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. Green light for the majority's unitary amendment which introduces the preference mechanism into the reform with blocked leaders. All opposition modification proposals were rejected except for one drafting technique approved unanimously. There were 97 yes votes, 67 against and 2 abstentions. The text provides the possibility of expressing up to three preferences with gender alternation (under penalty of cancellation of the second and third preferences in the list order) with a cross marked next to one of the six names written on the card, alternating from the first name under the head of the list. The gender quota of 60 to 40 for the leaders foreseen by the Rosatellum has jumped. Previously, Palazzo Madama rejected the Pd sub-amendment 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. 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).
Meloni: "Preferences return on FdI's proposal, the left is not credible"
"Preferences, in voting for Parliament, had been missing since 1993, that is for almost 35 years. Today they are back because the centre-right has chosen to reintroduce them, on the proposal of the Brothers of Italy", Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on social media. "To the left, which today claims that it is not enough, I must remind you that those who have never wanted them in these 35 years and voted to reject them even a month ago are not credible on this issue. Therefore - he concludes - the difference is not between those who want more preferences and those who want fewer. It is between those who have put them back into the law and those who have not".
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 coalition electoral 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.
See also
Electoral law, Minister Casellati: "Regulation not for opportunism but to give opportunities"
Renzi: "Meloni does not fear allies, votes preferences and respects electoral promises"
Matteo Renzi had made an appeal to Giorgia Meloni: "Don't be scared by Salvini and Tajani, also because you 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 center-right coalition seems to be advancing towards the final square. The threshold for the premium was confirmed at 42% (and not 41%, the figure on which FdI had presented its own amendment).
Read also
Electoral law, FdI considers voting on Pd amendments on preferences
