Giorgia Meloni’s coalition government lost a crucial vote on electoral reform by a single vote in Italy’s lower house on Wednesday evening – a surprise setback that triggered opposition calls for her to resign ahead of next year’s general election.
The secret ballot rejected a preference-voting provision proposed by Meloni’s party, Brothers of Italy (FdI), by 188 votes to 187, indicating that several of her own MPs voted against the amendment. In an angry social media post, Meloni called it “a missed opportunity for Italians” and accused the opposition of celebrating “as if they had won the World Cup, for preventing citizens from choosing their parliamentarians”. The jubilant scenes in parliament from opposition parties contrasted sharply with Meloni’s silence on demands that she step down and bring forward the election, currently planned for autumn 2027.
“Italy's Meloni suffers one-vote defeat on electoral reform, while France's Le Pen is free to run in next year's election.”
The broader reform, which the government can still pursue, would create a fully proportional system with a bonus for the largest party or coalition and require coalitions to agree on a common platform and single prime ministerial candidate – something many parties find unpalatable. Meloni argues it would produce more stable governments, but opposition parties branded it “authoritarian” and a bid to secure a majority next year.
Tensions within Meloni’s centre-right and hard-right coalition have been rising as parties’ popularity has declined, exacerbated by junior partners’ reservations before Tuesday’s vote. Meanwhile, centre-left and left-wing opposition parties are preparing a united front after successfully defeating a government-backed constitutional reform referendum in the spring. To win a safer majority next year, Meloni may need to broaden her appeal towards the centre or to more extremist groups such as Roberto Vannacci’s fledgling National Future party.
Across the Alps, French politics is also entering uncharted territory. With Marine Le Pen now free to run in next year’s election, President Emmanuel Macron – described as “an impotent president” since his impulsive 2024 dissolution of parliament cost him his relative majority – finds himself sidelined. As Georges Clemenceau once quipped, such presidents’ only role is to open flower shows; for Macron, it is to “Panthéonise”, a reference to the tradition of interring national heroes in the Panthéon. The contrast between Meloni’s narrow defeat and Le Pen’s renewed opportunity underscores the volatility facing Europe’s populist right.