Government: Meloni’s constitutional reform clears first hurdle

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s plans for a controversial constitutional reform have cleared a first hurdle. The Italian Senate approved a corresponding bill from the right-wing government.

Direct election of the head of government and majority bonus

The constitutional reform stipulates that the Prime Minister will no longer be commissioned by the President to form a government, but will be elected directly by the people for a five-year term. In addition, a majority bonus of 55 percent will be introduced for the most voted party. This bonus will automatically guarantee the winner of the election a comfortable majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate – even if they do not receive an absolute majority of the votes.

The bill to amend the constitution, approved by the Senate, will now be sent to the Chamber of Deputies for a vote. The bill failed to receive the two-thirds majority needed to avoid a referendum on Tuesday, with 109 votes. Nor is it expected to receive one in the Chamber of Deputies, so this was only a first step towards final approval.

In Italy, any constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of parliament. If this is not achieved, the matter must be voted on in a referendum. Most recently, the then Prime Minister Matteo Renzi failed in a constitutional referendum in 2016. He was subsequently forced to resign.

Call for united opposition

The three largest opposition parties demonstrated against the reform with thousands of supporters on Tuesday evening. Elly Schlein of the social democratic PD called on the chronically divided left to unite against the Meloni government’s plans: “This is a decisive step in Italian and European history. Let us be ready, united and close.” The head of the left-wing populist Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, also took part in the demonstration.

The government parties, however, were jubilant. Prime Minister Meloni described the vote as a first step to strengthen democracy. The reform would also give stability to Italian institutions, which would put an end to the palace games and give citizens back the right to choose who governs them, Meloni wrote in the evening on the online platform X (formerly Twitter).

Sharp criticism of government plans

The right-wing government in Rome wants to use the reform to combat the chronic instability of Italian governments. Since the end of the Second World War, Italy has had a total of almost 70 governments. Many agree that the political system must therefore be reformed. However, the reform has been sharply criticized by the opposition and constitutional lawyers.

They fear that Meloni’s reform could deprive parliament and the president of important powers. The role of the president, with his key balancing function, would be reduced. They also complain that power would be concentrated in a single person, thus turning the power structure on its head.

Meloni in government for almost two years

In the fall, Meloni will have been in government for two years. Since October 2022, her ultra-right Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) have been in power together with the conservative Forza Italia party and the right-wing populist Lega. The average duration of Italian governments is 18 months – Meloni’s right-wing alliance would then have been in power longer than usual by Italian standards. Constitutional reform as a solution to political instability was one of the governing coalition’s most important election promises.