Italian Chamber committee clears electoral reform bill for floor debate in third reading

Committee clearance for the electoral bill

The Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies approved the reporting mandate for the electoral reform bill on 30 September 2026, officially releasing the text for full assembly debate. The decision concluded the committee review stage after months of legislative work. Every political group belonging to the governing center-right coalition voted in favor of granting the mandate to the rapporteurs. In contrast, all opposition parties voted against the measure, with Futuro Nazionale joining the opposing bloc to reject the text. During the final explanation of vote session for the governing majority, only representatives from Fratelli d'Italia and Noi Moderati took the floor to deliver formal remarks on the legislation.

Remarks from the committee leadership

Nazario Pagano, the president of the Chamber Constitutional Affairs Committee and one of the designated rapporteurs for the draft legislation, addressed the conclusion of the committee proceedings after the vote. He pointed to the extensive work required over several months to unite different political viewpoints and sensibilities across the committee.

With the mandate to the rapporteurs, a long and demanding journey concludes today in the Constitutional Affairs Committee, which we followed step by step, working over these months to hold together different positions and sensibilities and to build the necessary conditions to achieve this result.

Pagano confirmed that the committee had completed its scrutiny, noting that the text had met the requirements for transmission to the assembly floor.

The text can reach the floor, after a serious and in-depth examination.

Floor timetable and preliminary objection votes

Following the committee decision, the Chamber of Deputies scheduled the general debate on the electoral reform for the afternoon of 30 September 2026, starting at 16:15. The parliamentary calendar sets the subsequent vote on preliminary constitutional objections, known as pregiudiziali, for 1 October 2026. These preliminary objections must be resolved by the full assembly before lawmakers can move forward to examine amendments and vote on individual articles. The floor examination constitutes the third reading of the electoral reform bill in the Italian parliament. This stage follows an uneven progression between the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, where previous iterations of the text were reviewed and modified.

Political stakes for Giorgia Meloni

The electoral reform represents the final test of the concluding parliamentary term for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The fate of the bill in the Chamber of Deputies is poised to influence the remainder of her political path as the legislature reaches its final phase. The draft legislation reached the floor after a difficult course between both houses of parliament, requiring compromises across coalition partners to maintain alignment. While the center-right majority held unified support during the committee vote, the unanimous opposition from rival parties, including Futuro Nazionale, sets up contested debates as voting on preliminary objections and articles begins.