The Senate Constitutional Affairs
Committee on Tuesday approved the core of the government's
reform of the Italian premiership, the direct election of the
head of government by the Italian people.
This norm would change article 92 of the Italian Constitution.
It enshrines in the founding charter the principle of the direct
election of the premier, also setting a two-term limit on their
period in office.
Under the current system in Italy, parties engage in
government-formation talks after a general election and then the
coalition that forms a ruling majority in parliament agrees on a
figure to propose to the President of the Republic to become
premier.
That figure is not necessarily one of the politicians indicated
by
the parties as their premier candidate during the election
campaign.
The reform, which is likely to be put to a referendum after it
is passed, has been criticised as depleting the powers of the
head of State.
Premier Giorgia Meloni has denied this.
"I do not see in what way the direct election of the head of
government means taking power away from the head of state,
seeing as we have chosen not to touch the head of state's
powers," Meloni told reporters at her end-of-year press
conference in January.
"In my opinion it creates a balance that is a good balance, it
strengthens the stability of governments," she added.
"This is not a referendum on the government or on Giorgia
Meloni, but on what must happen next," continued Meloni,
referring to the probability that the bill, if approved by
parliament, might be put to a popular referendum.
The centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) has slammed the
proposed reform as "dangerous", saying that it "weakens
parliament and the prerogatives of the President of the
Republic",
PD Secretary Elly Schlein described it as "a distortion of the
Constitution and the parliamentary Republic".
"We will use every available dialectical tool in parliament to
oppose a project that we consider to be dangerous," she
said.
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