Chamber of deputies to vote on "Stabilicum" on Thursday, with the prime minister's future tied to the outcome.Italy's lower house will this week hold the final votes on a controversial new electoral law that prime minister Giorgia Meloni has made a test of her government's survival.The law, dubbed "Stabilicum" by the governing coalition and "Melonellum" by the opposition, would replace the Rosatellum system used in the 2022 election. The senate approved it on 15 September by 113 votes to 71. The chamber of deputies now votes only on the articles the senate changed.   What the law does The system is mainly proportional, but includes a "governability bonus" of 70 extra deputies and 35 extra senators. It is awarded to a party or coalition that wins at least 42 per cent of the vote in both houses. If no one reaches that threshold, seats are allocated proportionally. Voters could cast up to three preferences for individual candidates, but the lead candidate on each list would remain fixed. Parties must name their choice of prime minister in their programme, though the name will not appear on the ballot. New parties without parliamentary representation would have to collect 6,000 signatures per constituency to stand, up from 1,500. Voters living away from home could vote in their place of residence after nine months there, and overseas constituencies would be cut. How the vote works Meloni's government has called confidence votes on the first three articles. Voting on the first two began on Tuesday and the third follows on Wednesday. These are by roll call, with each deputy voting in the open. Article 8, on voters living away from home, will be voted on normally as it has broad cross-party support. The decisive vote comes on Thursday on the text as a whole. The opposition has requested a secret ballot, which Chamber rules allow on electoral laws. In July, secret voting let around 50 coalition rebels defeat a government amendment on preferences. Meloni later reintroduced it in the senate, where secret ballots are not permitted. What is at stake for Meloni Meloni has repeatedly said she would consider her time in government over if the law fails, and has raised the prospect of early elections, probably in spring. A defeat would not formally bring down the government, but it would be a major political blow. The reform is partly a substitute for her stalled plan to directly elect the prime minister, which was defeated in July by one vote. It also suggests Meloni feared that, under the current system, re-election in 2027 was unlikely. Many first-term MPs would lose their parliamentary pension if parliament is dissolved early, which makes large-scale rebellion less likely. Opposition reaction The opposition has attacked several parts of the law. It has protested at the higher signature requirement, which it says hampers new parties. The centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) MP Francesco Boccia accused the government of pushing women out of parliament amid reports that the revised gender rules disadvantage female candidates compared with current law. Matteo Renzi of the centrist Italia Viva party said in the senate that the law exists because the governing parties fear losing. Riccardo Magi, leader of +Europa, is on the sixth day of a hunger strike to demand changes. Photo credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com

Italy's lower house will this week hold the final votes on a controversial new electoral law that prime minister Giorgia Meloni has made a test of her government's survival. The law, dubbed "Stabilicum" by the governing coalition and "Melonellum" by the opposition, would replace the Rosatellum system used in the 2022 election. The on 15 September by 113 votes to 71. The chamber of deputies now votes only on the articles the senate changed.   The system is mainly proportional, but includes a "governability bonus" of 70 extra deputies and 35 extra senators. It is awarded to a party or coalition that wins at least 42 per cent of the vote in both houses. If no one reaches that threshold, seats are allocated proportionally. Voters could cast up to three preferences for individual candidates, but the lead candidate on each list would remain fixed. Parties must name their choice of prime minister in their programme, though the name will not appear on the ballot. New parties without parliamentary representation would have to collect 6,000 signatures per constituency to stand, up from 1,500. Voters living away from home could vote in their place of residence after nine months there, and overseas constituencies would be cut. Meloni's government has called confidence votes on the first three articles. Voting on the first two began on Tuesday and the third follows on Wednesday. These are by roll call, with each deputy voting in the open. Article 8, on voters living away from home, will be voted on normally as it has broad cross-party support. The decisive vote comes on Thursday on the text as a whole. The opposition has requested a secret ballot, which Chamber rules allow on electoral laws. In July, secret voting let around 50 coalition rebels defeat a government amendment on preferences. Meloni later reintroduced it in the senate, where secret ballots are not permitted. Meloni has repeatedly said she would consider her time in government over if the law fails, and has raised the prospect of early elections, probably in spring. A defeat would not formally bring down the government, but it would be a major political blow. The reform is partly a substitute for to directly elect the prime minister, which was defeated in July by one vote. It also suggests Meloni feared that, under the current system, re-election in 2027 was unlikely. Many first-term MPs would lose their parliamentary pension if parliament is dissolved early, which makes large-scale rebellion less likely. The opposition has attacked several parts of the law. It has protested at the higher signature requirement, which it says hampers new parties. The centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) MP Francesco Boccia accused the government of pushing women out of parliament amid reports that the revised gender rules disadvantage female candidates compared with current law. Matteo Renzi of the centrist Italia Viva party said in the senate that the law exists because the governing parties fear losing. Riccardo Magi, leader of +Europa, is on the sixth day of a hunger strike to demand changes. Photo credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com