The second blow in a few months for Giorgia Meloni

2026-07-16 08:34:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

In the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) in Rome, the Italian prime minister failed with a significant amendment — albeit narrowly. Against the proposal of Giorgia Meloni's ruling party, Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy), 188 deputies voted, while 187 were in favor. The Fratelli leader has long fought for a radical reform of electoral law.

She wants the prime minister to be directly elected in future and for the party with the most votes to receive a majority bonus in the allocation of seats. Meloni argues that Italy needs stability.

But the amendment this time concerned only one point: that in the parliamentary elections it would be possible to advance specific candidates from your party's list through so-called preferential votes. This is precisely where Meloni failed in the secret ballot. The left-wing opposition immediately demanded her resignation and new elections.

"The swamp won again"

The defeat is delicate for Meloni because her coalition partners, Forza Italia and Lega, had pledged support. On paper, the coalition has a comfortable majority in parliament.

Therefore, even members of his own camp must have voted against it. Meloni himself received the blow with these words: "We tried. The swamp won again."

The right-wing prime minister is expected to pursue her goal even after the defeat. Coalition partner Forza Italia is once again offering support — at least in words. "It is crucial to push forward with this law that guarantees sustainability," the group's leader, Enrico Costa, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

At the same time, he ruled out the possibility that this blow would trigger a wider political crisis. In all likelihood, Italy will go to elections next year. In the polls, the prime minister and her party have long been leading steadily ahead of all other forces.

The lost referendum in the spring

With her coalition of three right-wing and conservative parties, Meloni has been in power since the fall of 2022. If she holds out until after the summer holidays — which is considered likely — she will become the longest-serving prime minister in Italy's history in early September.

However, the lost vote in parliament is already Meloni's second blow in a few months. In the spring, she failed with plans for a radical reform of the judiciary. In a referendum, Italians rejected it by a clear majority./ DW