Giorgio Meloni faces a dramatic setback in a close vote on Italy’s electoral reforms
Italy’s coalition government, Giorgio Meloni, has lost a key vote on an electoral reform amendment – a major setback ahead of next year’s general election.
In a secret vote in the Italian parliament on Wednesday evening, MPs rejected the proposal led by his party, the Brothers of Italy (FdI), by 188 out of 187 votes – indicating that most of Meloni’s MPs voted against the amendment.
In an angry post on social media after the vote, he said the result was “a lost opportunity for Italians”.
“The opposition parties are celebrating as if they won the World Cup, by preventing citizens from electing members of parliament it means everything,” he added, referring to the opposition parties’ jubilant scenes in parliament.
Meloni has not responded to opposition calls for him to resign and call for general elections, currently scheduled for the fall of 2027.
The proposed change would see Italy move to a fully balanced system that would give a bonus to the party or coalition with the largest share of the vote, even if it falls short of a majority.
It would also require coalitions to agree on a single platform and a single candidate for prime minister – something many parties, which tend to campaign separately, would find unpopular.
An amendment rejected in Tuesday’s election was a provision for preference voting, which allows voters to select candidates from a list. Although that element was rejected, the government could continue to move forward with the remaining electoral reforms.
Meloni said the change would lead to a weakened government and greater stability in Italy.
But opposition parties have criticized it as “sanctioned” and an attempt to secure a majority in next year’s general election.
From 2022, Giorgia Meloni led a coalition government made up of centre-right and right-wing parties, as well as her own radical FdI.
But tensions within the coalition have increased as the number of parties has declined. They were tense before Tuesday’s vote – which the FdI’s junior allies had doubts about – which ultimately led to the amendment’s defeat.
Meanwhile, the center-left and left-wing opposition groups are preparing to form a united front against Meloni next year, adding to his concerns.
They have already successfully campaigned against a government-backed referendum on constitutional reform in the spring, which Meloni’s camp lost the first major blow to his government.
If he is to win a safe majority next year, Meloni will have to extend his appeal to the center or radical groups, such as the emerging National Future (FN) of Roberto Vannacci.
Vannacci, a former paratrooper, launched the FN earlier this year after breaking away from Matteo Salvini’s League party. The FN is a Eurosceptic, hard-right supporter of immigration – the deportation of many people with a migrant background. It now polls around 6%, ahead of the League’s 5.6%.
Barring an early vote or a postponement, if elections are held in September 2027, Meloni will be the first Italian prime minister to serve a full term with a single government since 1946.
