The Senate on Tuesday approved a
Constitutional reform bill introducing the direct election of
the Italian premier by the Italian people by 109 votes to 77 and
the controversial plan, a flagship campaign pledge of Premier
Giorgia Meloni, now moves to the Lower House.
The bill did not get the two-thirds majority needed to avoid
facing a popular referendum, and is not expected to get one in
the House either.
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 given by
the parties as their premier candidate during the election
campaign.
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".
Meloni says the proposed reform to let Italians choose their
premiers directly will lead to stronger and more stable
governments in a country which has long been dogged by unstable
revolving door administrations.
The reform plan needs to muster a two-thirds majority in both
chambers of parliament to obviate the need for it to be put to a
referendum.
Over 180 constitutional experts appealed against the plan
Tuesday saying it would remove checks and balances, make
parliament a service structure for the government and make the
president a mere notary, ushering in a hybrid authoritarian
system that has not been tried in any other democracy.
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