Meloni Pushes New Italian Electoral Law to Secure Government Stability
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s governing majority has agreed on a proposed electoral reform that would replace the current Rosatellum system with a proportional framework featuring a majority...
- The reform proposal emerged following overnight negotiations at the headquarters of Fratelli d’Italia on via della Scrofa, as reported by Il Sole 24 Ore.
- Under the drafted text, any party or coalition that secures more than 40 percent of the vote will receive a majority bonus to guarantee parliamentary control, as detailed...
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s governing majority has agreed on a proposed electoral reform that would replace the current Rosatellum system with a proportional framework featuring a majority bonus and a 3 percent threshold for the 2027 general election, according to reporting from Il Sole 24 Ore and Corriere della Sera.
The reform proposal emerged following overnight negotiations at the headquarters of Fratelli d’Italia on via della Scrofa, as reported by Il Sole 24 Ore. Prime Minister Meloni pushed for the rapid agreement to lock down voting rules ahead of a scheduled justice referendum on March 22 and 23. According to Il Sole 24 Ore, supporters of the change have informally dubbed the proposed mechanism the "Stabilicum" to emphasize government stability.
Core Mechanics of the Proposed Electoral Reform
Under the drafted text, any party or coalition that secures more than 40 percent of the vote will receive a majority bonus to guarantee parliamentary control, as detailed by Il Sole 24 Ore and Euronews. If no single list or coalition reaches the 40 percent threshold, a run-off provision modeled after the Italicum framework will kick in between the top two contenders, provided each secures at least 35 percent of the vote. If neither reaches 35 percent, the system reverts to proportionality.
To distribute the majority bonus, the proposal relies on separate party lists, adding 70 deputies to bring the total to 230 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, which amounts to roughly 57.5 percent of the chamber, according to Il Sole 24 Ore. Senate figures would be halved. Constitutional experts cited by Il Sole 24 Ore, including former lawmaker Stefano Ceccanti, warn that exceeding a 55 percent seat share could breach constitutional limits by granting a majority the unilateral power to elect the President of the Republic without cross-party consensus.
Compromises Among Governing Allies
To secure consensus among right-wing coalition partners, Fratelli d’Italia dropped several of its initial proposals, according to Il Sole 24 Ore. The draft submitted to the constitutional affairs committees does not include Meloni’s proposal to place the candidate prime minister’s name directly on the ballot paper. Instead, parties must designate their coalition leader when presenting candidate lists.
The text also drops preferential voting, which had faced opposition from Lega and Forza Italia, opting instead for small closed lists utilizing existing plurinominal constituencies, as reported by Il Sole 24 Ore.
Opposition Response and Current Political Context
Opposition parties have sharply criticized the timing and structure of the proposal. According to Euronews, the Democratic Party accused the government of altering electoral rules out of fear of defeat under the existing system and pushing through changes without adequate debate with opponents.
Italy currently uses the mixed Rosatellum system, where roughly one-third of lawmakers are elected in single-member districts and two-thirds proportionally, with a 3 percent barrier. That framework enabled Meloni’s right-wing bloc to secure a majority in the 2022 general election after opposition parties failed to form a unified electoral alliance, as noted by Euronews.