The ‘Stabilicum’ law grants a seat bonus to the winning coalition and showcases center-right unity ahead of the 2027 elections.

On Thursday, the Italian Parliament handed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a victory by giving final approval to her electoral reform, a key measure ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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After a long and difficult legislative process, the text was approved in the Chamber of Deputies by 227 votes in favor and 164 against from the center-left opposition bloc. All of it came down to a secret ballot that had fueled the risk of dissident lawmakers.

With this step, Meloni pushes through a flagship reform in her final year of the legislative term and displays the unity of her coalition with the conservative Forza Italia (FI) and the far-right League, which have often disagreed on some aspects of the new system.

“With the final approval of the new electoral law, when Italians vote again they will be able to choose everything: the party, the coalition, the platform, the candidate for prime minister and, again, their Parliament,” Meloni celebrated.

The text reads, “The Right is pushing through the “Melonellum” and changing the rules of the game less than a year before the elections because it fears defeat. The majority is imposing an electoral law that makes a mockery of citizens with sham preferential votes and introduces a covert form of executive leadership.”

A Bet on Stability: The ‘Stabilicum’

The ‘Stabilicum’ law seeks to shore up the stability of future governments and correct the chronic volatility of the Italian political system, which has accumulated 68 administrations in its 80 years as a democratic republic.

To that end, as its main novelty, the law grants a seat “bonus” (70 in the Chamber of Deputies and 35 in the Senate) to the list or coalition that exceeds 42% of the vote at the polls.

It also restores a system of locked lead candidates combined with the possibility for voters to express preferences for other candidates, a formula that had generated disagreements among the government’s partners during negotiations.

Closing Ranks in the Coalition

The approval of the Stabilicum law has represented a show of strength for Meloni, who manages to close ranks after the tensions experienced during the law’s passage between her Brothers of Italy party and the allies with whom she has remained in power for four years.

All alarms had gone off in July, when several lawmakers from the right-wing majority itself voted anonymously against a section of the text in the Senate.

That insubordination fueled rumors for weeks of a definitive boycott by the so-called “snipers,” the defectors in the Lower Chamber. However, that risk has been dispelled today, as has the prime minister’s political horizon.

“To those who hoped to see the center-right divided, today we respond with facts: we are united, cohesive, and determined to fulfill the commitments made to citizens,” Meloni boasted.

Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, a Forza Italia member, celebrated the approval of the reform and argued that the new system will guarantee political stability and strengthen Italy’s international credibility.

“We say ‘yes’ to lasting governments capable of carrying out the platforms presented to citizens; ‘no’ to those political intrigues so beloved by the left that betray the decisions of voters,” the Foreign Minister wrote on X.

The text reads, “The ruling majority has passed an electoral law tailor-made for those already in power. Parties continue to hand-pick the candidates who enter Parliament, thanks to a system of directly appointed lead candidates.

The number of signatures required for parties without current parliamentary representation to run in the elections has quadrupled, rising from 1,500 to 6,000 per constituency. Furthermore, a coalition can secure a bonus of 105 seats with just 42% of the vote.

Fewer choices for voters, more obstacles for aspiring candidates, and more power for those in government. Meloni is changing the rules of the game on the eve of the very elections in which Italians are to pass judgment on her administration.

The law is dubbed ‘Stabilicum,’ yet the only thing stable about it is the deception perpetrated against the citizenry. We are working to oppose this assault on representation, the democratic process, and respect for the will of the people.”

The Road to the 2027 Elections

The bill moved forward despite the frontal rejection of the opposition bloc — the Democratic Party (PD), the Five Star Movement (M5S) and the Green and Left Alliance (AVS) — which considers Meloni’s law unconstitutional and a “tailor-made suit” to perpetuate the right in power.

PD Secretary Elly Schlein accused the government of “changing the rules of the game with the match already underway,” while M5S President Giuseppe Conte called the reform “covert autocracy” and attributed “fear of losing” to Meloni’s camp.

Although the absence of a formal electoral calendar grants some margin for maneuver, the ‘Stabilicum’ — as long as it is not declared unconstitutional, as the opposition wants — reshapes the political board by penalizing fragmentation and favoring alliances.

The new electoral architecture increases pressure on the center-left opposition, which has still not articulated a unitary candidacy capable of challenging Meloni for leadership and remains entangled in whether or not to hold joint primaries.

The approval of the law comes after Meloni reached another political milestone in September by making her government the longest serving one in Italy’s recent history, surpassing the record of Silvio Berlusconi’s second administration.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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