Electoral law: why everyone is talking about preferential votes but nobody wants them
Fdi has decided not to table an amendment on the selection of elected representatives unless it is supported by its allies. The possibility of a vote of confidence. Widespread opposition from leaders across the political spectrum, on both the right and the left
by Emilia Patta
Key points
Majority bonus capped at 220 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 113 in the Senate for the coalition that exceeds 42% of the vote by the widest margin; requirement to name the coalition’s candidate for Prime Minister when submitting the electoral lists and the manifesto; an electoral threshold of 3 per cent, with the first party below the threshold being included if part of a coalition; two closed lists on the ballot paper.
“The winner governs – no more backroom deals or technocratic governments”: this is the mantra of Giorgia Meloni, who is aiming to secure the ‘mini-premier’ role by the summer. As predicted, the Melonellum or Stabilicum – call it what you will – is coming before the Chamber of Deputies at Montecitorio for a general debate, following its approval by the Constitutional Affairs Committee chaired by the centre-right politician Nazario Pagano, has decided to bring the vote on amendments to a close with the appointment of rapporteurs (215 out of 434 amendments were voted on, just under half).
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Once the four amendments agreed upon by the majority have been finalised – including the significant one concerning elected representatives in Trentino-Alto Adige and Valle d’Aosta, who are included in the calculation of the bonus – the text can, in short, be considered set in stone. The expectation is that it will be given the green light in the week beginning 6 July.
Fdi: We will not clash with our allies in the Chamber
In short, there will be no further changes, as Fratelli d’Italia has abandoned its plan to table an amendment in the Chamber regarding the preferential voting system opposed by Forza Italia and the Lega: the risk of the reform being scuppered under the cover of a secret ballot is simply too high. “We are seeking a consensus solution, but if one cannot be found, we will not go against our allies,” explain the “brothers”. It is no coincidence that the possibility of calling a vote of confidence remains in the background (‘we would prefer not to call one; it will depend on the opposition’s stance’, it is reported): a way of cutting the Gordian knot, that is, to render all amendments null and void, and with them the secret ballots and the controversy over voting preferences.
All leaders want to be able to control the lists of candidates
The provocation from Roberto Vannacci: ‘If the Prime Minister and Fratelli d’Italia really want preferential voting, they should prevent the other coalition parties from calling for a secret ballot when the amendment is debated in the Chamber,’ said the leader of Futuro Nazionale yesterday. Quite apart from the fact that Vannacci is pretending not to know that a secret ballot can also be requested by the opposition (20 MPs are sufficient), the point is that everyone is talking about preferential votes but nobody actually wants them, given that party leaders want to retain control over candidate nominations. It is no coincidence that neither the PD nor the M5S nor the AVS have tabled a specific amendment on this matter. And there are also noble reasons for this: preferential voting would cause the costs of election campaigns to skyrocket and would reopen the door to possible infiltration by organised crime in certain parts of the country.
