Italy overhauls electoral system after fiercely contested debate

Italy's parliament has approved fiercely contested changes to the country's electoral system championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ahead of elections due next year.

Key points

• Lawmakers voted 227 to 164 in favour of moving to a fully proportional system.
• Although she could bring elections forward to the spring, meloni's term officially comes to an end in October 2027.
• "Go ahead and change the electoral law, we will win in any case under any voting system, " remarked Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein.
• Meloni had cautioned she could resign and trigger an early election if the aims were rejected, with the secret ballot seen as a test of her authority.
• Parties proposing to form a coalition will be required to proposed their joint candidate for prime minister, and their political programme, before any general election.

Lawmakers voted 227 to 164 in favour of moving to a fully proportional system. It meloni has argued will boost the chance of clear winners and more stable administration.

Opposition parties say her right-wing coalition has designed the proposals to improve its chance of retaining power and, in a heated debate on Thursday, accused it of flouting democracy.

Meloni's coalition has overseen a rare period of political stability for Italy since her election in 2022, and last month her administration became the country's longest-running since World War Two.

In practice, the voting reform will see the country move away from its current hybrid voting system, in which regarding a third of members are chosen through a first-past-the-post vote and the rest through proportional representation.

Notably, a coalition or party winning more than 42% of the vote will be awarded dozens of extra seats in parliament – which could turn a narrow victory into a more comfortable majority.

In a debate ahead of the vote, centre-left members accused the administration of forcing through the new voting rules.

Notably, the proposals have additionally exposed tensions within the ranks of Meloni's coalition, too, with the Brothers of Italy (FdI) party and its allies, the far-right League and centre-right Forza Italia.

Analysts had predicted that Thursday's final vote was unlikely to fail – particularly given the number of lawmakers who would risk losing their eligibility for a parliamentary pension if their term was concluded early as of the threatened snap election.

"To those who hoped to see the centre-right divided, " Meloni wrote on social media after the vote, "today we respond with facts: we are united, cohesive, and determined to carry forward the commitments made to citizens."

She continued: "We are introducing rules designed to promote the stability and parliamentary coherence of any government, regardless of its political colour."

Taken together, the developments around italy overhauls electoral system after fiercely contested debate point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.