Meloni Says Electoral Reform Bid Defeated by One Vote, Blames Opposition for Blocking Voter Choice.
Rome:
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has criticized the rejection of a proposed electoral reform amendment aimed at reintroducing preference voting, describing the outcome as a “missed opportunity” for Italian citizens.
In a statement issued after the vote, Meloni said her government had attempted to restore preference voting to Italy’s electoral system after more than three decades of blocked party lists. She argued that the proposal would have enabled voters to directly express their preference for individual candidates, making elected representatives more directly accountable to the electorate.
“We tried to reintroduce preference in electoral law after more than 30 years of blocked lists,” Meloni said. “We asked for a clear vote and for everyone to put their face on their vote, but the opposition wanted the secret vote.”
According to the Prime Minister, the amendment failed by a margin of just one vote. She alleged that opposition parties voted unanimously against the proposal and acknowledged that the measure also lacked the full backing of lawmakers within the governing majority.
“The result says that the left and the opposition voted unanimously against it. But even in the majority several votes were missing, and this needs to be thought about. The amendment was rejected by a single vote,” she said.
Meloni described the defeat as a setback for electoral reform but maintained that the effort was worthwhile.
“A missed opportunity for the Italians, but it was worth trying,” she added.
In a postscript to her statement, the Prime Minister also criticized the reaction of opposition lawmakers following the vote.
“The scene of the opposition cheering as if they had won a World Cup for preventing citizens from being able to choose their parliamentarians says it all,” Meloni said.
The proposed amendment sought to revive preference voting in Italy’s electoral framework, replacing the long-standing system of blocked party lists in which voters primarily choose political parties rather than selecting individual candidates. Supporters argue that preference voting strengthens democratic accountability by allowing citizens to directly influence which candidates are elected, while critics have raised concerns about its potential impact on electoral dynamics and campaign practices.
The amendment’s defeat leaves Italy’s current electoral system unchanged, while the close result highlights divisions both between the government and the opposition and within the governing coalition itself.
