Italian Political Reform on the Brink: Direct Election of Prime Minister and Consequences

On Tuesday, the Chamber of Deputies in Rome voted in favor of a constitutional reform bill that would directly elect the Prime Minister for a five-year term. The vote saw 109 MPs voting in favor of the proposal while 77 voted against it, clearing the first hurdle for the reform.

The proposed bill, which was approved by the Senate, will now be sent to the Chamber of Deputies for a final vote. However, it did not receive the two-thirds majority required to avoid a referendum on Tuesday. This means that if the bill is not approved by two-thirds in both chambers of parliament, it will be put to a referendum.

The right-wing government in Rome hopes to use this reform to address political instability in Italy. Many believe that Italy’s political system needs to be reformed, but there are concerns about potential consequences of direct election of PM such as concentration of power and lack of checks and balances. Opposition leaders have vowed to take action against the plan and have criticized it for potentially concentrating too much power in one person’s hands.