Italy's Meloni suffers surprise setback in close vote on electoral reform

Italy's Meloni faces unexpected defeat in tight electoral reform vote

Giorgia Meloni characterized the narrow loss in the Chamber of Deputies as a "missed opportunity for Italians."

The coalition government led by Giorgia Meloni in Italy has experienced a significant setback after losing a vital vote on an amendment related to electoral reform, just ahead of the upcoming general election next year.

During a secret ballot in the lower house of parliament on Wednesday evening, members of parliament rejected a proposal championed by her party, Brothers of Italy (FdI), by a margin of 188 votes to 187, suggesting that some of Meloni's own MPs voted against the amendment.

Following the vote, Meloni expressed her frustration in a social media post, stating that the outcome represented "a missed opportunity for Italians."

She criticized the opposition for celebrating as if they had won the World Cup, saying, "for preventing citizens from choosing their parliamentarians says it all," in reference to the jubilant reactions from opposition parties in parliament.

Meloni did not respond to the opposition's calls for her resignation or for an earlier general election, which is currently scheduled for autumn 2027.

The proposed reform aimed to transition Italy to a fully proportional electoral system, which would grant a bonus to the party or coalition receiving the largest share of votes, even if they do not achieve a majority. Additionally, coalitions would need to agree on a unified platform and a single candidate for prime minister—an arrangement that many parties, which typically campaign independently, would find difficult to accept.

The amendment that was defeated in Tuesday's vote included a provision for preference voting, allowing voters to select their preferred candidates from a list. Although this aspect was rejected, the government can still pursue the remaining elements of the electoral reform.

Meloni has contended that the reform would lead to more stable government coalitions and greater stability in Italy. However, opposition parties have labeled it as "authoritarian" and an effort to secure a majority in the forthcoming general election.

Since 2022, Giorgia Meloni has been at the helm of a coalition government comprising centre-right and right-wing parties, along with her own hard-right FdI. However, tensions within the coalition have escalated as the individual popularity of the parties has waned. These tensions intensified before Tuesday's vote, as FdI's junior partners expressed reservations, ultimately leading to the amendment's defeat.

Meanwhile, centre-left and left-wing opposition parties are gearing up to form a united front against Meloni in the upcoming year, adding to her challenges. They successfully collaborated in a campaign against a government-backed referendum on constitutional reform in the spring, which resulted in a significant loss for Meloni's camp.

To secure a more stable majority next year, Meloni may need to broaden her appeal either towards the center or to more extreme factions, such as Roberto Vannacci's newly formed National Future (FN).

Vannacci, a former paratrooper, established FN earlier this year after breaking away from Matteo Salvini's League party. The FN is a Eurosceptic, hard-right advocate of remigration, which involves the mass deportation of individuals with a migrant background. It currently polls at approximately 6%, surpassing the League's 5.6%.

Unless there is an early election or a government reshuffle, if elections take place in September 2027, Meloni will be the first Italian prime minister to serve a full term with a single government since 1946.

The defeat in the referendum has left Italy's Meloni appearing more vulnerable.