Italy: Meloni fails in parliamentary vote
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has suffered a defeat in parliament over a key point in her planned electoral reform. With 188 votes to 187, the Chamber of Deputies rejected a draft amendment proposed by her ruling party, Fratelli d'Italia. The amendment would have allowed voters to use preferential votes to rank individual candidates within a list.
A serious blow
Clearly there were also defectors within Meloni's own ranks, notes La Stampa:
“The slap in the face dealt to her by Parliament yesterday is far more serious than the impact of the rejected amendment. More serious because of the political importance Giorgia Meloni attached to this procedure, as if it were a vote of confidence on her as a leader and on her government. More serious because of the media spectacle with which she dominated the political stage. More serious, too, because of the way she handled the issue: with an iron fist rather than kid gloves vis-à-vis her opponents and allies alike. Some of the latter eventually rebelled, protected by the secrecy of the ballot. ... This was a vote against Giorgia Meloni.”
Stability bonus losing its shine
This will be a tough year for Meloni, predicts Corriere della Sera:
“Silvio Berlusconi used to say that his final year in office was the worst of his life. … And Giorgia Meloni should also realise that two days ago, the hour of reckoning struck for her, too. The final year of her term as prime minister has begun somewhat ahead of schedule. The parties that support her are not in good shape, and even her own party is in trouble. While Meloni still enjoys positive media coverage outside Italy, the setbacks she has suffered will soon attract attention abroad, and her so-called magic formula for stability will gradually start to lose its shine.”
Still holding the reins
The opposition should not jump the gun, warns the Süddeutsche Zeitung's Rome correspondent, Elisa Britzelmeier:
.“[Partito Democratico and Cinque Stelle] are already calling for Meloni's resignation. But they would be in no position to fight an election campaign. The two of them still haven't been able to agree on a candidate to run against Meloni. ... Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia party, however, is still number one in the polls. ... And for now, Meloni has only failed at an intermediary stage. And that does not impact the core of the reform that the opposition is rightly describing as dangerous: the new voting law would give the strongest party in a coalition a huge majority bonus. And that would favour Meloni”