Edward Marchesi As the clock struck noon, the Chamber of Deputies found itself at the center of a debate that has been raging for more than six months . After three preliminary confidence votes on key articles of the bill, the final vote was postponed until after 12:30 p.m. , when a secret ballot will take place. The debate, until now dominated by calls for government stability, has now become a full-blown clash of interpretations over how the new electoral law will impact citizen representation.
Present in the Chamber were key government officials, including ministers Elisabetta Casellati, Eugenia Roccella, Orazio Schillaci , and Gianmarco Mazzi, along with center-left and right-wing leaders Elly Schlein, Giuseppe Conte , Angelo Bonelli, and Riccardo Magi . Speaking from the IV group were Maria Elena Boschi, from Fratelli d'Italia , Fabio Rampelli, from Futuro Nazionale, Edoardo Ziello , from SVP , Dieter Steger , and Riccardo Magi from Più Europa.
Every voice contributed to making the atmosphere in the Chamber more tense than ever.
The arguments of the center-right majority
Fabio Rampelli's speech
Fabio Rampelli, vice president of the Chamber of Deputies for the Brothers of Italy party, defended the proposal, arguing that the new legislation replicates the mechanisms already in use in local elections. "The majority bonus and the threshold guarantee stable governments," he stated, noting that the electoral law requires a 40% vote, a result he believes is more than sufficient to "avoid palace conspiracies."
For Rampelli, the challenge is to shift the focus from a technical government to citizens' choices, aiming for future reforms that can bring 100% of the vote to parliamentary elections.
Dieter Steger on the protection of minorities
SVP MP Dieter Steger highlighted the recent changes introduced for Trentino , calling them "concrete," and stated that, despite having begun with a constructive abstention, the amended text justifies a favorable vote . Steger reiterated that the legislation does not weaken minority representation, but rather consolidates it and projects it into the future by protecting regional interests without compromising the national balance.
Opposition criticism
Maria Elena Boschi denounces a "big lie"
The leader of the IV group, Maria Elena Boschi, denounced the government's narrative, calling it a " big lie ." According to Boschi, the government occupied Parliament for six months with the argument of stability, while, in her opinion, this same stability was already guaranteed by the previous Rosatellum law . She added that "nothing will happen" because of the new law, because politics transcends electoral rules, and because the promise of stability was already a reality, not a novelty.
Edoardo Ziello and Riccardo Magi call for respect and democracy
Edoardo Ziello, leader of Futuro Nazionale, emphasized that the center-right would not surpass the 40% threshold without Vannacci 's participation . He urged his opponents to engage in "serious dialogue" and to respect a "programmatic dialogue." Riccardo Magi, leader of Più Europa, called the reform "an anti-democratic twist," urging his colleagues to "disobey" and vote "no" to defend the prerogatives of the head of state. Magi reported that 130 people joined his protest hunger strike and nearly 40 signed the appeal to the President of the Republic.
The secret ballot and the operational dynamics in the Chamber
The debate continued until the scheduled counting of votes, with the benches still partially empty. The opposition demanded a manual ballot with small balls, fearing that the secret ballot could be controlled by the majority. The government responded calmly, maintaining that the procedure was legitimate. Meanwhile, those present observed a tense atmosphere as MPs prepared ballots for the vote that will decide the future of the Italian electoral system.