Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and top ministers backed a constitutional reform proposal on Monday, introducing the direct election of the prime minister. Such a reform, regularly put on the table, is likely to pass this time.
This week, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni set out her plans to give more powers to the head of government through a constitutional reform that will be brought to the Council of Ministers on Friday 3 November.
The text includes the election of the premier with a single round and a majority of 55% to ensure governability, as well as an end to the possibility for the Quirinale, the official residence of the president of the Italian Republic, to appoint senators for life.
This move came in an effort to end chronic political instability in the country that has seen 68 different governments in the past 77 years.
During her election campaign, Meloni has pledged to introduce constitutional reforms that could guarantee a longer duration to Italy’s notoriously short-lived governments and a new balance of powers between the prime minister, president, and Parliament.
However, the government encountered strong resistance from the opposition, who feared that her reforms would concentrate too much power in the hands of a single individual. That is something Italy’s leaders wanted to avoid when they set up the political system after fascist dictator Benito Mussolini led the country during World War II.
By law, any change to the Italian Constitution requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament.
If it fails to do so, a referendum is required. A previous referendum on constitutional changes proposed by then-Premier leader Matteo Renzi failed in 2016, leading to his resignation, while a referendum on other changes, including beefing up presidential powers, proposed by then-Premier Silvio Berlusconi, also failed in 2006.
