Overview
- The Chamber of Deputies approved the government’s electoral bill on Thursday 16 July by 217 votes to 152 with two abstentions and sent the text to the Senate for further scrutiny.
- Two days earlier, deputies rejected a key amendment to introduce voter ‘preferences’ by a single vote in a secret ballot leaving candidates chosen from blocked party lists rather than by individual voter choice.
- Italian media and party figures report roughly thirty coalition MPs defied the government’s instruction on the preferences vote, prompting a hunt for dissidents and public finger‑pointing at Forza Italia and the League which both deny responsibility.
- Giorgia Meloni called the preferences defeat a missed opportunity and opposition parties immediately demanded her resignation while commentators said the episode has visibly weakened her majority and fuelled speculation about an early election.
- The reform replaces the mixed system with proportional allocation plus a majority bonus designed to secure a working majority and the Senate stage will determine whether the government can repair internal fractures ahead of the 2027 vote.