Italian Senate Rejects Pd Amendment on Electoral Preferences

The Italian Senate rejected a sub-amendment proposed by Democratic Party senator Dario Parrini that sought to eliminate blocked lead candidates and introduce preference voting. The measure was defeated with 68 votes in favor and 99 against. The government had deferred the decision to the Chamber. Following the vote, opposition members shouted "Shame!" from their benches.

The center-right majority voted cohesively against the amendment. Lucio Malan, the floor leader for Fratelli d'Italia, stated that the party chose to maintain majority agreements over an amendment he described as instrumental. He noted that while Fratelli d'Italia has historically supported preferences, the party voted against this specific proposal to uphold its word to its allies. In contrast, opposition figures from the M5S, Pd, and Italia Viva accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of inconsistency and a reversal of her previous positions on voter choice.

Separate reports indicate that the majority is considering a modification to the anti-hedge rule. This proposal would remove the threshold for contributing to the majority bonus but would increase the number of signatures required to run in order to prevent decoy lists. Minister of Reforms Elisabetta Casellati confirmed that the government would defer to the Senate on certain amendments, affirming that Parliament is sovereign.