CONVENING OF ELECTIONS FOR THE RENEWAL OF THE COMITES
SEPTEMBER 3, 2026
By Consular Decree of the Head of the Consular Chancery in Pretoria, elections are called for the establishment and renewal of the Committee of Italians Abroad of Pretoria (South Africa) – Madagascar – Mauritius – Namibia.
The election date is set for December 4, 2026. This date corresponds to the last day to send the envelope containing your voted ballot to your Consulate of reference.
To participate in the vote, you must register on the list of voters of your relevant Consulate by submitting a specific option application no later than November 4, 2026.
The Committee to be elected will be composed of 12 members, based on the size of the resident community. The aforementioned Decree also establishes the Electoral Office responsible for electoral operations.
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PROCEDURE FOR REQUESTING REGISTRATION ON THE ELECTORAL REGISTER
The elections for the renewal and establishment of the COMITES (Committees of Italians Abroad) will be held by the end of 2026.
The Committees of Italians Abroad are representative bodies of Italian communities abroad. They liaise with diplomatic and consular authorities and work to promote the integration of Italian communities residing in the countries where they are based.
Eligible voters who meet the legal requirements for voting and who have been resident and registered with AIRE in the relevant consular district for at least 6 MONTHS (as of the date of the elections) will be entitled to participate in these important elections.
Voting will take place by postal ballot. However, unlike parliamentary elections and referendums, the electoral ballot package will ONLY be sent to voters who have expressly requested registration on the electoral register for the COMITES elections by 4 November 2026.
IMPORTANT: in order to receive the electoral ballot package, voters must therefore request registration on the electoral register from their competent Italian consulate NO LATER THAN 4 NOVEMBER 2026.
The registration form may be submitted in one of the following ways:
- in person, by appointment where required, bringing a valid identity document;
- by regular post, together with a photocopy of an identity document bearing the holder’s signature;
- by email or certified email (PEC), together with a copy of an identity document bearing the holder’s signature.
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PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF ELECTORAL LISTS
Elections for the renewal of the Committees of Italians Abroad (Com.It.Es.) will take place in 2026.
Pursuant to Article 14 of Presidential Decree 395/2003, lists may be submitted to the Electoral Office during office hours from the twentieth to the thirtieth day following the announcement. Staring from now it is possible to collect and legalise signatures, as well as to sign the lists.
The lists shall consist of a number of candidates at least equal to the number of members of the Committee to be elected and not exceeding 16 for Com.It.Es. composed of 12 members or 22 for Com.It.Es. composed of 18 members. (DPR 395/2003, art 14, co 2). The lists, each bearing its own symbol, shall be submitted by one of the candidates or by an underwriter. The presenter of the list declares his domicile for the purposes of subsequent notifications.
Documentation
Declarations for the submission of the lists of candidates may be signed in separate acts (sheets). The separates act for signature collection must include the list symbol, as well as all candidate names. Each list of candidates (each with surname, first name, place and date of birth, as well as the progressive number assigned by the list presenter) must be accompanied by the following documentation:
a) the declarations of acceptance of the candidacy by each candidate, signed and authenticated/legalised;
b) certificates, including collective ones, that certify the registration of voters in the electoral lists of the relevant jurisdiction. These certificates are issued by the consular office at the request of the interested parties and on the basis of the documents in the possession of the office itself, starting from the fifteenth day following the date of calling the elections, within the urgent deadline of twenty-four hours from the request (Presidential Decree 395/2003, art. 14, paragraph 8);
c) the designation of a full and an alternate representative [1] for the electoral committee of the jurisdiction;
d) the subscriptions [1, 2] prescribed by law with the relevant signature leglisations. For each subscriber, the list must include the surname, first name, place, date of birth and electoral certification referred to in point b).
Please note that each list, bearing its own badge, is presented by one of the candidates or one of the signatories to the electoral office, during office hours, from the twentieth to the thirtieth day following the date of calling the elections.
Subscriptions and authentications/legalisations of signatures
Pursuant to current legislation (Art. 13, paragraph 1, Law 286/2003), the subscribers of the lists must have been residents of the consular jurisdiction for at least six months and be listed as voters for the elections of the Com.It.Es.. Subscribers may not be candidates and may not subscribe to more than one list, under penalty of nullity of subscription.
Article 15, paragraph 3, of Law 286/2003 establishes that candidate lists are signed by a number of voters:
– not less than 100 for communities composed of up to 50,000 Italian citizens residing;
– not less than 200 for those composed of a number greater than 50,000.
For each subscriber, the following must be indicated:
- surname;
- name;
- place and date of birth.
Under the legislation in force, signatures can only be authenticated by Consular Offices of I Category, thus excluding Honorary Consulates. Authentication is always free (art. 34 of Presidential Decree 395/2003).
In order to facilitate the signing of the lists and the related legalisations, all interested citizens could come to the Consular Chancellery of the Italian Embassy in Pretoria during the dedicated opening hours, starting from September 23, 2026, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For further information, you can contact the Embassy at the dedicated email address: consolato.pretoria@esteri.it.
When signing, the underwriter must be identified by means of an identification document (passport or identity card), provided that it has a photograph of the holder and is issued by an Italian or other public administration.
Requirements
Pursuant to Presidential Decree 395/2003 art 16, candidancies are not permitted:
- when the candidate is a minor;
- when the candidacy is presented for multiple lists;
- when the candidate is not resident in the consular constituency;
- when the declaration of acceptance of the application is missing.
Pursuant to Presidential Decree 395/2003, art. 6, Italian citizens are eligible if they are:
- residents of the consular district;
- candidates on one (and only one) of the lists presented (and in only one constituency);
- registered in the updated list referred to in art. 5 paragraph 1 of Law 459/2001;
in possession of the requirements to be a candidate for the administrative electoral consultations, or the requirements set forth in Article 55 (Passive Electorate), paragraph 1, of Legislative Decree 267/2000, or having reached the age of eighteen, on the day set for the vote.
The following are not eligible:
- Italian state employees serving abroad, including contract personnel;
- those who hold institutional positions and their salaried collaborators;
- the administrators and legal representatives (based on the articles of association and bylaws) of bodies managing school activities that operate within the territory of the Committee;
- the directors and legal representatives (based on the articles of association and bylaws) of the assistance committees that receive public funding;
- those indicated in Articles 60 (Ineligibility) and 61 (Ineligibility and incompatibility for the office of mayor and provincial president) of the Legislative Decree. 267/2000;
- those for whom the conditions set out in Articles 10 (Ineligibility for provincial, municipal and district elections) and 11 (Suspension and forfeiture of local administrators’ rights in conditions of ineligibility) of the Legislative Decree apply. 235/2012;
- those who have already been members of the same Committee for two consecutive terms.***
What is the vote for?
You are called to vote for the renewal of the Committees of Italians Abroad. Established in 1985, they are representative bodies of the Italian community abroad, directly elected by Italians who have been resident for at least six months in the Consular jurisdiction to which they belong. They represent the needs of Italians abroad in their relationships with Embassies and Consulates.
What do Com.It.Es do?
They represent Italians abroad in their relationships with Embassies and Consulates and promote their integration. They also have the task of preserving the historical memory of Italian emigration and enhancing the Italian contribution within the local societies in which they operate.
When are they formed and by whom are they composed?
Com.It.Es. can be established in consular jurisdictions that count more than 3,000 AIRE members, and they are composed of 12 members in communities of up to 100,000 Italians or 18 members in communities that exceed this threshold. Committee members serve 5-year terms.
Who can vote in the Com.It.Es elections?
Italians who have been resident in the Consular jurisdiction for at least 6 months and who have submitted a specific application to the Consulate to which they belong to register on the voter list.
How do you vote?
Voting in the Com.It.Es. elections is by mail. The ballots will be sent to the residential address of those who have requested them. Subsequently, they must be returned to the Consulate, carefully following the instructions provided in the information sheet within the ballot.
To find out more, also visit our Press Releases.
Last updated: September 3rd, 2026.