Italian Parliament Approves Significant Electoral Reforms
The Italian parliament recently approved a comprehensive set of electoral reforms led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, just ahead of the upcoming elections next year.
This reform package, referred to as the Stabilicum, transitions Italian elections to a fully proportional system. The aim is to enhance parliamentary stability in a country that has experienced considerable political unrest for decades before Meloni took office.
For the last 30 years, Italy has operated under a hybrid voting system where about one-third of parliament members were elected via a “first past the post” method, while the remainder were chosen through proportional representation.
The newly approved reforms also include a clause that grants additional parliamentary seats to the party or coalition that secures the highest vote share in an election, provided it surpasses a 42-percent threshold. Advocates of the reform argue that this would enable narrow victories to secure a more “comfortable” majority in parliament.
Additionally, parties looking to form a coalition government will now need to present a prime ministerial candidate along with their political program before any election.
The reform passed through a secret ballot, garnering 227 votes in favor and 164 against.
Celebrating the approval, Meloni took to social media, emphasizing that the restoration of preferential voting after three decades allows Italians to choose their representatives more directly. She expressed that citizens will now have the power to select “everything, the party, the coalition, the platform, the prime ministerial candidate.”
Meloni also highlighted that the reforms are intended to ensure stability and accountability for any future government, regardless of political alignment. “Whoever wins the election must be able to govern, and the elected must be accountable to those who chose them,” she asserted.
In her remarks, she suggested that stable governments foster greater accountability, which in turn can lead to more practical solutions for the Italian populace. Furthermore, she framed Thursday’s vote as a display of unity in the face of critics hoping for division within the center-right.
However, leftist politicians and opponents have criticized the reforms, labeling them the Melonellum—a nod to Meloni. They argue that the changes are a “scam” intended to benefit the prime minister and her Brothers of Italy party, driven by fear. Opposition parties have committed to contesting the reforms in the constitutional court.
Meloni’s administration has, notably, brought a rare period of governmental stability, a stark contrast to Italy’s history of 31 prime ministers and 68 governments since 1946. Last month, she became the longest-serving prime minister of Italy since World War II.
An earlier effort to reform the electoral system, also backed by Meloni, failed to pass in July by a single vote. At that time, she remarked, “We gave it a shot. The Swamp won again.”
Reportedly, Meloni warned her party and allies ahead of Thursday’s vote that she could resign, potentially prompting a snap election if the reforms were rejected. According to Italian law, new elections are required to occur by December 22, 2027, at the latest.
