Considerations Around the Prohibition of a Third Consecutive Term, Between Attempts at Legislative Evasion and Constitutional-Level Provisions

Abstract

The essay addresses the issue of the prohibition of the third consecutive term of the Presidents of the Regional Council. More specifically, this provision, contained in law no. 165 of 2004, is included in a broader reconstruction relating to the foreclosure to the third term of executive bodies by direct election, which - on the basis of the exegesis of the judge of the laws of multiple articles of the Constitution - arises today as a fundamental principle concerning the electoral system of sub-state entities. Starting from the analysis of the various regional regulations aimed at evading this principle, due to the doubt about its direct applicability, the essay examines the position taken by the Constitutional Court in the recent judgment no. 64 of 2025, also questioning its extension to the Special Regions and the Autonomous Provinces. Finally, the author calls for the constitutionalization of the limit, to guarantee its uniformity and tightness over time, recalling, in parallel, the recent debate on the premiership.