Frontrunner blocked by the parties, but up to three preferences for other candidates. Opposition in revolt, the reform moves forward despite tensions.
The Senate has approved the center-right's unified amendment on the electoral law, overcoming a delicate hurdle. The system stipulates that the lead candidate remains blocked (chosen by the party), while voters can express up to three preferences for the other candidates, with a mandatory gender alternation requirement. The majority regrouped after hours of tension, rejecting with 99 votes against the proposal from the Democratic Party (PD) that would have completely eliminated blocked lead candidates.
Brothers of Italy celebrated with signs in the chamber, claiming the return of preferences "at our proposal." The opposition shouted "Shame!", calling the system "halved preferences" and "sham" because it leaves control over the most favored candidates to the party secretariats. The biggest obstacle appears to be overcome, but the clash now shifts to gender quotas and the governability bonus.
The discussion on reforming Italy's electoral law stems from the desire to modify the "Rosatellum," the system introduced in 2017 that featured closed lists (without preference votes) and a mix of single-member constituencies and proportional representation. For decades, preference votes had been the norm, but they were eliminated to limit phenomena of clientelism and corruption. The battle for their return has been championed primarily by Brothers of Italy, which made it a key issue.
The path of the new law has been bumpy: in July, the government was "defeated" in the Chamber of Deputies precisely on an amendment regarding preference votes, revealing internal divisions. Now in the Senate, after days of negotiations among the majority parties (FdI, Lega, Forza Italia), a compromise has been reached that partially satisfies the different factions: preference votes are returning, but with significant limitations to maintain leadership control. The reform also aims to introduce a governability bonus (70 deputies and 35 senators) for those surpassing 42% of the votes, seeking to balance representativeness and governmental stability.
"Dentro la Notizia" (Inside the Story) is an amateur, non-profit section of quoz.it, created for people who find it hard to make sense of current affairs without some context. Articles are written with AI assistance from public sources, without a professional newsroom or systematic editorial review: they may contain inaccuracies and are not a substitute for registered news outlets. This is not a registered press outlet under Italian law (L. 62/2001). Images, when not original, come from external sources for illustrative purposes only. If you find an article offensive, inaccurate, or think it should not be published — or you hold rights to a text or image and want it removed — let us know and we will act promptly.
Contact:
info@quoz.it
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Write the first one!