The Chamber of Deputies approved the bill on July 16, with 217 votes for, 152 against, and two abstentions, and moved it to the Senate for its second reading.

The initiative, boosted by the majority led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, establishes a system featuring a “governance award,” covering 70 additional seats in the Chamber and 35 in the Senate to the list or coalition that secures at least 42 percent of valid votes and places first in both chambers.

Its proponents said it aims to ensure greater stability for the Executive and prevent parliamentary fragmentation from hindering the formation of stable governments; however, the opposition views the bill as unbalanced and at odds with greater representativeness.

Among the items that could be changed during the Senate review process is the mechanism for electing lawmakers, given that the proposal to introduce a preferential voting system was not approved during the bill’s passage through the Lower House.

Opposition forces submitted hundreds of amendments to the reform bill last week and are preparing for a fierce confrontation in the Senate.

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