Italian Chamber Rejects Objections to Electoral Reform in 229-151 Secret Ballot

Secret ballot results

On 1 October 2026, the Italian Chamber of Deputies rejected five preliminary constitutional objections against the government's electoral reform bill. The vote concluded with 229 deputies voting against the objections and 151 voting in favour, out of 380 total voters, with zero abstentions recorded. Opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, Italia Viva, the Green and Left Alliance, and +Europa, had coordinated to challenge the bill on constitutional grounds. The rejection cleared the first of two secret ballots expected during the bill's third reading at Montecitorio.

Against objections229

In favour of objections151

Abstentions0

Against objections

229 votes

In favour of objections

151 votes

Abstentions

0 votes

Data from the article text

Speaking outside Montecitorio following the vote, Fratelli d'Italia organizational manager Giovanni Donzelli defended the legitimacy of the legislation.

“The Parliament has spoken, confirming what we have always said, that the electoral law is perfectly constitutional. The opposition tried to raise doubts, Parliament is sovereign, as the Constitution provides, it speaks and has confirmed that the law is constitutional. We move forward calmly.”

Majority discipline and opposition stance

The vote followed strict internal coordination within Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's center-right coalition to avoid parliamentary defections. Official records indicated that 222 deputies from Fratelli d'Italia, Lega, and Forza Italia participated in the ballot. Party whips instructed lawmakers to press voting buttons using only a single finger inside the desk consoles rather than inserting entire hands, aiming to reduce suspicions of voting against party orders. Chamber President Lorenzo Fontana intervened during the session to reprimand several coalition lawmakers who stood up to monitor colleagues. Futuro Nazionale, whose seven deputies had voiced opposition to the electoral reform itself, also cast ballots against the constitutional objections.

Edoardo Ziello of Futuro Nazionale outlined the group's rationale during voting declarations in the Chamber.

“This is an electoral law that snatches popular sovereignty even more, and that is why we will oppose it in the appropriate venues, but we cannot vote in favour of ridiculous preliminary objections like the ridiculous arguments proposed in this Chamber by this bunch of runaways.”

Constitutional critique and Senate amendments

The electoral reform package, referred to as the Stabilicum or Melonellum, returned to the Chamber following revisions adopted in the Senate. Among the primary modifications introduced by Palazzo Madama is the reintroduction of voter preferences for candidates. Constitutional scholars have questioned the bill's framework. In a newly released book, former Constitutional Court president Giovanni Maria Flick and Damiano Francesco Pujia wrote that the reform is designed to stabilize the government and capitalize on its advantage rather than address systemic challenges. Flick and Pujia argued that any statutory mechanism causing a distortion of representativeness conflicts with constitutional principles, noting that the Constituent Assembly had previously favored proportional representation.

Next steps and legislative timetable

The bill now proceeds toward article-by-article consideration under four designated rapporteurs: Angelo Rossi of Fratelli d'Italia, Nazario Pagano of Forza Italia, Igor Iezzi of Lega, and Alessandro Colucci of Noi Moderati. The government plans to attach two or three confidence votes to individual articles to ensure passage through open ballots. Minister for Parliamentary Relations Luca Ciriani stated that lawmakers would face their conscience while warning of serious consequences if the reform failed. The final approval remains scheduled for an unwhipped secret ballot between 7 October and 8 October 2026.