Italian Parliament Votes on Electoral Reform — The Hindu
Italy’s lower house of parliament is voting on October 8 on an electoral law reform that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition considers necessary to strengthen political stability. The bill has already been approved by the Senate and must receive the support of the Chamber of Deputies to be adopted.
As The Hindu reports, the proposal provides for a fully proportional system. An alliance that receives more than 42% of the vote will automatically obtain a parliamentary majority: an additional 70 seats in the lower house and 35 in the Senate.
Italy’s current electoral model combines majoritarian and proportional systems. According to the publication, neither the right-wing nor the left-wing political camp expects to win an outright parliamentary majority in the next election.
Positions of the coalition and opposition
Minister for Relations with Parliament Luca Ciriani told AFP that the reform is intended to ensure governability. According to him, parties and coalitions will also have to determine in advance their government programme and candidate for prime minister.
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Opposition forces have pledged to vote against the initiative. Chiara Braga, head of the Democratic Party faction in the lower house, told AFP that the proposal changes democratic rules in the interests of those in power.
Secret ballot and elections
Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party and its allies hold a majority in parliament, but the vote is secret. This means that individual coalition lawmakers may not support the bill. Meloni warned that she would resign if the reform is not approved.
Giovanni Orsina, a political scientist at Luiss University in Rome, considers the adoption of the law extremely likely, but notes that the new system will create an open competitive situation in elections. According to an Ipsos Doxa poll, the centre-left coalition could surpass the 42% threshold if it overcomes internal differences and agrees to cooperate with two small radical parties. The opposition has already said it intends to challenge the law in court. Meloni’s term expires in October 2027, although elections may be moved to April or May.
