Italy's Meloni suffers surprise setback in close vote on electoral reform
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition lost a pivotal 188-187 vote on a proposed amendment to Italy’s electoral system, putting the future of her administration before the 2027 general election.
The contested amendment – championed by the Brothers of Italy (FdI) – would have moved Italy to a fully proportional system with a bonus for the coalition achieving the highest vote share. The change also demanded that coalitions agree on a common platform and a single prime‑ministerial candidate, a requirement that many parties find difficult to satisfy. The amendment’s failure focused on a preference‑voting provision that would let voters choose individual candidates from a list.
After the vote, Meloni posted angrily on social media, calling the result a “missed opportunity for Italians” and accusing the opposition of “celebrating as if they had won the World Cup” and thereby denying citizens the chance to choose their parliamentarians. She dismissed calls from rivals to resign and to bring forward the election, which is scheduled for autumn 2027.
Meloni argues the reform would produce less fragile coalitions and greater stability in Italy. However, critics have described the proposal as “authoritarian” and an attempt to secure a majority in the forthcoming election. Since 2022, Meloni has led a coalition of centre‑right and right‑wing parties, including her own hard‑right FdI. Tension has risen as the coalition’s individual parties see their popularity decline. The outcome of the vote has heightened concerns within the coalition and among opposition forces who are preparing to unite against Meloni.
Opposition parties have already organised a successful united front against a government‑backed referendum on constitutional reform earlier this year, marking a significant loss for Meloni’s government. To win a safer majority in 2027, Meloni may need to widen her appeal either to the centre or towards more extreme groups, such as the fledgling National Future (FN) led by former paratrooper Roberto Vannacci, who has recently splintered from Matteo Salvini’s League party. The FN currently polls at around 6%, slightly ahead of the League’s 5.6%.
Should early elections be called or a governmental reshuffle happen before September 2027, Meloni would become the first Italian prime minister since 1946 to finish a term with a single government.
