Electoral law, the Chamber rejects the preliminary objections: final vote on October 8

The newspaper had written on September 17 that the general discussion in the Chamber would begin on September 28, with the text returning from Palazzo Madama bound to the premier candidate’s name on the symbol (this was discussed in the September 16 piece and the September 17 piece). Today marks the first Chamber session expected on that schedule.

The Montecitorio Chamber rejected by secret ballot the preliminary constitutionality objections presented by the opposition on the electoral reform, with 229 votes against and 151 in favor. The conference of parliamentary group leaders has set Thursday, October 8 for the final vote on the measure, which will take place by secret ballot and live on television: statements of vote from 10.30 am, vote at 12.30 pm.

Before reaching the final vote, the government will put forward three confidence motions on the first three articles of the text. The confidence motions are scheduled for Monday, October 5.

Regarding the outcome of the preliminary objections, a partisan interpretation is circulating: according to majority sources, the votes in favor of rejection would have been seven more than the center-right parliamentarians actually present in the Chamber, a discrepancy that would fuel interpretations about the real numbers of the majority. This is an account attributed to sources within the governing coalition, not independently verified data.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani commented: “The numbers are clear.”

The news currently comes from a single source — the parliamentary reporting of the news agencies present in the Chamber — and has not yet received further independent confirmation. The path of the measure, after today’s passage, thus foresees three confidence sessions on October 5 and the final vote on October 8, when it will be known whether the reform initiated in the Senate in September completes its process in the Chamber.