Italy's lower house advances electoral reform to Senate

Italy's lower house on Thursday approved a contentious electoral reform bill proposed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's ruling coalition, paving the way for the legislation to be considered by the Senate, ANSA news agency reported.

The measure passed by 217 votes to 152, with two lawmakers abstaining.

The proposed reform would replace Italy's current hybrid electoral system, which combines first-past-the-post and proportional representation, with a proportional model that awards additional seats to a coalition securing at least 42% of the national vote.

Under the bill, the winning coalition would receive 70 extra seats in the lower house and 35 in the Senate, giving it a stable parliamentary majority.

If no coalition reaches the required threshold, or if the lower house and Senate elections produce different winning coalitions, seats would instead be distributed under a fully proportional system.

Opposition parties accused the government of rewriting the electoral rules ahead of next year's general election to improve its chances of remaining in power.

The vote followed a defeat for the ruling coalition earlier this week, when a proposed amendment allowing voters to indicate preferences for candidates on party lists was rejected in a secret ballot after several coalition lawmakers broke ranks.

Opposition parties renewed calls for early elections, while the government rejected the demand.