The Italian Senate approved the new electoral law proposal on the morning of September 15, with 113 votes in favour, 71 against and two abstentions. Several amendments were introduced to the bill, which now returns to the Chamber of Deputies to be debated from September 28, with final approval scheduled for early October. The most important measure, known as the "anti-fragmentation" law, aims to eliminate the possibility of parliamentary representation fragmentation, facilitating absolute majorities or coalitions of few parties.
Among the main changes, parties outside Parliament now need six thousand signatures to present lists, compared to the current 1,500, while parties already represented are exempt from this requirement. The approved system includes a proportional "majority bonus": the coalition or party that reaches 42% of the votes automatically receives an additional 70 seats in the Chamber and 35 seats in the Senate. If no party reaches 42% but the leading forces remain between 35% and 40%, a second round is held between the two most voted forces.
Voters may now write the names of up to three candidates of their preference on the ballot, and parties are required to declare their prime ministerial candidate. The government states that the rules focus on governmental stability, candidate selection and reducing representation abroad.
The Five Star Movement, led by Giuseppe Conte, is the main opposition, accusing Giorgia Meloni of "changing the rules of the game mid-game" for fear of losing the 2027 elections. The Democratic Party and smaller political forces also contest the law, holding demonstrations in front of the Senate to denounce that tightening signature collection serves to "save the political caste" and keep new movements away from elections.
