Updated
Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jul 16
Italy Lower House Approves Electoral Reform 217-152, Sending 42% Majority Bonus Plan to Senate
Updated
Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jul 16

Italy Lower House Approves Electoral Reform 217-152, Sending 42% Majority Bonus Plan to Senate

3 articles · Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jul 16

Summary

  • 217 lawmakers backed Giorgia Meloni’s electoral reform against 152 opposed, with two abstentions, moving the bill from Italy’s lower house to the Senate.
  • The proposal would scrap Italy’s mixed voting system and replace it with a fully proportional model that allocates all seats by parties’ national vote share.
  • A coalition winning more than 42% of the vote would be guaranteed a governing majority under the plan, a mechanism the government says would ensure stability.
  • Opposition parties argue the bill is designed to entrench the right in power; the government aims for final Senate approval after parliament returns from its summer recess in early September.

Insights

Is Italy's new 'majority bonus' a cure for instability or a power grab that undermines democratic fairness?
Could Meloni's electoral law backfire, fracturing her coalition and empowering rivals ahead of the 2027 election?