The 1906 San Marino citizenry meeting was a session of the Arengo (assembly of all

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is i ...

ers) in

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

. It was the first such meeting in three centuries. It ended oligarchic rule and resulted in the first modern democratic elections in the country. Since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

the Meeting ('' Arengo'' in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

) had been declared the supreme authority of the Republic. However, during the 17th century, the Meeting created the Princely and Sovereign Council to rule the country. The Council itself refused for centuries to convene the Meeting, passing a law introducing the

co-option Co-option (also co-optation, sometimes spelt coöption or coöptation) has two common meanings. It may refer to the process of adding members to an elite group at the discretion of members of the body, usually to manage opposition and so maintai ...

of its members, so to become fully independent. At the beginning of the 20th century, the

Sammarinese Socialist Party The Sammarinese Socialist Party ( it, Partito Socialista Sammarinese, PSS) was a socialist and, later, social-democratic political party in San Marino. Its Italian counterpart was the Italian Socialist Party and its international affiliation was w ...

called for the restoration of democracy in the country. After some delays, the Meeting was summoned on 25 March 1906 in the main

Parish Church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

. Householders were asked whether the system of

of councillors for life should continue,San Marino, 25 March 1906: Councils as previously chosen by co-option for life
Direct Democracy and whether the size of councils should be proportionate to the population of the communities they represented.San Marino, 25 March 1906: Councils in proportion to the population of the communities selected
Direct Democracy The first proposal was rejected by 90.65% of voters and the second was approved by 94.89%. Consequently, the first-ever elections in the country were held on June 10, 1906.

Results

Maintaining the co-optation

''Do you want to maintain the oligarchic co-optation of the Council?''

Council apportionment

''Do you want to equally divide the council seats between the city and the countryside?''

References

{{Sammarinese elections 1906 referendums Referendums in San Marino 1906 in San Marino