Opposition parties in Italy accuse the government of prime minister Giorgia Meloni to try to change the electoral system before the general elections scheduled for 2027.
The criticism arose after the presentation of a reform proposal that would change the current voting model in the country. The project envisions the creation of a proportional system with majority bonuses.
According to the proposal, any party or coalition that obtains more than 40 percent of the vote would automatically be guaranteed a parliamentary majority.
O Democratic partyThe main center-left opposition party claims the proposal is politically motivated. The party accuses the government of "fearing defeat in the current electoral system" and of "changing the rules of the game without any real debate with the opposition."
How the current system works
Currently, Italy uses a mixed electoral system called Rosatellum.
About one third of parliamentarians are elected in single-member districts, where the candidate with the most votes wins.
The remaining two-thirds of the seats are distributed proportionally, based on the percentage of votes each party receives nationally for the House of Representatives and regionally for the Senate.
Parties need to obtain at least 3 percent of the vote to enter Parliament.
In the 2022 general elections, the system favored the right-wing coalition led by Meloni. The main opposition parties did not form a broad electoral alliance, which allowed the governing bloc to win a parliamentary majority.
What would change with the reform?
The proposal calls for the adoption of a fully proportional system with majority bonuses.
If a coalition surpasses 40 percent of the vote, it would automatically receive a majority of seats in Parliament.
If no coalition reaches that percentage, a second round would be held between the two blocs with the most votes, provided that both have at least 35 percent of the vote.
The minimum threshold of 3 percent for parties to enter Parliament would be maintained.
Experts say the reform could produce unexpected effects. Professor Nicola Lupo, from Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome, stated that the new model could generate different majorities in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
The proposal was presented to the Italian Parliament, where members of parliament and senators are expected to begin debating the project.
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