The Senate has approved the electoral law (with preferential voting). The bill will return to the House of Commons for its third reading.

With 113 in favour, 71 against and 2 abstentions, the Senate has approved the electoral reform bill at its second reading. The bill must now return to the Chamber of Deputies, where it originated, for a third reading on 28 September: in the Chamber of Deputies, MPs will have to vote again to introduce and approve the amendments made in the Senate. One key change, in particular, is the introduction of ‘modified’ preferential votes, introduced last week following several days of tensions and compromises, via an amendment approved by the majority and similar to the one that was rejected by a secret ballot in the Chamber of Deputies last July. The fear is that history will repeat itself. However, if everything goes smoothly, the bill is expected to be approved around mid-October.

During today’s debate, the opposition parties closed ranks against a motion they consider “inadmissible”. All parties except the centre-right voted against it. After the vote, the opposition raised placards in the Chamber XXXXXXXXX. The leader of the Five Star Movement, Luca Pirondini, was called to order by the President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa, during his speech for referring to a “fraudulent law” and displaying a facsimile of a ballot paper bearing the words “Fratelli di casta”. “I call you to order; I did not expect such a lapse in decorum from a group leader,” said the FdI representative. “You cannot interrupt my speech,” replied the Five Star Movement senator. “Parliament is paralysed when it comes to discussing electoral law because the majority wants to cling even more tightly to power.”

The speech by Francesco Boccia, leader of the Democratic Party, struck a similar note: “Over the past four years, we have been forced to devote all our time and energy to trying to put a stop to your obsession with power,” he said during his explanation of vote. “Today you are presenting us with an electoral law that is a sham and a scam. And whilst outside this Chamber Italians are counting the euros they’re short of at the end of the month, here you have been counting seats for weeks. Whilst a citizen counts the months until their CT scan, you are waiting for the latest poll results.” She continued: "Enough of this talk about the first woman to hold the highest office if, once in that position, that woman causes irreparable harm to the women of this country. Stop whilst there is still time, because otherwise we will, sadly, once again be overruled by the Constitutional Court."

“If there is one government that has fought the Mafia through preventive detention, it is the Meloni government: we have no lessons to learn, and we will not take lessons from the M5S,” said Fratelli d’Italia Senator Andrea De Priamo. During his explanation of vote, the FdI representative responded to attacks from the opposition: “It is true that in Italy we have changed too many electoral laws, and that is precisely why the law we are proposing – which is not perfect – aims to be a law for the coming decades, and certainly not for this or that majority.” He continued: "The rules should be drafted together, but every time we have asked for preliminary discussions, you have always replied that you were expecting us in the Chamber – to engage in legitimate filibustering – but no to the fake news about 180 days of parliamentary work, one of the many lies being spread about this electoral law; it’s easier to paint us as brutes."

Matte Renzi, leader of Italia Viva, attacked the government: “We believe that the right has forced Parliament to debate electoral reform for months, not because there is a need for stability, but because you are afraid of losing.” He added: “The real problem with this discussion is that we should raise the tone of the debate and realise that, setting aside our technicalities, out there are families taking their children to school, filling up their cars with petrol, and remembering that someone – or rather, some woman – is doing nothing about these issues and claiming it isn’t their fault.” Turning to the allies of the broad coalition, he declared: “Anyone who takes it upon themselves – or will take it upon themselves – to break this unity for ideological or personal reasons will go down in history as the one who will hand Meloni, Salvini and their ilk another five years in power.”

Carlo Calenda was the first senator to speak during the explanation of vote, and he voted against the motion “for a fundamental reason”, which he explained as follows: “This law aims to perpetuate a constant conflict that has been going on for thirty years, with a two-party system that has degenerated into two-populist camps”. And during his speech, he attacked Giuseppe Conte and the centre-left: “The former prime minister says he won’t sign a pact that includes sending arms to Ukraine, and we turn a blind eye because we need to bring down Meloni – to do what, we don’t know…”. He also criticised the secretary of the Young Democrats, Virginia Libero, for remarks she made in her speech at the National Unity Festival in Reggio Emilia: “We are seeing astonishing things in my former party. I saw the secretary of the Young Democrats calling for an organised walkout. From ‘resistance now and always’ to ‘refusal now and always’ – is this what the left has evolved into? Is this how you intend to govern the country? Are you sure?”