="left" valign="top"|Italian Socialist Party !align="left" valign="top"|Italian Social Movement !align="left" valign="top"|Italian Liberal Party !align="left" valign="top"|Italian Democratic Socialist Party !align="left" valign="top"|Italian Republican Party !align="left" valign="top"|Others !rowspan="1" align="left" valign="top"|Total parties !rowspan="1" align="right" valign="top"|4,970,693 !rowspan="1" align="right" valign="top"|100.0 !rowspan="1" align="right" valign="top"|45 !rowspan="1" align="right" valign="top"| -
 * - bgcolor="#E9E9E9"
 * - bgcolor="#E9E9E9"
 * valign="top"|2,072,474
 * valign="top"|41.7
 * valign="top"|20
 * valign="top"|=
 * valign="top"|1,219,259
 * valign="top"|24.5
 * valign="top"|12
 * valign="top"|=
 * valign="top"|644,694
 * valign="top"|13.0
 * valign="top"|6
 * valign="top"|=
 * valign="top"|303,850
 * valign="top"|6.1
 * valign="top"|2
 * valign="top"|1
 * valign="top"|279,887
 * valign="top"|5.6
 * valign="top"|2
 * valign="top"|2
 * valign="top"|265,518
 * valign="top"|5.3
 * valign="top"|2
 * valign="top"|=
 * valign="top"|157,535
 * valign="top"|3.2
 * valign="top"|1
 * valign="top"|1
 * valign="top"|27,876
 * valign="top"|0.6
 * valign="top"|-
 * valign="top"|=
 * - bgcolor="#E9E9E9"
 * }

Sources: Italian Ministry of the Interior

Constituencies
!align="left" valign="top"|N° !align="center" valign="top"|Constituency !align="center" valign="top"|Elected !align="center" valign="top"|Party !align="center" valign="top"|Votes % !align="center" valign="top"|Others Egidio Ariosto''' Italian Democratic Socialist Party 8.3% Virginio Bertinelli''' Italian Democratic Socialist Party 9.2% Giuseppe Garoli Giuseppe Grossi''' Italian Communist Party Italian Socialist Party 32.0% 15.4% Renato Colombo''' Italian Socialist Party 16.7% Giovanni Nencioni Giovanni Spadolini''' Italian Social Movement Italian Republican Party 14.8% 9.0% Ada Valeria Ruhl Agostino Viviani''' Italian Communist Party Italian Socialist Party 29.9% 16.9% Modesto Merzario''' Italian Communist Party (PSIUP) 31.5% Guido Venegoni''' Italian Communist Party 25.8% Rodolfo Bollini''' Italian Communist Party 33.3% Edoardo Catellani''' Italian Socialist Party 18.6% Paolo Cavezzali''' Italian Socialist Party 15.5% Michele Zuccalà''' Italian Socialist Party 15.4%
 * - bgcolor="#E9E9E9"
 * - bgcolor="#E9E9E9"
 * align="left"|1
 * align="left"|Bergamo
 * align="left"|Gianbattista Scaglia
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|59.6%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|2
 * align="left"|Clusone
 * align="left"|Giuseppe Belotti
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|66.6%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|3
 * align="left"|Treviglio
 * align="left"|Nullo Biaggi
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|60.8%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|4
 * align="left"|Brescia
 * align="left"|Mino Martinazzoli
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|44.9%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|5
 * align="left"|Breno
 * align="left"|Giacomo Mazzoli
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|58.1%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|6
 * align="left"|Chiari
 * align="left"|Faustino Zugno
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|58.0%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|7
 * align="left"|Salò
 * align="left"|'''Fabiano De Zan
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|58.0%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|7
 * align="left"|Salò
 * align="left"|'''Fabiano De Zan
 * align="left"|'''Fabiano De Zan
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|49.1%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|8
 * align="left"|Como
 * align="left"|'''Ubaldo De Ponti
 * align="left"|'''Ubaldo De Ponti
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|44.0%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|9
 * align="left"|Lecco
 * align="left"|Tommaso Morlino
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|52.7%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|10
 * align="left"|Cantù
 * align="left"|Mario Martinelli
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|51.7%
 * align="left"|Carlo Porro (PSDI) 7.2%
 * align="left"|11
 * align="left"|Cremona
 * align="left"|'''Vincenzo Vernaschi
 * align="left"|11
 * align="left"|Cremona
 * align="left"|'''Vincenzo Vernaschi
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|39.9%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|12
 * align="left"|Crema
 * align="left"|Narciso Patrini
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|51.2%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|13
 * align="left"|Mantua
 * align="left"|Tullia Romagnoli
 * align="left"|Italian Communist Party (Gsi)
 * align="left"|31.9%
 * align="left"|Leonello Zenti (DC) 35.7%
 * align="left"|14
 * align="left"|Ostiglia
 * align="left"|'''Agostino Zavattini
 * align="left"|14
 * align="left"|Ostiglia
 * align="left"|'''Agostino Zavattini
 * align="left"|Italian Communist Party
 * align="left"|39.3%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|15
 * align="left"|Milan 1
 * align="left"|'''Giorgio Bergamasco
 * align="left"|'''Giorgio Bergamasco
 * align="left"|Italian Liberal Party
 * align="left"|16.1%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|16
 * align="left"|Milan 2
 * align="left"|Arturo Robba
 * align="left"|Italian Liberal Party
 * align="left"|14.1%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|17
 * align="left"|Milan 3
 * align="left"|Giorgio Pisanò
 * align="left"|Italian Social Movement
 * align="left"|11.9%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|18
 * align="left"|Milan 4
 * align="left"|None elected
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|19
 * align="left"|Milan 5
 * align="left"|Mario Venanzi
 * align="left"|Italian Communist Party
 * align="left"|27.2%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|20
 * align="left"|Milan 6
 * align="left"|Lelio Basso
 * align="left"|Italian Communist Party (Gsi)
 * align="left"|29.5%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|21
 * align="left"|Abbiategrasso
 * align="left"|'''Luigi Noè
 * align="left"|29.5%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|21
 * align="left"|Abbiategrasso
 * align="left"|'''Luigi Noè
 * align="left"|'''Luigi Noè
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|40.2%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|22
 * align="left"|Rho
 * align="left"|'''Ettore Calvi
 * align="left"|'''Ettore Calvi
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|37.7%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|23
 * align="left"|Monza
 * align="left"|Vittorio Pozzar
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|41.8%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|24
 * align="left"|Vimercate
 * align="left"|'''Giovanni Marcora
 * align="left"|Vimercate
 * align="left"|'''Giovanni Marcora
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|45.8%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|25
 * align="left"|Lodi
 * align="left"|'''Camillo Ripamonti
 * align="left"|'''Camillo Ripamonti
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|41.6%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|26
 * align="left"|Pavia
 * align="left"|Renato Cebrelli
 * align="left"|Italian Communist Party
 * align="left"|34.2%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|27
 * align="left"|Voghera
 * align="left"|Giorgio Piovano
 * align="left"|Italian Communist Party
 * align="left"|31.7%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|28
 * align="left"|Vigevano
 * align="left"|Armando Cossutta
 * align="left"|Italian Communist Party
 * align="left"|42.3%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|29
 * align="left"|Sondrio
 * align="left"|'''Athos Valsecchi
 * align="left"|29
 * align="left"|Sondrio
 * align="left"|'''Athos Valsecchi
 * align="left"|'''Athos Valsecchi
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|53.0%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|30
 * align="left"|Varese
 * align="left"|'''Pio Alessandrini
 * align="left"|'''Pio Alessandrini
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|41.7%
 * align="left"|
 * align="left"|31
 * align="left"|Busto Arsizio
 * align="left"|'''Pierino Azimonti
 * align="left"|'''Pierino Azimonti
 * align="left"|Christian Democracy
 * align="left"|43.8%
 * align="left"|
 * }


 * Senators with a direct mandate have bold percentages. Please remember that the electoral system was, in the other cases, a form of proportional representation and not a FPTP race: so candidates winning with a simple plurality could have (and usually had) a candidate (usually a Christian democrat) with more votes in their constituency.

Substitutions

 * Carlo Porro for Cantù (7.2%) replaced Virginio Bertinelli in 1973. Reason: death.
 * Leonello Zenti for Mantua (35.7%) replaced Faustino Zugno in 1975. Reason: death.