by InTrieste
Italy’s Chamber of Deputies is set to hold a final vote Thursday on a proposed overhaul of the country’s electoral system, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni portraying the outcome as a test of her government’s future.
The bill, known as the “Stabilicum” by the governing coalition and “Melonellum” by its opponents, would replace the electoral system used in the 2022 election. The Senate approved the measure on Sept. 15 by 113 votes to 71. The lower house is now considering amendments made by the Senate.
The proposed system would remain largely proportional but introduce a “governability bonus” of 70 additional seats in the Chamber and 35 in the Senate for a party or coalition winning at least 42 percent of the vote in both houses. If no group reaches the threshold, seats would be distributed proportionally.
Voters would be allowed up to three preferences for individual candidates, while the lead candidate on each party list would remain predetermined. Parties would also be required to identify their preferred prime minister in their electoral programs, although the name would not appear on the ballot.
The bill would raise the number of signatures required for new parties without parliamentary representation to run for election, from 1,500 to 6,000 per constituency. It would also allow Italians who have lived away from their registered residence for at least nine months to vote where they live and reduce the number of overseas constituencies.
The government has called confidence votes on the first three articles of the bill. The first two are being considered Tuesday, with the third scheduled for Wednesday. The final vote on the legislation as a whole is expected Thursday.
The opposition has requested a secret ballot, which is permitted for electoral legislation. A secret vote in July allowed about 50 members of the governing coalition to defeat a government amendment concerning candidate preferences. The provision was later reintroduced in the Senate, where secret ballots are not allowed.
Meloni has said repeatedly that she would regard defeat of the electoral reform as a serious political setback and has raised the possibility of early elections, potentially next spring. Failure to pass the bill would not automatically force her government to resign, but it could weaken her coalition.
The reform follows the collapse in July of Meloni’s separate proposal to introduce the direct election of the prime minister. That measure was defeated in the Chamber by a single vote.
Opposition parties have criticized the bill, particularly the higher signature requirement for new political groups and provisions they say could reduce women’s representation. Francesco Boccia of the center-left Democratic Party has accused the government of weakening existing protections for female candidates.
Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia Viva, said the reform reflected the governing parties’ concern about losing power. Riccardo Magi, leader of the +Europa party, has been on a hunger strike to press for changes to the legislation.
