Italy’s parliament approves Meloni-backed electoral reform after contested vote

Italy’s parliament gave final approval on Thursday, 8 October, to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s contested electoral reform, with the Chamber of Deputies voting 227 to 164. The measure would change how both chambers are elected and could affect the balance of seats at the next general election. It still requires presidential promulgation and publication before taking effect.

The final vote was held by secret ballot, according to the Associated Press. It followed earlier passage in the Chamber on 16 July and an amended version approved by the Senate on 15 September, according to the Chamber’s research service. The lower house vote completed the parliamentary stage of a bill that had returned for a second reading.

How Italy’s new voting rules would allocate seats

The legislation would replace the mixed system established under Italy’s 2017 electoral law with a proportional system. Under the current arrangement, about a third of lawmakers are elected in first-past-the-post contests and the remainder through proportional representation, the BBC reports. The existing system was used for the 2018 and 2022 general elections, according to Pagella Politica.

A party or coalition receiving at least 42% of the vote could receive additional seats. Pagella Politica says the bonus would be 70 seats in the Chamber and 35 in the Senate, subject to ceilings of 220 and 113 seats respectively. If no party or coalition reaches the threshold, seats would instead be allocated proportionally without a bonus.

Other provisions would affect the choices voters see and how candidates qualify. Pagella Politica says constituency lists would have seven candidates, alternating by gender, with up to three preference votes available to voters; the first candidate on each list would be fixed by the party. It reports a national 3% threshold for individual lists to win seats, with an exception for the leading sub-3% list in a coalition that wins at least 10%.

Pagella Politica also reports tougher signature requirements for parties without parliamentary representation when an election is called: 6,000 to 7,000 signatures per constituency, compared with 1,500 to 2,000 previously. Its account says the overall requirement could exceed 300,000 signatures. These provisions matter for smaller or newer parties as well as for established coalitions seeking the seat bonus.

Why Meloni’s plan has drawn opposition

Meloni says the changes are designed to produce clearer election outcomes and more stable governments. After the vote, she described her coalition as ‘united, cohesive, and determined’ and said the rules were intended to promote stability and parliamentary coherence regardless of a government’s political colour, according to the BBC.

Opposition parties dispute that case. The Associated Press reports that they consider the majority bonus distortive, argue that the law is unconstitutional and intend to challenge it before the Constitutional Court once it takes effect. Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein told lawmakers: ‘Go ahead and change the electoral law, we will win in any case under any voting system,’ the BBC reports. The constitutional argument remains a political claim unless and until a court rules on it.

The proposal has also caused unease within Meloni’s governing coalition. The Associated Press reports that some lawmakers fear it could backfire if Roberto Vannacci’s National Future party takes votes from the bloc. Others object to provisions they say would increase campaign costs and reduce women’s representation. Those concerns show that the political effects of the rules remain contested even among parties backing the government.

What happens before the next Italian election

Parliamentary approval is not the final step. Pagella Politica says President Sergio Mattarella must promulgate the measure and it must be published in the Official Gazette before it becomes fully effective law. Its account also says a previously proposed runoff between the two leading parties or coalitions was removed: under the approved version, nobody receives the bonus if no contender reaches 42%.

Italy’s next general election is due in 2027. Meloni’s term formally ends in October that year, although an election could be brought forward to the spring, the BBC reports. Whether the new rules will determine the next contest, how parties will organise around the 42% threshold, and whether a legal challenge will alter the measure remain open questions.