Italian Parliament Approves Electoral Law Boosting Meloni's Prospects

The Italian parliament approved an amendment to the electoral law today, Thursday, which opposition parties say was pushed through by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government to boost her chances of re-election next year.

The amendment stipulates the adoption of a fully proportional system that guarantees a parliamentary majority for any coalition obtaining more than 42% of the votes.

The amendment was passed with a majority of 227 votes against 164, after Meloni, leader of the far-right "Brothers of Italy" party, informed her ruling coalition that she would resign if its passage failed.

Counterproductive results
The current electoral system in Italy combines simple majority voting and proportional representation, and neither the right nor the left is expected to secure an absolute majority in parliament in the upcoming elections, according to "AFP".

Meloni's coalition believes that enacting a new law is necessary to strengthen political stability in Italy, but experts warn that it may backfire and pave the way for the left to win in the 2027 elections.

Minister for Parliamentary Relations Luca Ciriani said the electoral amendment will allow "guaranteeing governability," adding that it will also benefit voters by requiring parties and coalitions to clarify their government programs and name their prime ministerial candidates "long before the elections".

This could pose a problem for the center-left, which differs on fundamental political issues and has not yet united behind a single leader.

The opposition pledged to vote against the amendment, which was also approved by the Senate.

Chiara Braga, head of the Democratic Party bloc, the main opposition party, in the Chamber of Deputies, told AFP that the proposal "twists democratic rules to serve the interests of those in power".

Open landscape
Meloni's "Brothers of Italy" party and its allies enjoy a parliamentary majority, but tensions have emerged within the coalition ahead of the next legislative elections.

Thursday's vote was conducted by secret ballot, which may have allowed rebellious MPs within the party to vote against the amendment.

Earlier, Giovanni Orsina, professor of political science at Luiss University in Rome, said the passage of the law was "highly likely".

He added that "Meloni does not face significant risks" in the Chamber of Deputies vote, "but the law creates a completely open landscape for competition, and therefore she is exposed to losing the elections".

Under the proposed system, any coalition receiving more than 42% of the votes automatically obtains a parliamentary majority, as 70 additional seats are granted in the Chamber of Deputies and 35 in the Senate.

However, reaching this threshold may be difficult for either side.

Last September, Meloni became the head of the longest-lasting government in Italian history since World War II, but her coalition is losing support to former army general Roberto Vannacci and his new party "Futuro Nazionale" (National Future).

Meloni's term officially ends in October 2027, but she may choose to bring forward the elections to October or May.