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Italy parliament approves Meloni's electoral reform

Italy parliament approves Meloni's electoral reform

Rule Changes

Law in force since 24 October; six provisions challenged at the Constitutional Court

October 24th, 2026: Electoral law enters into force

Overview

Updated Oct 29

Italy's electoral reform took effect on 24 October, 15 days after President Sergio Mattarella signed it and the text ran in the Gazzetta Ufficiale. Opposition parties said they would start filing constitutional challenges the following Monday, with the procedure presented at a Senate press conference.

Six provisions face challenge, among them the majority bonus, the higher signature bar for new parties and the gender-parity rules. The Constitutional Court is expected to rule by February 2027, ahead of an election that Meloni adviser Giovanbattista Fazzolari wants in June and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani prefers in October.

Why it matters

A 42% vote share could become a guaranteed parliamentary majority, and by 2029 the power to pick Italy's president.

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Key Indicators

227-164
Final vote in Chamber of Deputies
The lower house approved the reform in a secret ballot.
42%
Threshold for seat bonus
Coalitions must win at least this share of the vote in both houses to qualify for bonus seats.
105
Bonus seats for winning coalition
70 in the Chamber of Deputies and 35 in the Senate.
3%
Party threshold for parliament
Parties need at least 3% of the vote to enter parliament; coalitions need 10%.
6,000
Signatures needed per constituency
New parties without seats in parliament need 6,000 signatures in each constituency to stand, four times the previous 1,500.
220/113
Seat bonus cap
The winning coalition is capped at 220 deputies (55% of seats) and 113 senators (56.5%), preventing a two-thirds supermajority.
29
Appeal court districts targeted
Opposition lawyers said they would file the same challenge in all 29 districts, hoping one judge would refer it to the Constitutional Court.

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People Involved

Giorgia Meloni
Giorgia Meloni
Prime Minister of Italy
Her reform is in force; her advisers are split between a June and an October 2027 election
 Roberto Vannacci
Roberto Vannacci
Leader of National Future party
Siphoning votes from Meloni's coalition, threatening its 42% threshold
 Elly Schlein
Elly Schlein
Leader of the Democratic Party (PD)
Divisions with 5-Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte over the PM candidate requirement complicate center-left unity
 Giuseppe Conte
Giuseppe Conte
Leader of the 5-Star Movement
Building a united progressive front to challenge the government, while calling for the Constitutional Court to rewrite the law
RM
Riccardo Magi
Lawmaker, More Europe party
Went on hunger strike in early October against the increase in signatures new parties must collect
RZ
Roberto Zaccaria
Coordinator, Network for a Free and Equal Vote
Set out six grounds of challenge on October 12; filings were to begin once the law took effect
SC
Stefano Ceccanti
Constitutional law professor, Sapienza University of Rome
Says most of the six challenges are political and that only the signature and gender-parity rules look unconstitutional

Organizations Involved

Italian Parliament
Italian Parliament
Legislative body
Approved the reform in final vote

Italy's bicameral legislature, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
Italian Constitutional Court (Corte Costituzionale)
Italian Constitutional Court (Corte Costituzionale)
Judiciary
Six challenges were announced on October 12 and were due to be filed from 26 October; a ruling is not expected before early 2027

Italy's highest court for constitutional matters.
BI
Brothers of Italy
Political party
Meloni's party, leading the governing coalition

The right-wing party leading Italy's governing coalition.
National Future
National Future
Political party
New far-right party siphoning votes from the governing coalition

A nationalist party led by former army general Roberto Vannacci.
NF
Network for a Free and Equal Vote
Legal advocacy group
Presented six constitutional challenges on October 12 and planned to file them across Italy once the law took effect

A network of constitutional lawyers and campaign groups challenging the electoral law.
PD
Democratic Party (PD)
Political party
Main opposition party, divided with 5-Star Movement over PM candidate requirement

Italy's main centre-left opposition party, led by Elly Schlein
Five Star Movement
Five Star Movement
Opposition political party
Opposition party, divided with PD over PM candidate requirement

Italy's other main opposition party.

Timeline

2026 October 2026

5 events Latest: October 24th, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Electoral law enters into force

    Latest Legislation

    The reform took effect 15 days after publication. Ansa reported that appeals would begin the following Monday, with the procedure presented at a press conference in the Senate.

  2. Opposition lawyers set out six challenges to the electoral law

    Legal

    At a press conference in the Chamber of Deputies, lawyers Pietro Adami, Enrico Grosso and Roberto Zaccaria detailed six grounds of challenge, including the majority bonus, the signature requirement, gender-parity rules and the single 'Mondo' Senate constituency for Italians abroad. They said the same texts would be filed in all 29 appeal court districts.

  3. Mattarella promulgates the law and it is published

    Legislation

    President Sergio Mattarella signed the reform, and the text appeared in the Gazzetta Ufficiale, starting the 15-day count to it taking effect.

  4. Chamber gives final approval to electoral reform

    Legislation

    The Chamber of Deputies votes 227-164 to approve the reform, giving it final parliamentary approval. Opposition pledges constitutional challenge.

  5. Senate passes electoral reform with modifications

    Legislation

    The Senate approves the reform, adding preference votes with blocked list leaders.

Scenarios

1

Constitutional Court strikes down Meloni's electoral reform

Possible Resolves by Mar 1, 2027

Discussed by: Center-left opposition and a network of constitutional lawyers

A network of lawyers and campaign groups plans to file cases in about 30 civil courts as soon as the law takes effect. If judges refer the cases to the Constitutional Court, it could rule as early as February 2027. The court struck down parts of Matteo Renzi's Italicum in 2017, setting a precedent for judicial intervention in electoral laws.

2

Reform survives, Meloni wins 2027 election with bonus seats

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Meloni's governing coalition

The reform stands, and Meloni's coalition reaches the 42% threshold in the 2027 general election. The 105 bonus seats turn a narrow victory into a comfortable majority, giving Italy a more stable government.

3

Reform backfires, center-left wins

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Analysts including Giovanni Orsina of Luiss University

Roberto Vannacci's National Future party siphons votes from Meloni's coalition, preventing it from reaching 42%. The center-left, if it overcomes internal divisions, wins the election.

4

Opposition divisions hand Meloni the election despite reform backfiring

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Reuters, opposition party leaders

The new law's requirement for coalitions to name their prime minister candidate before elections has exposed divisions between PD leader Elly Schlein and 5-Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte. If the center-left cannot unite, it may fail to field a credible coalition even if Meloni's bloc falls short of 42%.

5

Court trims the signature and gender-parity rules but keeps the bonus

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Constitutional law professor Stefano Ceccanti

Ceccanti told Euronews that most of the six challenges are political arguments the court is unlikely to accept. He noted the court already upheld a 40% majority bonus in an earlier law, so the 42% version is settled. In his reading, only the signature requirement and the gender-parity rules look clearly unconstitutional, and the court could rewrite them without parliament voting again.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

May 2015 - February 2017

Italicum electoral law (2015-2017)

Matteo Renzi's government passed the Italicum, an electoral law that included a majority bonus for the winning party. In 2017, the Constitutional Court threw out part of it.

Then

The law was partially invalidated, forcing a return to proportional representation.

Now

Set a precedent for the court reviewing electoral laws for constitutional compliance.

Why this matters now

The same court may now review Meloni's reform, which also includes a majority bonus.

1946-present

Italy's post-war government turnover (1946-present)

Italy has been known for frequent changes of administration since World War Two. Meloni's government, at almost four years, is the longest-lasting since the war.

Then

Governments have often been fragile and short-lived.

Now

Electoral reforms have been attempted repeatedly to address instability.

Why this matters now

Meloni's reform is the latest attempt to produce clearer winners and more stable governments.

Sources

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BBC News The Guardian Reuters The Irish Times Al Jazeera WSLS Xinhua The Local The Telegraph Ansa la Repubblica Europe Il Sole 24 ORE StreetInsider (Reuters) The Hindu Il Foglio Internazionale (Reuters) Italian Times la Repubblica Europe Euronews AP News Ansa Ansa Il Sole 24 ORE