Over 180 of Italy's top
Constitutional experts on Tuesday joined an appeal against the
government's Constitutional reform bill introducing the direct
election of the Italian premier by the people saying they shared
life Senate and Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre's warnings last
month that the reform presented "various alarming aspects".
"All the fears set out in Senator Segre's heartfelt address are
well-founded," said the experts in a statement.
"The creation of a hybrid system, neither parliamentary nor
presidential, never tried in other democracies, would introduce
irreparable contradictions into our Constitution.
"A minority, even a limited one, via a premium, could assume
control of all our institutions, with no more checks and
balances".
They went on: "parliament would run the risk of no longer
representing the country and becoming a mere service structure
for the government, thus destroying the separation of powers.
"The president of the republic would be reduced to a notary role
and would risk losing his function as an arbiter and guarantor.
"Faced with all this, we too cannot and will not remain silent",
they said, echoing Segre.
"We appeal to all political forces to make sure the general
interest prevails, that the alarms that have been
authoritatively launched are heeded, and the dangers are
prevented.
"While there's still time."
The appeal, promoted by the Article 21 free-speech group, was
signed by some former Constitutional Court chairs and deputy
chairs including Enzo Cheli, Ugo de Siervo, Gaetano Silvestri,
and Gustavo Zagrebelsky, as well as by an array of top
Constitutional legal minds.
The government has rejected opposition claims the reform will
strip parliament and the president of power and will move
towards more authoritarian government.
Premier Giorgia Meloni says the reform, which moves from the
Senate to the House later Tuesday and which will have to be
approved by a referendum, will bring much needed stability and
legitimacy to Italy's political system, which has been
historically marked by weak and revolving door governments and
unelected premiers.
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