Blitz by the centre-right: with 40% of the vote, no runoff in the municipal elections. Wrath of the opposition

An anti-ballot amendment, for the election of the mayor in municipalities with more than 15,000 inhabitants as long as he/she had 40% of the votes, has been presented by the majority in the Senate and signed by the group leaders of the entire centre-right. It is a proposal for an amendment to the so-called elections decree, which is now being examined by the Constitutional Affairs Committee, and which regulates the vote for the next local elections in May (with voting on Sunday and Monday) and the referendums in June. The amendment would not be valid for the next administrative round, since the lists have already been presented, but from the following one. Provided that the inclusion of the amendment in the elections decree passes the scrutiny of the Colle, which could raise objections on the necessity and urgency of the measure.

The amendment dusts off an earlier centre-right proposal. Specifically, it calls for the amendment of Articles 72 and 73 of the consolidated text of the laws on local authorities, whereby 'the candidate who obtains the highest number of votes provided that he or she has obtained at least 40% of the valid votes' would be elected mayor. Today, 50% + 1 is required. 'In the event of a tie between two candidates (equal to or more than 40%), the one who received the highest number of valid votes will be elected'. There is also provision for a substantial majority prize for the winning candidate: the text stipulates that in the event of the election of a mayoral candidate in the first round, 'the list or group of lists linked to him or her that has not already obtained at least 60% of the Council seats shall be assigned 60% of the seats, provided that no other list or group of lists linked to him or her has exceeded 50% of the valid votes'.

But the opposition does not agree. And says it is ready for the barricades. "With another night blitz the governing right wants to rewrite the democratic rules to its advantage, it is unacceptable. The right wing is trying to make its own electoral law for municipalities, hitting the ballots in municipalities over 15,000 inhabitants with an amendment that reduces the threshold for electing the mayor in the first round to 40 per cent. We demand the withdrawal of this amendment, which we consider a serious provocation. If the amendment is not withdrawn, we will use all parliamentary means possible to oppose such a mockery,' attacks PD secretary Elly Schlein. While the leader of the Dem group in the Senate adds: if the rule does not come out of the text 'there will be our barricades'. And M5s group leader Stefano Patuanelli in reply: 'We have underlined the absolute unacceptability from a constitutional and political point of view of this amendment: there is no reason for urgency, electoral matters are not done by decree and if they have in mind handshakes we will defend the Constitution'.

The president of the Senate intervened on the issue: 'This is an issue that must be examined, we will see whether it is compatible with a decree or not. On the content I am not scandalised, on the modality everything will be done according to the rules and I am ready to listen to the objections coming from the oppositions," said Ignazio La Russa, replying to reporters who, on the sidelines of a conference in the Zuccari room, asked him about the oppositions' remarks on the amendment signed by the majority group leaders to the elections decree to change the threshold for runoffs in municipalities with more than 15,000 inhabitants.