Story perspectives

Italy Parliament Approves Electoral Reform, Opposition to Challenge

By Drooid · Oct 9, 2026, 12:37 AM UTC · How we work

Center

Opposition court challenge

Italy's parliament approved a new electoral reform law on Thursday, 8 October 2026.
The law grants a seat bonus to coalition winning over 42 % of the vote and requires parties to name a prime-ministerial candidate before the election.
Giorgia Meloni said the rules aim to promote stable government in a post on X.
The opposition announced it will challenge the reform in Italy's constitutional court.

Left

Gender balance removal

Italy’s parliament approved a new electoral reform law on Thursday, 8 October 2026.
The reform eliminates the gender-balance rule for lead candidates and merges overseas constituencies, threatening women’s representation and Italians abroad.
Constitutional lawyers and campaign groups plan challenges in roughly 30 civil courts before the election.
Analysts say women’s parliamentary share could decline significantly under the new system.

Blindspot

The reform eliminates the gender-balance rule for lead candidates, permitting parties to list only men at the top, and analysts say women’s share in parliament could decline under the new system.

History

Historical Context

In 2005 Silvio Berlusconi’s government enacted the “Porcellum” (law 270), granting the winning coalition a 55 % seat bonus. The Constitutional Court struck the bonus unconstitutional on 4 December 2013, prompting later reforms such as the unused 2015 Italicum and the 2017 Rosatellum. Giorgia Meloni’s October 2026 reform restores a majority bonus—now a 42 % vote threshold—and drops gender-balance safeguards, reviving the 2005 approach.

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Opposition court challenge

Italy's parliament approved a new electoral reform law on Thursday, 8 October 2026.
The law grants a seat bonus to coalition winning over 42 % of the vote and requires parties to name a prime-ministerial candidate before the election.
Giorgia Meloni said the rules aim to promote stable government in a post on X.
The opposition announced it will challenge the reform in Italy's constitutional court.

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