The new electoral law has been approved: goodbye to the Rosatellum, the proportional system with a majority bonus returns.

The Chamber of Deputies today gave final approval to the new electoral law. The text passed with 227 votes in favor and 164 against, marking the end of the mixed system known as the Rosatellum.

The new legislation abolishes single-member constituencies and introduces a proportional system with a governability bonus. The bonus will be awarded to the list or coalition receiving the most votes that achieves at least 42% of the valid votes in each Chamber.

Among other new features, the law reintroduces preferential voting after the top candidate and revises the electoral thresholds, the methods for collecting signatures, and voting procedures for Italians abroad.

The Italian electoral law has undergone numerous changes in recent decades, often criticized for its complexity and for failing to ensure governmental stability. The last reform, the so-called Rosatellum, was introduced in 2017 and established a mixed system: one-third of seats allocated through a first-past-the-post method in single-member constituencies, and two-thirds through proportional representation.

The debate over a new reform gained renewed momentum after the 2023 general elections, which resulted in a fragmented Parliament, making it difficult to form stable governments. The proposal for a proportional system with a majority bonus aims precisely to overcome this instability, ensuring the most voted party a solid parliamentary majority.

The path of the new law began with a parliamentary proposal that garnered broad cross-party support. After approval in the Senate, the final passage in the Chamber now marks the enactment of the reform, which will be applied for the first time in the next general elections, with the stated goal of strengthening the country's governability.