Necva Tastan Sevinc
08 October 2026•Update: 08 October 2026
Italy’s Chamber of Deputies gave final approval on Thursday to a contested electoral reform backed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, in a 227 - 164 vote, public broadcaster Rai reported.
The lower house approved the legislation in a secret ballot on its third reading, following amendments adopted by the Senate.
Meloni welcomed the result as evidence of unity within her ruling center-right coalition.
“And to those who hoped to see the center-right divided, today we respond with action: we are united, united, and determined to fulfill the commitments we made to the citizens. Let’s keep going,” she wrote on US social media company X.
The reform provides for a proportional electoral system with a seat bonus for the leading political force or coalition reaching at least 42% of the vote. It also requires coalitions to identify their candidate for prime minister before the election.
Other changes include the return of preferential voting alongside party-selected candidates heading electoral lists, and provisions allowing voters away from their registered place of residence, including family caregivers, to cast ballots.
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani said the vote demonstrated that the majority remained solid and intended to seek another five years in government.
Opposition parties, however, criticized the provisions on candidate selection and women’s representation.
Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein said fewer than one in five lawmakers would be elected through preferential votes, arguing that party-selected list leaders would limit voters’ choices.
Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte similarly alleged that party leaderships would determine more than 80% of the next parliament’s membership. He also warned that list leaders could all be men.
A network opposing the reform has announced plans to file legal challenges once the legislation takes effect, seeking a referral to the Constitutional Court.
