The examination of the text continues at Palazzo Madama. During the day, Minister for Reforms Casellati announced that the government "defers to the Chamber" on the issue, thus opening up to proposals from the opposition. Forza Italia and Lega are against. Vannacci: "FdI is coherent, votes preferences also in the Senate". In the afternoon, a newfound unity against the sub-amendment emerges: the center-right votes united
The discussion on the electoral law continues in the Senate, having arrived in the Chamber amid various tensions, starting with the tug-of-war over preferences even in the majority. This afternoon Palazzo Madama rejected, with 68 yes and 99 votes against, the sub-amendment first signed by the Dem Dario Parrini to eliminate the blocked leaders and provide for preferential voting. The government referred to the Chamber on the proposed modification to the majority amendment to the electoral law. After the vote, chants of "Shame" started from the opposition benches. On the topic, it was a day with several twists and turns, in which the majority seemed to be divided before coming together. The final vote is on Tuesday 15th, the text in the Chamber on the 28th (despite the opposition having asked to extend the examination times).
What happened today
Rumors from the morning showed FdI was on the verge of breaking with its allies by considering, in the name of its own historic battle, support for a series of amendments by the Democratic Party on pure preferences (for all those elected and without the blocked list leaders). In the morning Roberto Vannacci asked the government to vote on the dem amendment. After a majority summit in the middle of the day, the Minister of Reforms Elisabetta Casellati announced that the government would refer to the Chamber on some amendments, because "as always, Parliament is sovereign", therefore it should not oppose the opposition's changes. In the afternoon, however, a newfound solidarity had emerged from the majority against the sub-amendment on preferences proposed by the opposition. "Between an instrumental amendment on the opposition's preferences and maintaining the majority agreements, we have no doubts: we keep our word and vote against this amendment", clarified the FdI group leader in the Senate, Lucio Malan.
The number of signatures to be collected for those who are not in Parliament rises to 9 thousand
The number of minimum signatures that the new political formations that are not present in Parliament will have to collect to stand in the elections increases from 1,500 to 9,000 (up to a maximum of 10,000). This is foreseen by the government's reformulation of the FdI amendment first signed by Antonella Zedda which also removes any threshold for contributing to the national electoral coalition figure for the calculation of the bonus. As provided for in the current law, those who have two groups in Parliament remain exempt, as do those who, based on the reform, have at least one group formed by 31 December 2025, Iv or Az. For those, such as +Europa or FnV, who have a component in at least one of the two branches of Parliament, the number of files to be collected remains between 1,500 and 2 thousand. The number of constituencies in which it is necessary to present oneself increases from a third to a half. The proposed amendment will be put to the vote between today and tomorrow.
Tension over preferences
Forza Italia, always against preferences, immediately revealed all its resentment at FdI's openness to opposition amendments. "FI will vote with conviction on the amendment on preferences presented by the majority. We trust in the seriousness and loyalty of the allies with respect to the agreements reached on the electoral law, certain that no one intends to open a political problem within the coalition", say Italian sources. For the League - Matteo Salvini specifies in the meantime - "the text is fine as it is", and therefore no changes.
Renzi: "Meloni does not fear allies, votes preferences and respects electoral promises"
Matteo Renzi made an appeal to Giorgia Meloni: "Don't be scared by Salvini and Tajani, also because he would be the only living being who is scared by Salvini and Tajani. Have the courage to go all the way, vote for our sub-amendment, go all the way, bring the preferences into the electoral law and if by chance Forza Italia and the League have the courage to vote against an open ballot here or against a secret ballot in the Chamber, Giorgia Meloni declare this government experience closed and bring us to elections in which the center-left is ahead in all the polls".
The premium at 42%
The centre-right coalition therefore still seems to be struggling to find the final square. However, the threshold for the premium was confirmed at 42% (and not 41%, the figure on which FdI had presented its own amendment).
The "anti-bushes" rule
However, the hypothesis of a run-off is definitively over: the hypothesis that it would be introduced in the exam at Palazzo Madama has waned due to the opposition of the Lega and FI. However, the issue of the "anti-bushes" rule remains to be resolved. There are three modification proposals on the table for the exclusion from the calculation of those under 2%, those under 1%, as provided for in the Rosatellum, but also a zero option: no votes excluded. A forecast that would see FdI favorable but with doubts from Lega and FI. What is certain is that around the Quirinale it would have been pointed out that, by setting a threshold for counting the votes for the coalition parties, with the novelty of the majority bonus, there is a real risk of an electoral outcome in conflict with the will expressed by the voters. Another matter is not to calculate them for the purposes of allocating seats, but for the calculation of the bonus the point is delicate.
