New Electoral Law Passes in Italy's Parliament
The lower house of the Italian parliament has approved a new electoral system supported by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that awards a majority bonus to coalitions surpassing 42% of the vote.
The lower house of the Italian parliament has given final approval to a controversial new electoral law spearheaded by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ahead of general elections planned for next year.
Completely Proportional System
The new reform replaces the previous mixed system—where two-thirds of the seats were distributed by proportional representation and one-third on a majoritarian basis—with a completely proportional system.
Majority Bonus and Threshold
To enhance stability, any coalition winning more than 42% of the vote is guaranteed a working majority and granted an extra seat bonus.
Seat Limitations
To prevent excessively large majorities, the bonus is capped so that the winning side cannot receive more than 220 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 113 seats in the Senate.
Prime Ministerial Candidacy
Each coalition or party outside of a coalition will name its candidate for prime minister, though this designation will not be legally binding since the president of Italy formally selects the prime minister according to the Italian Constitution.
Thresholds and Signature Requirements
Coalitions must win at least 10% of the vote to enter parliament, while individual parties must secure 3%, and the number of signatures required for parties outside parliament has been increased.