Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni successfully pushed the controversial new electoral law through parliament in a final vote, thereby securing the future of her government. The reform cleared the last parliamentary hurdle in the Chamber of Deputies in Rome and was finally passed with 227 votes to 164. The Senate – the second chamber of Parliament – had already approved the project in mid-September.
The decision was eagerly awaited. Meloni had made the reform a test for her government and said failure would have consequences. The three previous votes of confidence on individual articles of electoral law on Tuesday and Wednesday were carried out by roll call, but today's final vote was secret. The opposition had therefore hoped for dissidents from the ranks of the government coalition.
The right-wing politician's attempt to redraft voting rights failed at the first attempt in July. Her coalition of three right-wing and conservative parties actually has a solid majority in parliament. That's why MPs from their own camp - known in Italy as "snipers" ("franchi tiratori") - must have voted against it at the time.
The defeat was delicate for Meloni at the time. There was correspondingly great concern within the coalition that it could also suffer defeat in today's secret final vote. Meloni had previously stated that failure would have unspecified consequences. There was speculation about early elections as a possible scenario.
With the reform, Meloni wants to ensure that the winner of a parliamentary election receives a majority bonus if he can get 42 percent of the vote. A new coalition would then get 70 additional seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 35 additional seats in the Senate. A narrow election victory could turn into a comfortable majority.
She justifies the reform with the need for stable majorities and long-term governments with a clear political direction. With a more stable majority, changes in government would no longer occur so frequently. Since the end of the war, Italy has had 70 governments. Meloni and her coalition have now held office longer than any other head of government - she has been in power in Rome for almost four years.
Meloni was satisfied with the result. “Stable governments and greater participation mean more continuity, more responsibility and more ability to give Italians concrete answers,” she wrote on Platform
The new electoral law is officially called “Stabilicum”. But some also call it “Melonellum” because, according to critics, it is tailored to the head of government’s retention of power. The left-wing opposition accuses Meloni of wanting to gain an advantage for herself, her right-wing party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) and the coalition as a whole.
In protest against certain contents of the new electoral law, the opposition politician Riccardo Magi from the Più Europa (More Europe) party even started a hunger strike at the end of September.
Despite the victory in the Chamber of Deputies, it is uncertain what effects the reform could actually have in the next election. Currently, both the three-party camp around Meloni and the center-left camp are almost on par at just over 42 percent. However, support for the two smaller coalition partners Lega by Matteo Salvini and Forza Italia by Antonio Tajani is currently dwindling.
If a party or coalition remains below the threshold of 42 percent in an election, the seats will be allocated using proportional representation and there is a risk of fragmentation. Instead of stability, there could be a threat of instability again.
The right-wing politician Roberto Vannacci with his newly founded party Futuro Nazionale (National Future), which was around eight percent and whose candidate last got around eleven percent in the by-election in Calabria at the end of September, could also become a decisive factor. The ex-army general is putting pressure on the Meloni government from even further to the right.
The legislative period officially ends in autumn 2027. However, an earlier election date is now being discussed. A merger with the local elections in numerous cities and municipalities next spring is being discussed.
However, there are also constitutional concerns. The Italian Constitutional Court could possibly thwart the government's plans and stop the reform. This is particularly true of the majority bonus. According to media reports, constitutional lawyers point to the court's case law, which has prohibited excessive distortion of the vote ratio in favor of the election winner.
