Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition on Wednesday vowed to press ahead with a new election law, a day after a bruising parliamentary defeat on a key aspect of the reform.
Election Law Reform
In a secret ballot on Tuesday, a proposal championed by Meloni’s Brothers of Italy to allow electors to express preference votes for candidates on party lists was defeated by a single vote, partly due to ruling coalition defections.
The loss, which triggered opposition calls for Meloni to resign, has highlighted strains within the coalition before a general election due next year.
Enrico Costa, Forza Italia’s lower house leader, told Corriere della Sera newspaper that it is crucial to go ahead with this law that guarantees stability, ruling out the possibility that the setback could trigger a wider political crisis.
Coalition Defections
Around 30 coalition lawmakers had defied the government line in the vote, provoking Meloni’s anger.
Meloni’s Brothers of Italy remains the most popular party, but recent opinion polls show the ruling coalition trailing the centre-left alliance led by the Democratic Party and the 5-Star Movement.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
