The Senate approved an ambitious reform of the Italian constitution on Tuesday, paving the way for the direct election of the prime minister, though it now faces a potentially uncertain journey to becoming law.
Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni has strongly advocated for this change, calling it “the mother of all reforms.”
However, it encounters tough opposition from rival parties and will almost certainly require a referendum to be implemented.
Within the proposal, the prime minister would be elected for a five-year term, and the coalition backing the winning candidate would be allocated at least 55% of the seats to ensure a functional majority in both houses of parliament, Reuters reports.
Meloni's right-wing coalition argues that the new law will address Italy's chronic political instability, evidenced by nearly 70 governments since World War Two, and enhance the nation's democratic process.
However, critics argue that the bill could lead to chaos, as voters could choose one person for prime minister while selecting lawmakers from a different party. Israel attempted a similar system in the 1990s but abandoned it because it failed to provide the promised stability.
Former prime minister Mario Monti informed the Senate that the bill would undermine Italy's ability to respond swiftly to severe crises, citing his own experience in 2011 when he was appointed by the then-president to manage a financial crisis.
“The reform will no longer allow the degrees of flexibility in the system that have sometimes proven useful in emergencies in Italy,” he stated.
Any constitutional amendment must be approved by both houses of parliament twice, requiring a two-thirds majority for the final two votes. If this majority is not achieved, a referendum must be held.
The vote in the Senate on Tuesday was won by 109 votes to 77.
“This reform is fundamental for us. It strengthens democracy and freedom against any totalitarian and extremist temptations,” stated Maurizio Gasparri, a senator with the ruling Forza Italia party.
Meloni has vowed to vigorously campaign for the change, arguing that technocratic governments should no longer be imposed on the country, as was the case during the COVID crisis in 2021 when former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi became premier.