Electoral law: Meloni’s praise and the strategy: preparing for the spring election without saying so
The Prime Minister, in Ascoli, is delighted that the electoral reform has been given the green light and dismisses predictions of an early election as ‘surreal speculation’. But the election campaign is already underway
Key points
In the morning, praise on social media. In the afternoon, whilst attending the launch of the redevelopment works on Palazzo Saladini Pilastri in Ascoli Piceno, there was satisfaction at the Chamber of Deputies’ definitive approval of the Stabilicum was voiced. Because – as Giorgia Meloni put on the record – ‘it is a law that simply puts more power back in the hands of the citizens, which guarantees stability – we have seen the benefits it brings – and it is a law made for Italia. I think it is a good thing’.
The wrangling over the election date
The Prime Minister has thus secured the reform she has so strongly championed, overcoming even the resistance of her allies in Forza Italia and the League. However, when asked when we will be going to the polls, Meloni points out that ‘there is still a year to go before the end of the parliamentary term’ and says she is ‘focused, as you can see, on trying to do my job; let the others get on with discussing their political manoeuvring’. But the possibility of an early election in June has been raised in the pages of *Il Foglio*, which suggests it has a slight edge over the idea of letting the term run its natural course until October 2027, not by just any ‘alchemist’, but by the powerful and staunchly loyal undersecretary Giovanbattista Fazzolari. This was no coincidence – coming on the very day the law was passed – and it offers a glimpse of the most likely direction for Palazzo Chigi from here on: a march towards the polls in the spring.
Relations with the Quirinale
It was Lucio Malan, the Fdi leader in the Senate, who had already spoken of May in recent days, only to later retract his remarks in the name of the ‘prerogatives of the Head of State’. And it is precisely this slight against the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, that Meloni is taking great care to avoid. Especially at a time when she is enjoying her true political victory linked to electoral reform: the requirement for lists and coalitions to specify the name of their candidate for Prime Minister when registering their electoral symbol. A de facto prime ministerial appointment, according to some legal experts, which would circumvent Article 92 of the Constitution, which clearly assigns the power to appoint the Prime Minister solely to the Head of State, thereby safeguarding that choice.
The campaign is already underway
In other words, this is not the time to meddle in the President’s prerogatives. Instead, for the Prime Minister, it is time to savour the result and continue with the strategy she has been pursuing since early September: touring Italy, attending events and mingling with the crowds. Such as the one in the Marche region, where Meloni did not shy away from a stroll, taking selfies and having a chat with the staff at ‘Locanda Centimetro Zero’, the co-operative run by people with disabilities that will manage the hotel and the ethically-run restaurant within the building in the historic centre of Ascoli Piceno. The election campaign is already in full swing. And the Prime Minister knows that the more Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani find themselves in troubled waters, the more she must consolidate her personal support. Because she is the factor that could make all the difference, not least in the ‘tactical voting’ appeal through which the centre-right hopes to stem the Vannacci phenomenon and secure 42 per cent of the vote to qualify for the majority bonus.
