Italy's ruling coalition will continue efforts to reform the country's election law, despite a single-vote defeat on a key amendment regarding preference voting. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the setback a "missed opportunity."
The vote outcome highlights internal divisions within Meloni's coalition and could impact her ability to pass future legislation, potentially affecting government stability and her re-election prospects.
Italy's right-wing coalition government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has pledged to continue its efforts to reform the country's election law, despite suffering a significant parliamentary defeat on a key aspect of the proposed legislation. The setback occurred Tuesday when a secret ballot on a proposal to allow electors to express preference votes for candidates on party lists was lost by a single vote.
This defeat, attributed in part to defections from within the ruling coalition itself, has exposed internal divisions and triggered calls for Meloni's resignation from opposition parties. The loss is a blow to the prime minister, who has been in power since 2022, following a previous defeat on a justice reform referendum in March. Enrico Costa, the lower house leader for Forza Italia, one of the coalition parties, stated that it is crucial to proceed with the law to ensure stability and ruled out the possibility of a wider political crisis.
Approximately 30 lawmakers from the ruling bloc, which includes Brothers of Italy, the League, and Forza Italia, reportedly defied the government's directive in the vote. Meloni expressed her frustration on Facebook, stating, "We gave it a try. The swamp won again." Analyst Lorenzo Pregliasco suggested on X that the outcome appeared to be the result of "multiple pockets of discontent" rather than a coordinated revolt.
The proposed electoral system aimed for a fully proportional representation with a seat bonus for any coalition securing more than 42% of the vote, intended to guarantee a stable majority. The current system involves a mix of first-past-the-post and proportional representation. Opposition parties have criticized the reform, arguing it is designed to benefit Meloni's party and boost her re-election prospects, as the first-past-the-post elements she seeks to abolish tend to favor the center-left. Recent polls indicate that the ruling coalition is trailing the center-left alliance, raising concerns about a potential hung parliament in the 2027 election.