Govt alliance to cast blank papers in Constitutional Court vote

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 8 - The whips of the parties supporting Premier Giorgia Meloni's government said Tuesday that the coalition's lawmakers have been told to cast blank papers in a parliamentary vote to elect a new member of the Constitutional Court.
    Italy's opposition parties had already said they would snub the vote as the ruling majority had been expected to put forward the name of Francesco Saverio Marini, an advisor on legal affairs to Meloni.
    "The opposition has decided to transform even the election of constitutional judges into a field of political propaganda," the ruling coalition's whips said.
    "They decided to desert the Chamber despite the need to replace a Constitutional Court justice after 10 months.
    "Despite them, the ruling majority has decided to continue to respect the institutions and today casts blank papers".
    The Constitutional Court's decisions often regard political issues.
    For example, it is soon set to rule on whether the government's law bringing in 'differentiated autonomy' to enable regions to request more power over how the tax revenues collected in their areas are spent is compatible with the Constitution.
    "Faced with an act of force on something that his fundamental for democratic guarantees, we won't take part in the vote," Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein told Sky television in relation to the Marini move, stressing that the centre-left group has agreed on this stance with other opposition parties.
    "Meloni cannot have the attitude of being the owner of the institutions".
    PD Senate whip Francesco Boccia said the government coalition was guilty of "provocation".
    "We are respond to their blitz with democratic instruments and our behaviour is inevitable in the face of the ruling majority's behaviour," he said. (ANSA).