Forward, but with caution. All the hesitations of the Lega and Forza Italia regarding the electoral law

It has not even reached the Chamber yet, and already suspicious shadows are looming over the electoral law. And there are those on the centre-right who are predicting a week of ‘tribulations’. As if there weren’t already enough on the international front, with Meloni ‘expressing full solidarity with Germany following the Russian hybrid attack in Leipzig. ‘The security of our allies is the security of us all’. The deadline for tabling amendments to the Stabilicum was set for midday yesterday. Yet, after lengthy deliberations, the majority did manage to table a unified amendment to reintroduce preferential voting, coupled with a principle of gender alternation. But they had to (almost) stop there, unable to proceed any further. Another worrying sign? After hinting at its intention to table an amendment to reintroduce a run-off vote, Forza Italia backed down. This leaves the Pera amendment – tabled in a personal capacity and not endorsed by the other majority parties – as the sole avenue for exploring a compromise in the negotiations over the coming days. In the words of Stefania Craxi, leader of the Forza Italia senators: “Forza Italia nevertheless confirms its willingness to consider, during the parliamentary process, any proposal aimed at strengthening representativeness, stability and governability, whilst fully respecting the will expressed by the electorate”. In the end, the right-wing bloc reached an agreement not only on preferential voting but also on two other ‘minor’ amendments: the procedure for electing the Senate of the Republic, including the allocation of the governability bonus, and a redefinition of the constituencies of Bolzano, Merano and Bressanone. However, even on the so-called ‘anti-splitting’ rule, the majority has acted in a disorganised manner: with an amendment tabled by FdI, the Lega and Noi Moderati are calling for the reinstatement of the provision set out in the Mattarellum, whereby only votes from parties polling below 1 per cent are excluded from the calculation of the national electoral total (whereas in the Chamber of Deputies, an amendment by FI had raised that threshold to 3 per cent). And with the Forza Italia members once again opting out in this instance too. In total, there are 659 amendments: the centre-left has tabled 8 joint amendments, ranging from the introduction of ‘full’ preferential voting to a majority bonus above 45 per cent and the removal of the prime ministerial candidate from the electoral manifesto (in a last-ditch attempt to avoid primaries). Meanwhile, the issue of the run-off continues to be拖延, although the association LibertàEguale – spearheaded, amongst others, by former PD MP Stefano Ceccanti – has launched an appeal for the introduction of a two-round system.

That said, in addition to the apprehensions that always seem to grip Forza Italia – particularly in the run-up to the meeting scheduled between Antonio Tajani and Marina Berlusconi – there is a palpable sense of unease emanating above all from the Lega. The meeting with the majority’s technical experts on Monday evening, in fact, concluded with the Carroccio expressing its absolute opposition to a run-off. And yesterday, the Minister for Regional Affairs, Roberto Calderoli, reminded MPs: “We won’t be voting for it.” This is also because, as the Lega argues, a two-round system could further benefit Vannacci’s Futuro Nazionale, precisely at the Lega’s expense. But there is also apprehension regarding the turbulent state of affairs within the party, with dissidents from the north once again calling yesterday for an extraordinary party congress and a return to the name “Lega Nord”. League sources—that is, Salvini—have expressed astonishment at these remarks, coming as they do “from someone who left behind a legacy of 49 million euros in debt”. This tense atmosphere could also have an impact on proceedings at Palazzo Madama, where the northern faction, led by group leader Massimiliano Romeo, holds greater sway.