Meloni government loses election law vote by 1-vote margin

The right-wing coalition government led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suffered a 1-vote defeat in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of parliament, during a critical vote on a new election law.

In the secret ballot held in the 400-seat Chamber of Deputies, 187 deputies voted "Yes" and 188 voted "No" on the proposal, which aimed to allow voters to cast preferential votes for candidates on party lists. Consequently, the government-backed proposal was rejected.

The regulation in question had been brought to the agenda as part of an election law reform prepared by the Meloni government, which also included granting a bonus of additional seats to the alliance that wins the elections. The proposal was brought to the floor by Meloni's party, Brothers of Italy (FdI), and other parties in the right-wing bloc.

The result of the vote was met with joy on the opposition benches. Deputies from left-wing parties called for early elections in the General Assembly with chants of "elections, elections."

CALLS FOR RESIGNATION FROM THE OPPOSITION

Elly Schlein, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (PD), targeted the government following the vote. Schlein said, "It is time to go home and give the country a government that can solve the problems of the Italians. You must accept the failure and go home."

Giuseppe Conte, leader of the 5 Star Movement (M5S), also called for the government to resign, arguing that the ruling majority did not stand behind Meloni in this vote. Conte assessed the result as a political warning to the government.

Prime Minister Meloni, in a statement on her social media account, criticized the opposition by stating that they were trying to bring back the preferential voting system. Meloni said, "We tried to reintroduce the preferential vote to the election law after the closed-list system that has been in place for over 30 years. The results show that the left and the opposition voted against it en masse. However, there were also many votes missing within the ruling majority. We need to reflect on this. We tried, but the swamp won again. It is a missed opportunity for Italians, but it was the right thing to try."

Meloni also reacted to the opposition's joy after the vote, arguing that they prevented citizens from choosing their own deputies and said they celebrated this picture "as if they had won the World Cup."

Antonio Tajani, leader of coalition partner Forza Italia, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, described the result as a "road accident." Tajani stated that the vote did not mean a vote of confidence for the government and that the coalition would continue on its path.

In assessments in the Italian press, it was commented that although the League and Forza Italia announced that they would support the bill, some deputies from the ruling bloc may have voted differently in the secret ballot. It is stated that the vote will not bring down the government, but it is a heavy political result for Meloni about a year before the general elections.

News Source: 12punto