Italy’s Parliament Approves Meloni’s Controversial Electoral Reforms amid Opposition Criticism

Italy’s political opposition has accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s governing coalition of attempting to remain in power by changing the country’s electoral laws. The criticism centres on a controversial reform that would award additional parliamentary seats to the winning coalition in next year’s general election. The bill has secured three confidence votes in the lower house, with a final secret ballot scheduled for Thursday. It was approved on Wednesday by 228 votes to 144, bringing the government closer to securing final approval for the reforms.

The proposed changes would replace Italy’s current electoral system, which combines directly elected constituency seats with proportional representation, with a fully proportional system that awards a seat bonus to the winning coalition if it secures at least 42 per cent of the vote. Meloni’s governing coalition argues that the reforms would ensure greater political stability. Opposition parties, however, have condemned the proposal, accusing the coalition of changing the rules out of fear of losing the 2027 election. They have also questioned the constitutionality of the seat-bonus mechanism.

According to Italian news agency ANSA, Anna Ascani of the opposition Democratic Party said the legislation was characterized by “fear, lies, contempt and failure.” She criticized the bill for being pushed through at the last minute during the final year of the current parliamentary term. Under the proposed system, the winning coalition would receive a bonus of 105 parliamentary seats: 70 in the Chamber of Deputies and 35 in the Senate. If no coalition reaches the 42 per cent threshold, or if different coalitions win in the two chambers, seats would be distributed proportionally without a bonus. The bill would also require coalitions to name their candidate for prime minister before the election. Voters would be allowed to express preferences for up to three candidates on party lists. Critics argue, however, that leading candidates would still effectively be guaranteed parliamentary seats.

Meloni has rejected allegations that the reforms were designed to benefit her own coalition, insisting that they would promote political stability regardless of which alliance wins the election. In June, she said she did not believe the law favored the Centre-right, arguing that whoever won the election would have enough parliamentary seats to govern. The reforms have also raised concerns within Meloni’s own coalition. According to the Financial Times, some lawmakers fear that the new rules could instead benefit a united Centre-left opposition or smaller rival parties. The bill has already passed the Senate and is now facing its final hurdle in the lower house. Italy’s next general election is expected to take place in 2027.